# 10 Year Old Skis for occasional skier...time to upgrade?



## hammer (Oct 13, 2015)

Just wondering if it will be worth the expense to upgrade my wife's skis...she's a solid but more cautious intermediate who pretty much sticks to the groomers.  Her current and only skis are Rossignol Saphir 3s that we bought about 10 years ago.  She's quite happy with them but give the age of the skis I have been wondering if it's time for a refresh.

I'm aware of the advice to demo, but the last time she demoed skis all she had a chance to try were the latest models which I usually avoid due to cost.  She also didn't feel that she could tell much difference in what she skied then.

If we do get something I will try to keep the price down...she doesn't get out more than 5-6 times in a season (at the most about 10) so a big gear investment doesn't make too much sense.


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## andrec10 (Oct 13, 2015)

Yes, time to upgrade, even go with last years leftovers...if there are any to be found!


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## hammer (Oct 13, 2015)

Forgot...her current skis are 146s I believe.  Should she go with longer skis (she's 5'7") and if so what would be a good length?


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## joshua segal (Oct 13, 2015)

Unless you have money to burn, I would say, you are wasting your money. It sounds like she is not the type of skier who might really benefit from the subtle changes of newer skis.


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## dlague (Oct 13, 2015)

andrec10 said:


> Yes, time to upgrade, even go with last years leftovers...if there are any to be found!



Plenty to be found at good prices too!


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## andrec10 (Oct 13, 2015)

hammer said:


> Forgot...her current skis are 146s I believe.  Should she go with longer skis (she's 5'7") and if so what would be a good length?



I would say mid 150's. 146 is too short to be decent on ice. Ski is probably starting to lose its camber.


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## wa-loaf (Oct 13, 2015)

Newer skis are a bit lighter and easier to turn. I think she'd appreciate the upgrade once she got on the slopes. 

I just grabbed a pair of Head Absolute Joy from last season for my fiancee. Upgrading her from some ancient solomon's that weighed a ton.


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## Cheese (Oct 13, 2015)

My thoughts:

It's not the skis, it's the bindings that should justify a replacement.  10 years is too long, especially if they're still adjusted to settings from 10 years ago.

As for the skis, this is going to be the hard part.  Somebody put her on skis that are too short and now pretty much every upgrade comes with the very real chance of not turning as easily.  Those that carve appreciate the edge hold of a longer ski but those that skid like the quick turning of a short ski.  Most upgrades over the last decade have been from longer to shorter skis.  This is an easy upgrade for intermediates as a longer ski is replaced by quicker skidding shorter one.  You're going the opposite direction.  Perhaps as wa-loaf says, a lighter ski will cancel out the negative effects of length.  But if not, you'll forever pay the price of making her upgrade to a ski that she dislikes more than what she was comfortable on.  For this reason, I would suggest demoing of at least the ~155cm lengths.  You need to stress that her skis are no longer safe and she needs to choose a replacement that she's happy with.  It really needs to be "her" choice.  After she's made her 2016 choice, you can suggest the 2014 model which is identical other than graphics.  Hopefully it will be close enough that she'll remain happy.


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## mishka (Oct 13, 2015)

From your description I believe change is not necessary if from sole purpose of buying new and shiny skis. Probably new skis she demoed was in similar  category/performance of her old ones.

5 to 7 days per season it's about 70 days all total not a lot. 

If you/she looking improved, advance.... Make skiing more fun  than it another story. You need to continue to look for that "soulmate"  skis.

About  length. It's irrelevant to some point.  length  is combined with other ski design component and simply cannot be taken along. For example 185 with big tip tail rocker in reality will be equal to 150s  on hard pack.

ski weigh..... same story. It cannot be measured along


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## bigbog (Oct 13, 2015)

For myself, lots of good stuff said....
A slightly longer ski is a great plan hammer..imho.  Something in the mid-to-upper 150s will smooth out her ride...and let more of the ski do the work for her.   She just needs to relax, pressure the middle of the ski, roll those ankles from toe to toe and let the ski's sidecut bring her around(aka doing the work for her).


Here goes my slight_ Rambling_...
I think setting up an alignment assessment session for her with her boots/[footbeds] at somewhere like GMOL(Bill Haight & crew) @Bromley or Mt.Snow Boot Works shop(Nick Blaylock(maybe))..or some Pedorthist-boot person would be highly beneficial to her enjoyment on skis. 
In addition to a little added ski-length...her alignment in her boots and bindings will be the factors in allowing her to make progress towards enjoyment.


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## Scruffy (Oct 14, 2015)

hammer said:


> ...she doesn't get out more than *5-6 times in a season (at the most about 10)* so a big gear investment doesn't make too much sense.



All good advise posted above.
6-10 times is about average for most people unfortunately. Ask yourself if you want her to get out and ski more? What is holding her back? Maybe new equipment and a woman's clinic as a gift from you is just what she needs to relight the spark? Just a thought.


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## dlague (Oct 14, 2015)

bigbog said:


> For myself, lots of good stuff said....
> A slightly longer ski is a great plan hammer..imho.  Something in the mid-to-upper 150s will smooth out her ride...and let more of the ski do the work for her.   She just needs to relax, pressure the middle of the ski, roll those ankles from toe to toe and let the ski's sidecut bring her around(aka doing the work for her).
> 
> 
> ...



I agree with the length being around upper 150s since she is 5'7".  My wife is 5'4" and she skis on 158s and has a pair of rockered skis that are 166cm.  When she started skiing she was on 154s.  Change in length has never been an issue and I do not think it will be in this case, hammer.

Not quite sure where the boot fitting conversation fit in since I do not see any part of the OP that mentions that or even complains about boot fit in fact, it read "Quite Happy".  Boot fitting is great of there is a boot fit issue but not everyone needs that.  However, that being said,  my guess is the boots she was wearing 10 years ago might be soft and getting something a little stiffer might do her justice and help to drive the ski more if she gets new skis.

Overall it depends on the objective.  If the goal is to improve and get out more then new gear might be worth it IMO.  If the goal is status quo then I would keep what she has.  Keep in mind, that the ski is short.  A lesson on carving her skis on the new gear might be a good idea (biggest bang for the buck),


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## hammer (Oct 14, 2015)

Boots are not an issue...bought new boots just a few years ago and she's happy with them.  Went through the initial learning process, first pair of boots were too big.

When we've been looking she has been a little leery of skis in/near the 160 cm range.


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## dlague (Oct 14, 2015)

hammer said:


> Boots are not an issue...bought new boots just a few years ago and she's happy with them.  Went through the initial learning process, first pair of boots were too big.
> 
> When we've been looking she has been a little leery of skis in/near the 160 cm range.



Well that is good, regarding the boots!

Where closer to 160 might be a concern, I would go at least 154/155 ish.  My wife was the same way, but when I bumped her up I think it was mostly in her head because once she started skiing she was very happy and felt she had better edge response.


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## mishka (Oct 14, 2015)

hammer said:


> Boots are not an issue...bought new boots just a few years ago and she's happy with them.  Went through the initial learning process, first pair of boots were too big.
> 
> When we've been looking she has been a little leery of skis in/near the 160 cm range.



 I think 150s 160s is too short. Again depends on the skis.
My daughter high beginner  low intermediate used to ski on 150s. Last season I put her on one of the skis I made which was 175 long (only one pair skis I made which feet hair level)… You should see her face when I told her how long they are... At end of the day she was very happy and comfortable on them.

 I would suggest skis around 170 long with tip rocker and turning radius 16 mentors


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## Cheese (Oct 14, 2015)

bigbog said:


> ...and let more of the ski do the work for her.   She just needs to relax, pressure the middle of the ski, roll those ankles from toe to toe and let the ski's sidecut bring her around(aka doing the work for her).



This is what anyone should do but unfortunately it's one of those, "_*I get it*_" moments that typically happens right at the transition from intermediate to expert.  It's a leap in skill advancement and ultimately control between skidding and carving which, for many, makes the turn more enjoyable than the traverse.

Unfortunately for beginner and intermediate skiers the traverse is when they're in the comfort zone and the turn is the brief awkward scary moment when the tips are facing downhill and just don't seem to come around fast enough.  They're too impatient to let the ski do the work therefore short, light, skidding skis are their friend especially on steeper terrain.  I don't see putting anyone on longer skis making this change happen.

Hammer, if you want a better skier, then the money is best spent on lessons.



hammer said:


> When we've been looking she has been a little leery of skis in/near the 160 cm range.



Then 155 cm is a good compromise.  I'm 5'8 with skis ranging from 160-180 cm (see signature).  The longer are for speed and float which likely are of little concern to your girl.


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## joshua segal (Oct 15, 2015)

For less than 10 times a year, length isn't a major issue.  Depending on conditions and what I feel like doing, I actively use 4 or 5 different pairs of skis over a season that range in length from 155 to 185.  (Like "cheese"'s posting, I too am 5'8".) All of those skis that I use are fun and they all require a slightly different skill mixes which adds a bit of challenge.


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## Scruffy (Oct 15, 2015)

You can't assign a length without taking the ski design into consideration; some are designed to ski short, others longer. Work with a good ski shop, get her into some lessons or a clinic and she may enjoy skiing more, which may ( or may not  make you happy. Sometimes you have to invest in your happiness.


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## dlague (Oct 15, 2015)

Hammer, the link below is for the Atomic Vantage Supreme.  My wife skis these and is 5'4".  It is slightly rockered and has a nice side cut.  It skis really well in groomers but is wide enough so in crud and untracked days there is some float.  In her opinion, is skis like the narrower skis she used to have and incidentally it is the widest ski she ever skied.  She absolutely loves them.  She has progressed from a ski that is 74 under foot to a ski that is 81 underfoot to this one.  An now actually has another pair that are longer and wider.  This ski comes in a 157 length which I think would be good.  The price is really good too @ $279

Take a look

http://www.rei.com/product/876823/atomic-supreme-skis-womens-20142015


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## bigbog (Oct 18, 2015)

hammer said:


> Boots are not an issue...bought new boots just a few years ago and she's happy with them.  Went through the initial learning process, first pair of boots were too big.
> 
> When we've been looking she has been a little leery of skis in/near the 160 cm range.



Really wasn't talking about purchasing new boots....
fwiw....


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## hammer (Oct 18, 2015)

Looks like we are getting to the limit on discounts...are not seeing as many "on sale" skis available.

Went to a local shop and they seemed to be pretty positive on Blizzard skis, although they only had the current year models available and we didn't want to go to the $500 range for skis and bindings.

We saw the following setup for $332 (one other local shop quotes $50 for mounting bindings so the total cost would be $382) but I have not seen any reviews online.

http://www.evo.com/outlet/ski-packages/blizzard-viva-cross-skis-iq10-bindings-womens.aspx


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## mishka (Oct 18, 2015)

you making a mistake.


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## bigbog (Oct 21, 2015)

Here's another couple shots Hammer...

A 2016 Elan.....kinda short but 76mm underfoot, at a good price.  Most Elans I've felt/skied are forgiving in the shovel but hookup pretty well.

http://www.powder7.com/Elan-Zest-QT-Skis-152cm-New-2016/for-sale

PS:  Even though a man's ski...a Dynastar Legend 8000 @168 is a mighty forgiving and playful ski...but maybe a little too aggressive for her...y/n?

**AND..fwiw, I bet you'll have a good chance of finding something in the tent sales coming up....
EDIT:..whatever ski chosen...the lack of length is what's giving her a highly unstable ride...they're magnifying every bump the ground has to give her...that's why she's been so "cautious".


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