 Poster: A snowHead
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Can anyone tell me if there's much difference between brands like head, Fischer, volkl, etc when it comes to skis please? I'm looking to buy some all mountains but i'm wondering if different brands have different strengths and weaknesses
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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95% of the Snowheads will shoot this down, but I think 95% of skiers can't ski well enough to tell the difference between one maker's and another's. The 95% will now have a huge debate on what to recommend. There'll be fans of each make, especially obscurer ones. There will be people telling you to go wider, narrower, longer, shorter. Others will say hire and change model every day. Some will suggest lessons. At least 2 people will make snide remarks about Val D'Isere. Someone will bring up Brexit. Some will boast a lot and link ski width to sexual prowess and someone will tell you that you have the wrong boots....AND you will be none the wiser and buy something and be happy to just look at them and smile each time you see them.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Fri 25-11-22 14:36; edited 1 time in total
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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If you’re heavy, some of the makes are better for you
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@beeryletcher, I’m with you in the 5% , but out of interest do you rent or have your own?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Hi there and welcome to 
The answer to your question is "Yes, different brands do feel different to ski" (and the same brand has different feeling models). In order to try and narrow down the huge variety of choices available - these are the sort of questions that need answered:
What level skier are you and how heavy and aggressive are you?
What sort of Off Piste are you intending to ski and what percentage of your time will you spend away from the Piste?
Basically, there are narrower AM skis, which are more Piste oriented, with a bit of extra width/rocker to help in deeper snow; and there are wider skis that are better Off Piste but sacrifice a bit of On Piste performance/quickness edge to edge. There is no such thing as the perfect All Round ski.
Some skis are easier to pilot as they are lighter and more playful, whereas others are damp hard chargers....and some in between.
There is also whether you prefer Shorter Radius Turns or Longer Radius turns.
So until you can narrow down what you are looking for, it is impossible to narrow down some recommendations - ideally to try before you buy.
If you don't have your own boots, this is where your budget should first be allocated.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Thu 24-11-22 22:45; edited 2 times in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Sachin, agree with all @beeryletcher says.
My 2p worth; if you really want "all mountain" skis (despite the fact that they don't really exist), get something 80-90cm underfoot, that come up to about your nose in length and in your price range. The rest is just gravy.
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@beeryletcher, You failed to mention winter tyres, helmets, rucksacks and why Austria is so much better than Slovakia.
This is a very hard question to answer especially when you start thinking that variation within brands is possibly as great as variation between brands and just which brands are the same under the label.
As @Old Fartbag, says visit the shops in the resort and see which skis you actually like by skiing on them.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Sachin, I'd self-identify as one of @beeryletcher's 95% - put me on a random pair of skis, and i wouldn't be able to make the manufacturer. On the other hand, I can differentiate between skis (of a similar type) if I ski them. I can't always pin down precisely why I do or don't like a ski but over time I've identified some themes. And my preferences are not always the same as other people's, even if they are ostensibly similar to me.
So rather than trying to pick a brand, identify what you want the ski to do, then try as many as possible that might fit your criteria. It can be fun - and very enlightening - to spend a few hours testing skis back to back on the same run(s). Of nothing else, it'll tell you whether you feel a difference. If not, then just pick the ones that fit your wallet and/or are the right colour.
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| Sachin wrote: |
| Can anyone tell me if there's much difference between brands like head, Fischer, volkl, etc when it comes to skis please? I'm looking to buy some all mountains but i'm wondering if different brands have different strengths and weaknesses |
Maybe not the mass market brands you've mentioned, but if you push upmarket a bit and try e.g. Stöckli, there's a definite difference.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| johnE wrote: |
| …why Austria is so much better than Slovakia…. |
Mmm…debateable!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Brands...not so much
Particular models - yes
A pistencarver is pretty much a pistencarver with stiffness/ performance dialled up as you get closer to race replicas and FIS skis.
Freeride skis can be very different but that depends on the design philosophy behind the range - some are teutonic chargers, others funshapes for giggles.
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| Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
Brands...not so much
Particular models - yes
A pistencarver is pretty much a pistencarver with stiffness/ performance dialled up as you get closer to race replicas and FIS skis.
Freeride skis can be very different but that depends on the design philosophy behind the range - some are teutonic chargers, others funshapes for giggles. |
This ^^^
Völkl call everything from a Deacon 72 to a 102 Mantra all mountain. If you can’t tell the difference between them you must be dead!
If you’re talking about similar shape, construction, weight across brands there’s likely to be limited differences - but knowing what you like takes some trial and error.
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You know it makes sense.
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@Sachin, Welcome to SH - I'd test a few in resort and try before you buy.
It's a bit like buying a car, they all have 4 wheels (well almost all do) but they can do different things and are used in different applications, and sit at different rice points.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I think buying skis is trickier than buying a car. We can all look at a car, and sit in it, and have an impression of whether we like it or not (e.g. I dislike the look of big heavy SUVs). Even people who think a lot about cars will sometimes choose on looks, or fashion. Maybe some people do choose skis to match their jackets - though no Snowheads would admit to that.  One of my sons is an expert skier - has spent several seasons in the Alps and lived and skied one season with a top BASI instructor. He picked up various tatty old skis left by punters in high end chalets - and skied like a God (compared to most people) on all of them. And in boots bequeathed to him by my brother in law, when his knee injuries forced him to give up.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| beeryletcher wrote: |
| 95% of the Snowheads will shoot this down, but I think 95% of skiers can't ski well enough to tell the difference between one maker's and another's... |
I would have agreed with you - till I did an Oktobertest and, even as a relativly inexperienced/unskilled skier, was amazed how quickly I could tell when I'd swapped ski and how different one pair of, to my untrained eye more or less identical planks could be to another.
| beeryletcher wrote: |
| The 95% will now have a huge debate on what to recommend. |
I'm not going to be in that group though as think it's a really personal choice. I mean would you buy a pair of shoes 'blind' just because someone on the ShoeHeads website with similar sized feet had a pair and said they were really comfortable...?
Ideally get to a ski test, either in resort or one of the SH OktoberTests in the UK.
If that's not possible try hiring different skis on your next trip. Get some standard rental skis for the first couple of days and spend some apres ski time checking out the resorts ski shops, sorting the basic hire places from the ones with more interesting kit. Then go round chatting to the interesting shops when they are quite (generally Monday onwards) saying you're looking to try some different skis/what sort of skis you're interested in and then hire different ones day-by-day. Yes, this will work out more expensive than hiring a single pair for the week - but not as expensive as buying a pair just on recommendation and doscovering you just don't 'click' with them first time out!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I could tell the difference between ski makes and models, but the difference I was noticing was between skis of which one pair cost going on for 3x the other! Plus the more expensive ones were well tuned.
Hard to say they were worth the price difference. And I’m not sure how noticeable the difference would be for me for skis of a similar budget.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I bought new skis in resort 3 seasons ago inc the covid years.
We'd used the shop for friends and family rental so they knew us as customers and we knew the manager was a ski tester for some brands and I trusted him
We talked about what sort of skiing I did and wanted to do, where in the area I skied the most etc and I then went out on renters of the ones he recommended
Some he had in the shop and others came from other shops
I tried them and then we talked about them
At the end, I picked the ones I liked best from the bunch which were one of the two he would have recommended
Sadly he's moved on to other work outside of skiing
Gold standard service in my view
One of his moans were customers who came in wanting 'X' ski, possibly as an ego boost, newest kit etc, rather than ones that work for them and what they want to do
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Apologies if I’m hijacking thread.
Have had a set of Salomon X-Drive 8.0FS (175) and Pinnacle 110 ski boots for about 6 seasons now (ski 20 ish days a season, kids restricted while young!). Boots were fitted by Sole in Chamonix so really well done. They are as close to slippers now as ski boots can get!
Are there any newer skis out there that could be a real step forward, and which brand to go for? 40y old, red/black piste skier, like to play in a bit of powder but no serious off-piste stuff.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| raino wrote: |
Apologies if I’m hijacking thread.
Have had a set of Salomon X-Drive 8.0FS (175) and Pinnacle 110 ski boots for about 6 seasons now (ski 20 ish days a season, kids restricted while young!). Boots were fitted by Sole in Chamonix so really well done. They are as close to slippers now as ski boots can get!
Are there any newer skis out there that could be a real step forward, and which brand to go for? 40y old, red/black piste skier, like to play in a bit of powder but no serious off-piste stuff. |
It depends what you want from a ski.....and it depends on your level (which sounds fairly good), your weight, your turn type preference, where you ski and your aggressiveness.
The SCGB describes the ski as being Light, Easy, User friendly and suited to Short Turns; however, the downside is that its lightness works against it in long, fast turns on hard piste - where it loses grip and composure.
If you like its easy playful nature - then stick with it. If however you want something stiffer and more damp - then there are better options. If you want something that handles unpisted snow (because you are increasingly skiing this) - then you could go wider. If you spend all your time On Piste, you could go narrower ie. A dedicated Piste Ski (68 - 74).
If your inner boots have become packed out, this is where your budget should go first.
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That review pretty much nails my experience on these skis. They are good fun in a wide range of conditions on / near piste and suit my ability quite well (1m81, 85kg). Not as aggressive as I used to be after having had 2 kids - risk tolerance has dialled right down.
Will give the lads at Sole a call to get a new set of Intuition liners sorted out first and then see how I still feel about the setup after that. Thank you!
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| raino wrote: |
That review pretty much nails my experience on these skis. They are good fun in a wide range of conditions on / near piste and suit my ability quite well (1m81, 85kg). Not as aggressive as I used to be after having had 2 kids - risk tolerance has dialled right down.
Will give the lads at Sole a call to get a new set of Intuition liners sorted out first and then see how I still feel about the setup after that. Thank you! |
That sounds like a good course of action to me.
Maybe when your boots are sorted out - try hiring a few different options. Blizzard, Nordica and Volkl are often stiffer type skis. Scott and certain Atomic/Head make lighter more playful AM skis....and Rossignol/Dynastar/Head iShape make skis that are somewhere in the middle.
If you ski most of your time On Piste - get a Piste Ski. 80mm underfoot has a big Piste Bias, but gives a little extra versatility.
I'm a lot older and lighter (10 stone) - so like something that isn't too damp and stiff, for my 1 week per year. You are over 13 stone, so a beefier ski might work better for you in the long run.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Sachin, Go for the ski with the graphics that make you feel good.
Its like a bottle of wine, go for the one with the best label.
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As you may have seen on the Boots thread… skied 1 day Verbier last weekend and decided to bin the old boots, nothing I could do to get comfortable on lifts etc. They have done 8 years / 200 plus (maybe 300) days service.
New boots promptly fitted and feel like slippers by comparison. (Head Formula X / 110)
I have had a bit of scope creep and also looking at new skis again… Stockli Stormrider 88s are pricey but seem to tick all the boxes, Blizzard Brahma 88s seem to be hard chargers but not alive at low speeds, Rossignol Experience 86Ti /88 could be worth trying? (84s seem to be more intermediate ski). I seem to be able to trial them all next week for a day or so, should I look at anything else as well as the above?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@raino, Kastlè MX88 available to test ?
Interesting bunch around that size, be fun finding out which you like.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Looks like it, at Mountain Story in Le Lac… going to be a fun week, as long as some snow comes down before then!
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| beeryletcher wrote: |
| 95% of the Snowheads will shoot this down, but I think 95% of skiers can't ski well enough to tell the difference between one maker's and another's. The 95% will now have a huge debate on what to recommend. There'll be fans of each make, especially obscurer ones. There will be people telling you to go wider, narrower, longer, shorter. Others will say hire and change model every day. Some will suggest lessons. At least 2 people will make snide remarks about Val D'Isere. Someone will bring up Brexit. Some will boast a lot and link ski width to sexual prowess and someone will tell you that you have the wrong boots....AND you will be none the wiser and buy something and be happy to just look at them and smile each time you see them. |
95% of skiers can tell the difference between skis. The difference can be massive. But that will be across brands and ranges; Most major brands will have a range of skis from stiff narrow grand slalom skis through narrow soft(ish) beginner piste skis to stiff hard charger mid width all mountains to very wide soft deep powder skis.
But 95% aren't experienced enough to tell you which skis from various bits of info are best for your style/preference beyond some general facts (e.g. range of width underfoot depends on where you ski (on piste vs off piste and where in world (Europe is different to US or Japan due to differing typical snow levels)) and possibly suggest that if you like ski X you will probably also like Y and Z. And this still assumes you can correctly identify where and how you ski...
The correct skis are the ones that make you want to charge out for first lift despite it being a rule 5 day due to awful weather This can basically only be determined by skiing them...
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You know it makes sense.
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Well no snow came down so I’ll be sticking with my trusty 8.0s this week bedding the new boots in (and having a few apres beers at Le Loop  ).
Maybe more snow by Feb half term!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@beeryletcher may have made the most accurate and insightful post ever. Especially if you read what he said. One maker's and another's.Not one ski and another.
Like 95% I can tell the difference between one ski and another. But I'd b impressed by anyone who could 'blind taste' the difference between otherwise similar Dynastars and Salomons (for example).
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Poster: A snowHead
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@ed123, Seeing as the OP never came back, it seems they took the advice from @beeryletcher... !
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