# Somebody gave me some free skis - can I make them work for me?



## ahron (Mar 6, 2007)

Hi,
I got a gift of some used Dynastar Supra Omega skis. They appear to be 195 in length if I'm reading them right. Nice Salomon bindings. The boots are "Lange" and seem to be a good fit.

I'm 6'0" tall and an intermediate skier. 

I took these skis out for a test run for a few hours and while I was getting down the mountain okay, I was a bit unstable and fell a couple of times also. I can't blame the skis altogether since I'm out of practice and the snow conditions were poor.

So what I'm asking is, from people who really know equipment: I can see these are not "shaped" skis. Are these skis obsolete? When were they made? And am I doing myself a disservice by using them? What type of skier are these particular skis designed for? What are the strengths of this ski and what are the weaknesses?

Money is tight but I will buy a different used ski if I feel it will make a big difference.

I have a big 3-day ski trip coming up and I want to have a good time, not have white knuckles the whole way down or falling and unstable. I really don't have a good understanding of how a type of ski can affect the ski experience (although like most people I've found a good shaped ski, even rented, to be very easy to handle).

The fact that they are 195s bothers me a bit because I've been told that longer skis are harder to control, but on the other hand, I'm sure that length is a relative measurement and depends what sort of ski you are using.

I'm a casual skier and until now have rented skis whenever I needed them. Obviously that is not ideal and I'd like to settle in with one particular set of skis so I can improve and not always spend half the day adjusting to different skis.

Any advice, comments or suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks.


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## ctenidae (Mar 6, 2007)

If they're straight, they're obsolete. If they're that old, the bindings may be out of spec and could cause problems. With time and money both being obstacles, I'd stay with rentals.


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## ALLSKIING (Mar 6, 2007)

You don't want boots that are "big" and skies that are long. For your trip I would go with rentals to make sure you have the right equipment. If I were you I would buy new boots from a good bootfitter and buy a new\used pair of demo skies. Lots of deals this time of year. Good luck!


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## ahron (Mar 6, 2007)

Not big boots, Lange boots. The boots fit like a glove!


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## ALLSKIING (Mar 6, 2007)

ahron said:


> Not big boots, Lange boots. The boots fit like a glove!


Ok...You just don't want your foot to move around in the boot.


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## tjf67 (Mar 6, 2007)

*for a good time*

Do youself a favor and ditch those skiis.  Rent from a ski shop around where you live and get a decent pair.   From the sound of it you dont ski often.  You can rent the latest and greatest ski and in the long run save yourself a lot of money and have quality equipment to use.  As long as the boots fit and are comfortable keep those.


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## ahron (Mar 6, 2007)

sigh. deep down I know you're all right.

I guess a once-a-year ski vacation is not the place to cut corners on gear.


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## Rushski (Mar 6, 2007)

Way too long and definitely too much ski for you.  

Also bindings may be partially frozen (rusted or dry) which can be very dangerous.

If old enough, those Lange boots may be a COLD boot.


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## ahron (Mar 6, 2007)

The bindings look brand new, to be honest. very smooth mechanism and they worked well. No signs of wear whatsoever.

The boots feel great as well. I've worn far worse.

Believe me, I wouldn't have gotten on those skis if they appeared to be beaten up or rusty, or the bindings looked anything but fully functional. 

They skis look like they were well cared for.

The only question is whether I can handle a ski of that length or if it would be prudent to do so. Maybe it would be worthwhile for me to keep them to "grow into" them.

I would ski more if I had my own skis in the first place!

I was making plenty of quality turns over the weekend on these. Were they harder to turn than shaped skis? Sure. That said, I've been spoiled by shaped skis over the past few years. I learned skiing on straight skis, after all. 

The couple times I fell over, I caught an edge on the uneven, dense, wet spring snow. Where I'm going this weekend is all fresh and packed powder, a whole different experience.

I'm not arguing, I just want to give the complete picture. I am still probably going to rent skis this weekend. 

If I weren't married and could make my own financial decisions, I wouldn't skimp on gear, believe me. But I can't justify major ski gear purchases with our household finances what they are. As it is I'm going on this ski trip on a free plane ticket I got for getting bumped from a flight last year and I'll be staying in a hostel.


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## wa-loaf (Mar 6, 2007)

I don't know how old those boots are, but if they are more than ten years old you should ditch them too. The plastics get brittle with age and it's not unheard of to have the bottom of the boot break away in the binding while you are skiing. :-o


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## ahron (Mar 6, 2007)

I'd know how old the boots are if I knew how old the skis are.

Does anyone in the biz know when Dynastar produced the Supra Omega series?

Again, the plastic seems solid. I've seen brittle plastic boots and these aren't there yet.


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## wa-loaf (Mar 6, 2007)

If they are straight, you are looking at close to ten years. If you are going to invest any money on equipment start with the boots.


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## ahron (Mar 6, 2007)

The bindings are Salomon Driver 797s if that helps figure out the vintage


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## KevinF (Mar 6, 2007)

Well, the "Driver 797" is still on the indemnified bindings list, meaning that ski shops would still service them.  The skis...  old.  I did Google "Dynastar Supra Omega" and found one retailer who had them listed for $20, which is truthfully $20 more then I'd ever pay for them.

As for whether or not you should use 10+ year old skis.  Goodness knows that there probably isn't a drop of useful wax left on their bases.  Getting them tuned up at the shop would cost you far more then they're worth.  There's a reason straight skis have disappeared.  They take far more effort to turn then any modern ski, and anything short of perfectly groomed slopes required real expertise to handle.  Just get rentals from one of the local shops in the town of wherever it is you're going.  People turn old straight skis into furniture these days -- maybe you can sell your Dynastar's to them and pocket $5 from the deal.

I'd keep the boots for the time being.  You say they fit reasonably well, so you might as well keep them.  They'll certainly do as well, or better then, any rental boot you might wind up with.


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## ahron (Mar 6, 2007)

here's a question for you - do rentals come waxed?
I was always under the impression rentals are "beater" skis and are abused.

I will probably keep the boots, bindings and poles and ditch the skis in the end.


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## ahron (Mar 6, 2007)

Another question.
Could anybody do me the favor of going to the New York craigslist website and search for "skis" in the "for sale" section and tell me if there are any deals to be had on skis that would be appropriate for me?

Renting skis for three days would be over $40 and if I could just apply that to a modern pair of general purpose used skis, that would make a lot of sense.

I'm really confused about what I should be skiing on because I am not a beginner skier, nor am I an expert. I think I've been holding myself back by not skiing enough and using random rental skis.

I appreciate the comment about the boots, I can understand how ill-fitting boots can be impossible to ski well on because of balance issues, but I'm really happy with the way these ones are fitting, so I'm looking for skis, basically.

Thanks again.


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## wa-loaf (Mar 6, 2007)

http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/spo/287351750.html

http://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/spo/287959528.html

http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/spo/287676456.html


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## KevinF (Mar 6, 2007)

ahron said:


> here's a question for you - do rentals come waxed?
> I was always under the impression rentals are "beater" skis and are abused.
> 
> I will probably keep the boots, bindings and poles and ditch the skis in the end.



It depends where you get the rentals from.  If you rent from the ski area itself, then I'd guess "no".  If you demo from one of the shops in town, then (in all likelihood) yes -- they're trying to sell you skis, and they want you to like them so that you'll buy them.    Most shops will grant whatever you've paid in rental fees towards the cost of the skis should you decide to buy them.  They're trying to unload inventory so they'll probably be willing to give you a serious price break.


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## ahron (Mar 6, 2007)

How about these bargain basement PowerKarve Titaniums?
I can use the bindings from the Dynastar.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/spo/287663575.html


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## tjf67 (Mar 6, 2007)

ahron said:


> here's a question for you - do rentals come waxed?
> I was always under the impression rentals are "beater" skis and are abused.
> 
> I will probably keep the boots, bindings and poles and ditch the skis in the end.



go to your local ski shop near your house and rent skiis.  Tell them you want the demos.  They will pull out a pair of 07 skiis all tuned up and BAM you are on your way.  
Should cost you about 100 bucks for the three days you need them.
Then if you like the skiis when you get back make the guy an offer.  Take off the 100 bucks you speant on the rentals and you could have good skiis pretty cheap.

Better option just retuen them and repeat next year when you go.  That was you always have the best stuff


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## Bumpsis (Mar 6, 2007)

ahron said:


> Are these skis obsolete? When were they made? And am I doing myself a disservice by using them? What type of skier are these particular skis designed for? What are the strengths of this ski and what are the weaknesses?
> I'm a casual skier and until now have rented skis whenever I needed them. Obviously that is not ideal and I'd like to settle in with one particular set of skis so I can improve and not always spend half the day adjusting to different skis.
> Thanks.



As a relative contrarian, I'm about to tell you something thats in total disagreement with opinions already posted on this topic.

So, first of all, a "straight" ski that dates back even as far as middle to late '70s is not "obsolete". What does "obsolete" mean to begin with? It won't turn?? Maybe it's somehow incompatable with snow in this new century. Perhapas the new downhill sofware will make it impossible for the ski to actually go downhill???

Come on! Anyone who tells me that a ski is obsolete because it's not  parabolic (or shaped)  is full of shite and probably buys anything that has "new and improved" written on it.
Although I ski on shaped skis, last year picked up one of those "obsolete" staright skis for dirt cheap and slapped new bindings on  it. That pair handles like a dream, especially in moguls.
 Obviously, I never worshipped at the altar of the shaped ski and always thought that commercial hoopla and noise that accompanied the introduction of the parabolic ski, vastly overstated the benefits. True, beginners and intermediates benefited the most. If you already knew how to set your edge and carve, at least in my opinion, the improvemenet was small. I think that the biggest improvement came from the fact that these new desigines provided good turning stabilty at shorter lengths. Shorter ski - easier to handle.

If your ski has good camber, good amount of metal on the edge and just a few scrateches on its bottom - you're good to go. 

Camber is life of your ski. Click you boot into the biding and lay the ski on the floor. A good portion of the ski should be off the floor. There ought to be some good resistance if you put those skis bottom to bottom and give it a squeeze.

A shaped ski would allow you to be on a shorter ski, so turning and over all control would be easier, but at 6' of height and intrmediate skills, a 195cm  ski ought to be fine. As to balance and stabilty, you're facing the same issues, regardless of the type of ski you're on. 

Save your money and if anything watch those boots. Old boots, especially if they were stored in a hot attic for many years will have the their plastic weakened. They may crack up and  fall apart on you.


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## ahron (Mar 6, 2007)

THANK YOU for a dissenting opinion, bumpsis. Maybe I'm naive, but even though the Dynastars may not be the latest technology, I agree there is no reason why I can't get by with them in a pinch. But this is a big trip for me and I don't want to just get by. I am especially worrisome because I intend to ski for three days straight after a long lull and straight skis might tax my muscles more than I would like.

So, in the intervening time, in a panic induced by the above posts I have procured two more pairs of used skis for the predigious sum of $35 for the four of them from a snowboarder who couldn't care less: 

First Pair: Salomon 9e 2s equipe 9000... date of manufacture and length unsure... I see no definitive markings to clue me in. It's a couple of inches little taller than me (I'm 6'0"). Bindings are Salomon Driver 977s.
Second Pair: Salomon 9e 3s equipe 9100... date of manufacture and length unsure... I see no definitive markings to clue me in. It's shorter than the other one... About my height. Bindings are Salomon Driver 897s.

These look like shaped skis to me, but what do I know? I do know that they date back no later than the late 1990s at the very latest. They require you to wear them on different feet.

From what I've been able to gather, these were considered "slalom racing skis" in their hayday. I will gladly furnish photos to anyone interested.

Condition of both show more wear than the Dynastar I have but are still quite serviceable.
I am going to take ONE of these three pairs of skis on a plane to... Whistler, BC... this weekend with me. (Sorry I didn't mention it before, but I know this is an Eastern mountain forum. Normally I do ski in the East. But this is an exception.)
I will have ONE of these three pairs of these skis tuned-up tomorrow.
I throw myself upon your experience and ask you to please advise which one I should have prepped considering all I have told you about the kind of skier I am.

I am sorry to be stubborn, but for a bunch of reasons I really do want to hold onto one pair of skis to work with for the rest of the season and perhaps beyond, and money is a big issue, so this is what I have to work with. 

I am going to get them tuned up after work tomorrow (Wednesday), so please do weigh in with your thoughts.

My goal is to enjoy the most of Whistler's terrain of all challenge levels with the least amount of gear-induced frustration.

Thank you.


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## Hawkshot99 (Mar 7, 2007)

Well do the bindings of the new skis fit your boots?  You know the old ones fit the boots.  

*Although you should have the shop adjust the bindings for your height, and weight.*


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## ahron (Mar 7, 2007)

no I will have to have them refitted. Is that something that they can do fairly easily?

You are right that the old boots fit the old skis very well, although as you say they should ideally be tweaked for my size and weight.


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## tjf67 (Mar 7, 2007)

ahron said:


> THANK YOU for a dissenting opinion, bumpsis. Maybe I'm naive, but even though the Dynastars may not be the latest technology, I agree there is no reason why I can't get by with them in a pinch. But this is a big trip for me and I don't want to just get by. I am especially worrisome because I intend to ski for three days straight after a long lull and straight skis might tax my muscles more than I would like.
> 
> So, in the intervening time, in a panic induced by the above posts I have procured two more pairs of used skis for the predigious sum of $35 for the four of them from a snowboarder who couldn't care less:
> 
> ...



You are all set now.  To build a nice chair that is.
You seem like a head stong person but you will figure it out.


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## ahron (Mar 7, 2007)

see, thats just mean.


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## tjf67 (Mar 7, 2007)

*I will be interested to here*

How you make out in whistler.  I am headed out there Sunday.  
You add up what it cost you to buy the peaces of your new chair along with tuning.  Add on the cost of rental cause you are going to out there.  Total it up an let us know.

I ski ac4 84 under foot and I am renting powder skiis out there.  100 bucks for 4 days.


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## ahron (Mar 7, 2007)

Well, all I've spent is $35. And I'm pretty sure I can sell these things for that price if things don't work out. 

But thank you for making me feel like crap. And it's only 10 in the morning.

I wasn't buying the skis just for Whistler. I ski locally and honestly I have never had a bad experience on skis, regardless of length, type or make. The experiences are just different. Some are amazing, some a little tricky. If I know there will be a lot of very steep terrain, then I prefer shaped skis because they turn easier on the steepest slopes where I'm most apprehensive.

That crack about making a chair out of the used skis is just plain unwarranted, because I know that once they are fitted to the boots, I could ski on all three pairs of these skis, and I'll enjoy it. None of them are broken and all of them were considered to be good skis when new and still have life in them.

Anyway, you do make a good point about choosing a specific sort of ski to fit the conditions I will be encountering at Whistler. They are expecting snow every day this week, which is why you are looking at powder skis. 

I guess my best bet is to bring the boots and rent the skis. I think 3 days will be $60.

I am still interested in hearing what others have to say about the best choice out of the three if those were the only three choices available to me.


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## wa-loaf (Mar 7, 2007)

Well, I think the point he's trying to make here is that you are becoming exceedingly needy. You asked for advice on skis and got it and some varying opinions. Now you are simply trying to get us to do your work for you. :roll:  If you want to research specific ski models use google, I'm sure you can find some old reviews on the equipment you have gotten. (Or even email the manufacturer)

If you just want to know if the equipment you have is serviceable. Check the base for gouges, see if there is edge left and it has no dents or breaks. Put the skis together and squeeze them, if they spring back, they still have camber and are servicable. If your boots are close to  fitting the binding they can probably be adjusted. If not they will likely need to be remounted.


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## ahron (Mar 7, 2007)

I'm a good online researcher and I've done a lot of research on these skis and found... very little information about them. Why that is, I don't know. It's not just these skis, it's any used skis. It's an industry that is driven on making people buy new gear and there is no interest in the industry in keeping archives on older makes and their traits.

Common sense would say that older gear that is still serviceable might be a reasonable purchase for a casual skier who wants their own skis to practice on. Why spend hundreds of dollars when there is so much turnover on older gear that you can pick up skis for a fraction of the price as they were when new?

This is a gear forum and I'm posing an interesting question to people: If you had to ski on older skis on this particular trip, which one would you bring? I think that is a good question to ask in a forum such as this.

I'm sorry if I'm annoying some people. I don't mean to be needy, I just wanted to hear what people had to say about the merits of the skis I have available to me. Admittedly, the thread has taken a turn, but that's what threads do!


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## tjf67 (Mar 7, 2007)

That crack about making a chair out of the used skis is just plain unwarranted, because I know that once they are fitted to the boots, I could ski on all three pairs of these skis, and I'll enjoy it. None of them are broken and all of them were considered to be good skis when new and still have life in them

Its not a crack man.  For 35 bucks you will have a unique chair that all will enjoy 4 a long time. 
Sorry if I sounded nasty just saying


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## ahron (Mar 7, 2007)

wa-loaf said:


> If you just want to know if the equipment you have is serviceable. Check the base for gouges, see if there is edge left and it has no dents or breaks. Put the skis together and squeeze them, if they spring back, they still have camber and are servicable. If your boots are close to  fitting the binding they can probably be adjusted. If not they will likely need to be remounted.



Thanks, this is really helpful advice.


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## ahron (Mar 7, 2007)

tjf67 said:


> Its not a crack man.  For 35 bucks you will have a unique chair that all will enjoy 4 a long time.
> Sorry if I sounded nasty just saying



Okay, I'll grant you, that would be a cool chair.

8)


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## wa-loaf (Mar 7, 2007)

Hey, you'd be saving $450:
http://www.mchalet.net/sc-skchr.html

 :beer:


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## ahron (Mar 7, 2007)

I don't want anybody to research these skis for me. 
I thought maybe people in this forum might already be familiar with them or their type.


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## ahron (Mar 7, 2007)

wa-loaf said:


> Hey, you'd be saving $450:
> http://www.mchalet.net/sc-skchr.html
> 
> :beer:



LOL


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## KevinF (Mar 7, 2007)

ahron said:


> I don't want anybody to research these skis for me.
> I thought maybe people in this forum might already be familiar with them or their type.



The only site I'm aware of that definitely has reviews of older skis is http://www.realskiers.com/.  That site goes back to the late 90s.  It is a pay site though ($20 / year, I believe).

http://www.skinet.com/skinet/ might have the older SKI and Skiing magazine reviews online; it's free so it doesn't hurt to look.  http://www.epicski.com/ is another ski-related forum where people have posted gear reviews for a few years.  They have suffered through a few server crashes, so the ancient posts are gone.


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## ahron (Mar 13, 2007)

I've got a request to file a trip report.
OK, you guys convinced me to rent skis. And I did, from Summit near the Whistler gondola.
I used my own boots except for the second day when I forgot them and they gave me "loaners" at no extra cost!
I listened to everything you all said and I decided that it was more important to me to have the best time possible skiing than save a few bucks. In the end I had three different types of skis. Two were very similar and the third I chose because of the predicted snow conditions and I'm glad I did.

I skied on Rossignol Zenith Z3 Skis the first day and they were good for all-purpose sort of conditions. The mountain that day was snowing almost down to the base and windy and bizzardy at higher elevations. They did open the peak chair on Whistler but I didn't go up there because of the poor visibility, I was gambling that I would have another chance to ski from the top of the peak chair during my three days there. As it turns out, the peak chair was not open for either of the last two days. I spent most of my time on mid-mountain runs, first at Whistler then at Blackcomb. I also skied from the Glacier Express on Horstman's Glacier into a whiteout on Blackcomb, that was pretty intense.

I skied on Rossignol Bandit B2 Skis the second day and I found them a little better than the Zeniths, at least to me. Conditions were horrible - pouring rain from the base just below the top of the whistler Gondola. Winds were high and many lifts were closed. Snow was falling heavily from midmountain upwards, but all the lifts that service those areas were closed. I skiied fewer runs than the previous day because I had to dry out my gloves every couple of hours. The mountain was pretty empty except for some hard core skiers. Most people I talked to on the lifts just did a couple of runs and that's it. Hardly anybody bought one-day tickets. I refused to let the rain get me down and I had a really fun day in the spring conditions. I took the opportunity to try one of their many gladed runs, which turned out to be excellent.

Anticipating the deep powder at alpine levels, I asked for Rossignol Bandit B3 skis for my last day. It turned colder on the mountain and a light snow fell intermittently throught the day, down to the base. Back to the B3: I read that it was a better ski in deep snow. And sure enough, there was almost too much powder to handle in many places. People were falling down left and right, but my wide B3s kept me turning in all but the deepest, most uneven and softest drifts. I did a run down from the Seventh Heaven lift in deep snow drifts and then moved over to the Horstman Glacier where I spent most of the rest of the day. The snow was firmer in the Glacier and I had an awesome time. On the downside, I paid $17 for Fresh Tracks - breakfast and early access to Whistler Mountain, only to encounter literally sheets of ice from the mid-mountain to the base after the mountain refroze after the rain. Therefore, as soon as they opened Blackcomb's alpine areas, I avoided the lower parts of either mountain until it was time to go home. My favorite run in terms of view was Crystal Traverse. Spectacular view of the valley and the Horstman bowl, even in marginal visibility. My favorite run in terms of all-over fun was to make my own way down the glacier. I did that a few times and always found new routes. On the way down I enjoyed Ridge Runner and Rock and Roll, two nicely rolling runs that you could really turn on the speed and let it all hang out.

Thats the story! Thank you everyone who suggested I rent skis. Summit is very professional and I admit that I would have had more difficulty with my Dynastar straight skis, especially on that fabulous last day with the deep snow conditions. There is no chance the older skis would have been as stable in the deep snow, of that I have no doubt. And since that was my best day of the three, it was definitely the way to go.

I'm back in New York now and yet I hear the next couple of days are supposed to be better, with low winds and good visability. Shame I'll miss it. I hope to come back again and ski more of the glaciers as well as the runs on Whistler towards Creekside which I missed also, including the future Olympic downhill runs. They were just too icy to enjoy by the time I got around to trying the snow on that part of the mountain.


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