About a year ago a friend of mine decided to learn how to ski at the age of 27. Having never spent a great deal of time in the snow, she wanted to take it slow. After two attempts last season of rentals, she decided to buy some boots because none of the rental boots fit her foot/leg properly. Later, I found some used skis in great shape from a co-worker of mine for about $20. They were a bit longer (160) than my friend needed (154), but as an intro ski they'd do great. She rode on these skis all last season and most of this, slowly progressing.
During a recent dump of fresh powder, she and a couple of friends arrived for some night skiing. Noticing her on the slopes, I suggested she try demo'ing some newer skis before the end of the season. More specifically, some of the women specific skis as I've heard only great things about them. She was nervous about trying new skis so I offered to ride with her once or twice.
I've been working with her off and on trying to move her to a parallel ski for a bit. She can match when turning to the right, but the left she has not been able to. First run on the demo skis I watched her make two carving parallel turns in both directions. No skidding, no wedging, just pure edge carving. Her hands were in the right positions, her weight not being thrown backwards, and she wasn't steering with her backside.
Half way down the hill I turned around again to watch her make medium and large radius turns instead of her usual small radius turns. Then she did her first hockey stop as she pulled along side of me. She was beyond stoked. She wanted to follow me into the powder both fresh and old. She fell a few times in the powder but was generally looking like someone who's practiced a lot.
I'm not a huge fan of blaming the equipment, and I've often felt awful that I couldn't get her past this point on her skis. Having seen the drastic change with just the ski swap though, I'm pretty convinced she needs new equipment. As is she. Right now she's hunting for some Volkl Attiva AC2s on a good deal.
If you're a female rider looking for a decent all mountain one quiver ski, check them out.
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I broke down and bought another pair of skis on Valentine's Day. I guess that is my narcissism in action, meaning the holiday was my chance to prove that I love myself (but that is a story for another time). =) I am on my 3rd pair of skis that I currently have hanging in my gear closet. I have a set of carvers with deep sidecut and narrow waists, a set of mid-fats for powder days, and my new twin tips that are just for playing.
Different skis behave very differently and different skis fit different body types. I am tall and fairly heavy (6'3" and 250ish). My dad who has the same size feet and is the same height weighs 180 and so consequently he uses whichever set of my skis I am not. I absolutely have to use my powder skis on powder days or I sink and cannot move, but my dad swears by my smaller skis on the same day.
My advice--every single skier should have a set of carvers. If you own only one set of skis, have a good set of all mountain carving skis. If you are a jibber, own some all mountain twin tips. Don't buy skis until you are carving parallel turns and then before you buy, demo several sets (usually you can demo multiple pairs the same day and compare them side by side). And try to demo in conditions that match what you ski most of the time. Unless you live at the mountain, it is rare to get more than a couple of powder days per year, so demo skis on groomers since that is what most folks end up skiing.
Finding the right skis for your body type is extremely important and extremely subjective. Ski shops can get you into the ballpark of recommendations, then you should try multiple pairs and compare.
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