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Jeff
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I am a firm believer in matching boot flex to flexion of the ankle first.
I've never been down that road Phil. I've always been very athletic and physically fit. My only downfall has been the effects of my 3 decades of smoking. I wear a 98 last boot in 28 or 28.5. I like Heads and Full Tilts. They clamp me in well. I bought a pair of Patron's but they were too small. I should've taken them to a good fitter and had them punched out. Ankle hold down has been the only thing I've seen a boot fitter for and that was in the Full Tilts. I've never done a full blown from the ground up fitting. That was what I was talking to Schiller about. (We did hook up and talk on the phone for quite awhile). I have been wanting to get a couple pairs done for awhile. One for racing.
 

oldschoolskier

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Here is a very simplistic gauge/method.

Skis too soft. (Ski is tuned correctly.)

Chatter.
Ski all of a sudden let’s go in turns.
Ski doesn’t hold consistently.
Ski twitchy

Stiff

Makes you ski correctly, not as forgiving of errors in technique. Primarily timing of actions.

Too stiff.

Can’t get them to turn in a carve. Skis turn them only.


Boots too soft. (Boots must fit correctly)

Ski just doesn’t respond. (Reason for that cause skis to feel to stiff and the reason boots must be identified first).

Boots Stiff

Skis feel twitchy or soft (upgrade skis).
Shin bite, suck it up baby performance boots.
Leg muscle ache. Ski more and develop strength.

Boots too stiff

Feels like leg is stuck in vertical position no matter the amount of forward lean.
Feels like entire leg and body must be used to flex boot if possible at all.
Both of these are very good indications of too stiff.

Little note here, things can be done to let a stiff boot feel softer, from simple things like loosening the power strap, cuff buckles, to removing a bolt or extreme shell modifications to change the flex.

My recommendation is for beginners (just starting) is that they need soft equipment. The equipment forgives gross errors by just not responding to the input (damping the input), till the correct motions are established. (Should punished them for not knowing, they have to learn first).

Intermediates (anyone, not just starting beginner), should be on the stiffer side. Too soft, the equipment falsely ignores correct input making it feel wrong. Defeats learning correct actions. On the stiffer side, there equipment responses to correct input and if on the higher end of stiff, punishes incorrect input. It also lets the skier grow into the equipment.

Advanced and above, you generally know what you like, want and need for the best experience. You also likely know the tricks to make it work even if it’s all wrong. (For some of you out there there is never to stiff, yes you know who you are).

As to determining what right (intermediates), someone needs to see you ski, an experienced high end instructor should be able to help. Boots first, then skis. Failing that, an experience advanced and above skier in some cases may help as well (generally to be advanced they need to understand the impact equipment has technique and how to adjust).

Simple, not perfect, but should give the basic of what to look for.
 

AmyPJ

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Note to self: never ever recommend a pair of Kenja.
Are you being facetious? Your comment made me giggle, but I'm curious what made you say that. Strong skiers who aren't super lightweight tend to really like them! They are a powerful ski that really are easy to ski IF you can bend them and have a decent skill set. I went from a Samba to the Kenjas and found them to be much easier to turn and maneuver. Until I lost weight and wasn't bending them as well.

I bought the 2018 Black Pearl 88s to replace them, and they are the perfect ski for me.
 

Rod9301

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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.
How do you make a stiff and work with a soft boot?
 

Large Squirrel

a.k.a. guitar73
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it was def a long and frustrating journey for @tinymoose, but we seemed to get through it ok. i'm really glad that there are still skis out there like the yumi that offer something to ppl on the lower end of the height/weight spectrum. finally having a proper flexurally stiff and torsionally rigid ski/binding/boot set up really has helped her ski in a more dynamic and efficient manner.
 

Rod9301

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I am a firm believer in matching boot flex to flexion of the ankle first.
Well said. I hear about heel lifting in ski boots, and I believe it's due to lack of forward mobility in the ankle.

If your ankle bends 10 degrees, but the boot flexes easily to 18, or the forward lean is 18, this results in the heel lifting.
 

KingGrump

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Are you being facetious?

No, I am not being facetious.
What I read in this thread regarding the Kenja coincides with my personal observations in real life.

I am a believer of the iceberg concept.
 

Pequenita

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Note to self: never ever recommend a pair of Kenja.

No, I am not being facetious.
What I read in this thread regarding the Kenja coincides with my personal observations in real life.

I am a believer of the iceberg concept.

Huh. I ski them, ski them well, and love them. They are not, however, the soft ski/boot setup that I'm referring to in any of my posts.

I will say, they are often mis-recommended to people. There was a firesale of them a few years ago among the Divas.
 

Marty McSly

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skis stiffer than boots... the later combination can be truly unpleasant.
Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

3rd week of skiing, soft boots with flogged out rock hoppers, no problem. Same boots with burly skis, ground the bottom edges of the cuffs into the insteps and transferred most of my weight to the arches. Worst foot pain ever!
 

KingGrump

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Huh. I ski them, ski them well, and love them. They are not, however, the soft ski/boot setup that I'm referring to in any of my posts.

I will say, they are often mis-recommended to people. There was a firesale of them a few years ago among the Divas.

OK, so before I start in on the Kendo/Kenja thing, let me post my usual disclaimer. I am on my 4th pair of Kendo since they start making them in 2011. So you can say I like them. They have been my daily driver every season since 2011 with the exception of one. Also ran quite a few other pairs of skis in the same class concurrently through the years. Skis like MX88, Motive 85, Stockli VXL and Mantra come to mind.

My brother-in-law also likes the Kendo. The two of us usually spent anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks at Taos every season. We elicit lots of comments about the Kendo twins and the skis. Our standard reply is "Demo a pair and you'll know."

All that said, if I get a dollar every time I get yelled at by someone whom I recommended the Kendo to. I could have a pretty nice dinner at Red Lobster. To the extend If it is possible to have a nice dinner at Red Lobster. :nono: Most skiers I know just down right dislike or hates the ski. Most reviewers on this forum generally fall under this category - ain't got anything good to say, don't say anything. The silence is deafening. Not that I mind and/or care.

OTOH, I also ran into lots of skiers who loves their Kendo/Kenja. Some are good technical skiers and some are not. It is the "not" group that worries me.

Couple years back. Ran into a group of skiers while skiing Inferno at Taos. Three ladies and one guy. I knew them in passing because they were regulars at Taos. All four
were on Kendo/Kenja. I was on a pair of 2013 Kendo at that time. They were overjoyed to see another pair of Kendo. Told me how they loved the skis. How fantastic the skis were. We chatted for a while, then I hung back and watched them ski off. What I saw was a series of what I considered as beautifully executed link recoveries. OTOH, They must be experienced something completely different. They were hooping and hollering all the way down. Having a great time. I thought, "Hey, what they don't know won't hurt them. They are having a good time after all."

I was wrong. Two week later, I heard through the grapevine two out of the four in that group blew their ACL. :eek:
Not a good thing.

Another thought. Don't really think it's a weight thing. My niece is a really good skier. A strong high advanced level skier by most people's book. Don't really know what that means, but whatever. She is about the same size as I am. 5'/6", 155+ lb. She demoed a pair of 163 cm Kenja because she wanted to know what my ski feels like. Didn't like it. As she said, won't turn for her. She like her Cham 87W much better. She will be on a pair of Total Joy for the coming season. I think she will be much happier.

BTW, Mamie demoed the Kenja back in 2013 on my recommendation. Was miserable all day. Yelled at me for the whole day. I guess that is her way to share the misery. She is much happier on her Cham 87W and Stockli Motion 85W.

The technical skiers like the Kendo/Kenja because they are capable and versatile.
Some dislike it because they can't get it to do what they wanted.
Others like it for the thrill ride it provides. For those in for the thrilling ride, I think there are much more suitable skis available out there.
 

Pequenita

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Maybe coincidentally, I demoed the Cham 87W in 2015 and wasn't a fan. There was nothing inherently wrong with them, but they felt meh. It was also the 3rd day of my season, so who knows.

Size/weight is one of a bunch of factors. I'm intrigued, though, because I'm over 50 lbs lighter than @KingGrump 's niece but the length of Kenjas that I've been on is only the next one down. I had a mid-season injury in the early spring that had me non-weightbearing on one leg for 4 weeks, and to be honest, I've been mediocre with rehab. So I'm curious to see how I ski this season.
 

AmyPJ

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No, I am not being facetious.
What I read in this thread regarding the Kenja coincides with my personal observations in real life.

I am a believer of the iceberg concept.
Got it. They are definitely stiff ski, and to be truthful, I do think they allowed me to do a bit of "park and ride" skiing two seasons ago.
 
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tinymoose

tinymoose

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I just wanna say, I never meant this as a judgment of the Kenjas in any way. Despite the shitty looking photos I posted, I was actually very comfortable on the 149 Kenjas b/c they were short enough to do a lot of rotary fudging, even at my 5'1" and 95 lbs. In all honesty, I took multiple lessons/classes on the Kenjas over the 2.5 yrs I owned them and not a single instructor said boo to me about them being too much ski for me and at the time I loved them b/c I didn't know any better (for my size).

ETA: I've always loved the feel of Volkl skis and I've tried the Kenjas, Charismas, and Yumis. I loved them all upon demo, but realistically the only one I could flex well given my size and skill was the Yumis.
 

Ken_R

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I just wanna say, I never meant this as a judgment of the Kenjas in any way. Despite the shitty looking photos I posted, I was actually very comfortable on the 149 Kenjas b/c they were short enough to do a lot of rotary fudging, even at my 5'1" and 95 lbs. In all honesty, I took multiple lessons/classes on the Kenjas over the 2.5 yrs I owned them and not a single instructor said boo to me about them being too much ski for me and at the time I loved them b/c I didn't know any better (for my size).

ETA: I've always loved the feel of Volkl skis and I've tried the Kenjas, Charismas, and Yumis. I loved them all upon demo, but realistically the only one I could flex well given my size and skill was the Yumis.

I just got my wife a pair of Black Crows Captis Birdie (90mm width). They are perfect for someone your size. The flex is nice and even and soft enough for someone in the 100-115 lb range. Its best to look not just at reviews online but try to get a feel of the ski in the store and of course its best to demo.

My Head Monster 88's are VERY stiff (184 cm length) but they feel great under my feet and I can bend them into shorter turn radii no problem. But Im 6-2, 185 lb and use 130 flex boots. Same with my Moment Deathwish 190cm (112mm wide) skis. They are not as stiff but far from soft and are large and pretty burly. With my previous boot (which were softer at 100) I could manage them but was hitting the limit of the flex in the boots regularly. With my newer, stiffer boots I can control them better, quicker and just make them do whatever I want, much easier.
 
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tinymoose

tinymoose

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I just got my wife a pair of Black Crows Captis Birdie (90mm width). They are perfect for someone your size. The flex is nice and even and soft enough for someone in the 100-115 lb range. Its best to look not just at reviews online but try to get a feel of the ski in the store and of course its best to demo.

My Head Monster 88's are VERY stiff (184 cm length) but they feel great under my feet and I can bend them into shorter turn radii no problem. But Im 6-2, 185 lb and use 130 flex boots. Same with my Moment Deathwish 190cm (112mm wide) skis. They are not as stiff but far from soft and are large and pretty burly. With my previous boot (which were softer at 100) I could manage them but was hitting the limit of the flex in the boots regularly. With my newer, stiffer boots I can control them better, quicker and just make them do whatever I want, much easier.

I'll keep that in mind if I'm ever looking for a more western ski. I'm hesitant on width b/c at my size it's easy for skis to turn into two surfboards strapped to my feet.
 

KingGrump

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I'll keep that in mind if I'm ever looking for a more western ski. I'm hesitant on width b/c at my size it's easy for skis to turn into two surfboards strapped to my feet.

For eastern hard pack. The Head Joy line of skis are a good fit. They are relatively soft flexing longitudinally but torsionally rigid.
Torsional rigidity is the component of the ski that gives it "bite" on hard snow. A torsionally rigid ski allows the ski edge to engage the hard snow and track through ratther than twisting out of the groove like a fusilli.

A longitudinally softer flexing ski will generally allow easier tip engagement at turn initiation. It will also reduce kick back - think bumps.

Full disclosure: Demo Lady Salina's Head Great Joy few seasons back. Absolutely loved it. Would have bought a pair on the spot except can't quite get over the lavender top sheet. :cool:
 

Uncle-A

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I just wanna say, I never meant this as a judgment of the Kenjas in any way. Despite the shitty looking photos I posted, I was actually very comfortable on the 149 Kenjas b/c they were short enough to do a lot of rotary fudging, even at my 5'1" and 95 lbs. In all honesty, I took multiple lessons/classes on the Kenjas over the 2.5 yrs I owned them and not a single instructor said boo to me about them being too much ski for me and at the time I loved them b/c I didn't know any better (for my size).

ETA: I've always loved the feel of Volkl skis and I've tried the Kenjas, Charismas, and Yumis. I loved them all upon demo, but realistically the only one I could flex well given my size and skill was the Yumis.
I do not want to start a firestorm but at 5' 1" and 95 LBS why not buy a High Performance Junior Ski???
 

AmyPJ

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For eastern hard pack. The Head Joy line of skis are a good fit. They are relatively soft flexing longitudinally but torsionally rigid.
Torsional rigidity is the component of the ski that gives it "bite" on hard snow. A torsionally rigid ski allows the ski edge to engage the hard snow and track through ratther than twisting out of the groove like a fusilli.

A longitudinally softer flexing ski will generally allow easier tip engagement at turn initiation. It will also reduce kick back - think bumps.

Full disclosure: Demo Lady Salina's Head Great Joy few seasons back. Absolutely loved it. Would have bought a pair on the spot except can't quite get over the lavender top sheet. :cool:

I demoed the Super Joys last season and HAD to have a pair for "firm groomer days" although I also skied them in slush and liked them there, too. Also skied the Total Joys and could have owned a pair of those, also LOL. But, they overlap with my Black Pearls too much.
 

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