When skis are too stiff...

[tinymoose]

I submit to the criticism vault... a high level intermediate trying to kill it on her too stiff Kenjas and race boots she couldn't flex.. (I found these in my photobucket tonight and had a good laugh)...You can't say I didn't try.... lol

At this point in time in my ski history I was on too stiff Kenjas, with boots I couldn't flex (Fischer Jr race boots with Zipfit liners), and no racing lessons to date.

 

[tinymoose]

I spent 2.5 years skiing too stiff skis/boots? Would not recommend.

 

[Eleeski]

Spending time on the wrong equipment might slow your learning curve but if you are still skiing, you did alright.

My first equipment was Miller softs and leather boots (way too soft) hurt my skill progression but gave me a love of powder and soft snow. Nobody else has those preferences...

Eric

 

[Scrundy]

Been there done that. Spent 1 season in to stiff of a boot. I'd take to soft over to stiff of a boot any day. Coming from a hockey back round I prefer a boot on the softer side

 

[Uncle-A]

I could deal with boots that are stiff but skis that are too stiff are not fun.

 

[WheatKing]

Being a former lightweight (110 lbs soakin wet) I get the struggle.. even now i'm 170 and less than athletic and some skis are just too stiff unless i'm breakneck speeds.

I remember the first time i really bent a ski. was flying down the face at Orford towards the lodge.. it's a decent slope.. and I was on... tyrolia GSX skis and i was FLYING.. i think i made 3 carved turns down the face.. some how i survived.. had no idea what i was doing in hindsight.. except after that trip i went and bought some Kastle all mountain skis. All of a sudden I could bend the ski anywhere.. at even moderate speeds.. game changer.. the whole hill opened up.. Then I moved to the flat lands and didn't go skiing for another 20 years. Too stiff a boot is survivable.. to stiff a ski.. just isn't fun.

 

[Uncle-A]

Being a former lightweight (110 lbs soakin wet) I get the struggle.. even now i'm 170 and less than athletic and some skis are just too stiff unless i'm breakneck speeds.

I remember the first time i really bent a ski. was flying down the face at Orford towards the lodge.. it's a decent slope.. and I was on... tyrolia GSX skis and i was FLYING.. i think i made 3 carved turns down the face.. some how i survived.. had no idea what i was doing in hindsight.. except after that trip i went and bought some Kastle all mountain skis. All of a sudden I could bend the ski anywhere.. at even moderate speeds.. game changer.. the whole hill opened up.. Then I moved to the flat lands and didn't go skiing for another 20 years. Too stiff a boot is survivable.. to stiff a ski.. just isn't fun.

That sounds so much like me when I was much younger, only I was just a little heaver and skiing a long Rossi Strato 102. It was at Hunter, NY on a trail called Racers Edge I made the turns but at the last turn they just through me off like a spring board.

 

[Philpug]

There are two types of stiffness, longitudinal and torsional, it used to be that you could not have one without the other, with todays technology and materials, you now can. Modern skis can now bend and be supple yet provide good edge hold. Oh and before someone mentions it, metal is not specifically a stiffening material even though it is usually found in stiffer skis, it is guilty by association. One of the stiffest and burliest skis ever produced, the K2 VO Slalom, not only didn't have metal, it was a foam core ski, so it didn't even have a wood core!

 

[Wendy]

I spent a year on too stiff skis. OMG.....I felt FAST, so I thought I was doing great.....
What a HUGE mistake. I spent the next 2 seasons on skiblades and a soft pair of K2's to relearn skills.
I'd rather be on too soft a ski than too stiff. It's easier to just slow down and be able to navigate the terrain.
I also tried skiing in a boot I couldn't flex properly, too.
I couldn't work the ski through the turn, and the tips of the skis were all over the place. Scary!

 

[Jenny]

This may be the lesson I learn this season - swapped my 170 Kenjas for some 163s so we'll see what that does.

 

[trailtrimmer]

At least you were receptive to the suggestions of backing it down a level or two. I start the season with a screw out of my boots, it goes back in about mid season and it's crazy how much of a difference it makes.

 

[Philpug]

This may be the lesson I learn this season - swapped my 170 Kenjas for some 163s so we'll see what that does.

The 163's are just as stiff, and actually they might be stiffer.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

The 163's are just as stiff, and actually they might be stiffer.

What's the stiffness difference, if any, between the 2015 and the 2016 Kenja models?

 

[Philpug]

What's the stiffness difference, if any, between the 2015 and the 2016 Kenja models?

I think the newer one is a bit more compliant, it definitely skis easier with it's more gradual tip and less flair along with more taper and rise in the tail. (This coming from my experience with the Kendo, which is the same ski).

 

[Jenny]

The 163's are just as stiff, and actually they might be stiffer.

Great . . . at least I won't have the extra length to muscle around???

Any thoughts on how these compare in stiffness to the 2017 Fischer Ranger 90? DH has those in 172 and I like them a lot.

I'm thinking of trying to demo the corresponding women's Fischer (just so our skis would look different - makes for easier grabbing) or something similar. I'm pretty bad at actually going out and reading about skis, so it's hard for me to figure out what might be similar, though.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

@Jenny Your Kenjas are 2016s so read what Phil said above about the differences between the 2 years. The 2016 models are more "user" friendly so I think that's a good thing.

 

[trailtrimmer]

Great . . . at least I won't have the extra length to muscle around???

Any thoughts on how these compare in stiffness to the 2017 Fischer Ranger 90? DH has those in 172 and I like them a lot.

I'm thinking of trying to demo the corresponding women's Fischer (just so our skis would look different - makes for easier grabbing) or something similar. I'm pretty bad at actually going out and reading about skis, so it's hard for me to figure out what might be similar, though.

If you find a ski that melts your heart, stick with it. Put a couple stickers to make them look different if you need to.

 

[Monique]

There are two types of stiffness, longitudinal and torsional, it used to be that you could not have one without the other, with todays technology and materials, you now can. Modern skis can now bend and be supple yet provide good edge hold. Oh and before someone mentions it, metal is not specifically a stiffening material even though it is usually found in stiffer skis, it is guilty by association. One of the stiffest and burliest skis ever produced, the K2 VO Slalom, not only didn't have metal, it was a foam core ski, so it didn't even have a wood core!

I would love an article discussing this, if it doesn't already exist.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

There are two types of stiffness, longitudinal and torsional, it used to be that you could not have one without the other, with todays technology and materials, you now can. Modern skis can now bend and be supple yet provide good edge hold. Oh and before someone mentions it, metal is not specifically a stiffening material even though it is usually found in stiffer skis, it is guilty by association. One of the stiffest and burliest skis ever produced, the K2 VO Slalom, not only didn't have metal, it was a foam core ski, so it didn't even have a wood core!

Does the Stockli Laser AX have metal in it?

 

[Doug Briggs]

I'd rather skis too stiff than boots too stiff. You have some hope of making a stiff ski work if you can flex the boot, but no chance of making a boot you can't flex work with any ski.