Question:
Second-year skier. Female. Cascades, mostly Timberline but probably
eventually Ski Bowl and Mt. Hood Meadows as well as Bachelor.
(although it'd be cool to get the experience to ski Palmer and go
through August, reality sets in and the Mile is as high up as I'll
probably get on Hood).
Late middle-age. Skied five times first year, 10-11 times second year
and may still get a few more days in, seeing as there's still fresh
snow at Timberline. Tired of renting. Still need lessons for mental
stuff, managing with middle-age body, but have found a sweet rental
package that I wouldn't mind owning. Parallel turn level skier, can
handle moderate difficulty slopes such as the Magic Mile (blue) in
decent spring snow.
Answer:
I like the looks of the Rossignol Exalt K10 boots, which is what I've
been wearing in lessons and rentals at Timberline. I'm picky about
boot fit, which is a carryover from my other major sport--horseback
riding. Boot fit I'm not too worried about. I've done it enough to
know what I like and what I can/can't live with. The Rossignols work
well for me at Timberline,
The ski I really love right now, though, is the Salomon X wing 4 +610
package. It's different from the ski I rented for my first year
lessons, and I like the feel of it on the snow a lot better. It's a
beginner-intermediate all purpose recreational ski, and that's
probably the level I'll stay at. I'm a recreational skier but I'd
like to have my own just to save time in the rental line.
The biggest issue I do have is that I have an old hip injury (from
jogging) which sometimes interferes with my ability to bring my tails
over, especially when turning left and the injured hip is on the
downhill side. That also seems to be my preferred braking side. It
doesn't become an issue except when I hit the fatigue point, and then
I take a break. Is there a better ski to address that issue?
Am I crazy to be thinking about these skis? I've had 10-11 runs on
them, including long runs on the Magic Mile. I really, really like
their feel. Or is there a better ski I should be looking at?
As far as the skis go, everybody is an individual. I ski on Stockli,
mainly because of my size and weight. You would not like them. Let
me say this, look at the side cut - A carving ski with a greater side
cut will allow you to let the ski do the work on the groomed runs. One
of the things about Hood snow-it can be prodigous, wet and heavy even
on regularly groomed runs - very light skis can get bounced around a
lot. Salomons are known for being light. Both Salomon and Rossi have
synthetic cores-I might just want to demo a ski that has a composite
core with a little wood in it - say Dynastar or Elan. They may feel a
little heavier but if you have the right side cut, that weight will be
advantageous.
