The new skis finally arrived!

[Evren]

Fortunately tomorrow's gonna be deep and I won't need to worry about putting those puppies on edge.

Details are still sketchy but our sources indicate that this is the comment that jinxed it.

It turned out to be one of those Wolf-Mtn-favored(!) storms: 6 inches there and Powder Mtn, 1-2 everywhere else. Come to think of it, I have at least that much on my yard. Woke up at 6:30, looked outside, checked radar&SkiUtah, went back to sleep.

 

[Marc_C]

Fortunately tomorrow's gonna be deep and I won't need to worry about putting those puppies on edge.

Details are sketchy but our sources indicate that this is the comment that jinxed it.

It turned out to be one of those Wolf-Mtn-favored(!) storms: 6 inches there and Powder Mtn, 1-2 everywhere else. Come to think of it, I have at least that much on my yard. Woke up at 6:30, looked outside, checked radar&SkiUtah, went back to sleep.

Basically what I did - Alta reported 4" overnight... decided to try to get rid of my cold instead. They're still suggesting maybe up to a foot by tomorrow, so if that verifies.....

From today's avi bulletin:

This storm system has been a tough forecast, but at the moment it looks like light to moderate snow will continue in the mountains for much of the day, especially for areas favored by northwest flow. Most locations will have storm totals of 6 to 10”. Later this afternoon through about midnight, conditions for heavier snowfall on a northwesterly flow look good for Little Cottonwood and mid Big Cottonwood, which could still have storm totals of up to 2 feet by Monday morning.

 

[Staley]

The S7 skis really short. My dad is similarly sized and basically a low-level expert at this point, used to skinny shaped skis in the low 170s, and when he demoed the 188 S7, he didn't have any issue with the length. Rossi also measures length along the base I believe, so the 188 S7s are actually a good deal shorter than my 186 Lhasa Pows that have less rocker.

As for Dynafits, I found them to be totally fine inbounds as long as you're skiing soft snow (and since they're on S7s, I think we can assume that's what Admin will be using them for). During rock-hard refrozen mornings, I found there to be too much feedback from the bindings since it's a metal-on-metal connection. Performance-wise, there was nothing wrong, but my legs didn't like the vibration. Some people don't get this at all, though. The real key to Dynafits is making sure there's no snow or ice buildup around the pins. If that's all good, there actually quite solid as soon as you get over the mental block of having such tiny bindings.

Also, what boots are those?

 

[Admin]

For those of us who tip the scales a little harder, the Salomon Guardian 16's, though not light, look to be an instant contender for best all around in-bounds and out of bounds bindings

I spent some time on the Guardian in advance of that article and thought that it skied very well on the downhill, and the design is slick. Perfect for slackcountry but too heavy to tour in IMO. I believe that it suits the same market as the Duke but is a far better design.

At sub-150 lbs. I just don't put that much torque on stuff, especially as I tend to finesse my skiing rather than muscle through turns.

Given that, and the width of the skis, aren't those a bit on the long side for you?

Are you serious?? I sincerely hope that this is a troll. If so, you caught one.

If you're actually serious, the new skis are the exact same skis that I've been skiing for two seasons now for nearly 140 days, except for a different graphic and a single layer of metal. With a 17.5 meter turning radius they're nimble and quick and I'm about as comfortable as I can be on them. They're precisely the length I want, thank you very much -- any shorter and they'd be too squirrely at speed or in deep snow. In actuality on the groomed, thanks to the rockered tip and tail they ski like about a 175.

Fortunately tomorrow's gonna be deep and I won't need to worry about putting those puppies on edge.

Details are still sketchy but our sources indicate that this is the comment that jinxed it.

If it's me, I'll give myself 1,000 lashes with a wet noodle. That was easily the single most disappointing busted forecast I've seen in the eight seasons I've been here. At least with the way this thread devolved Crocker can now sleep at night that I put it in the Western forum instead of the Equipment one. :lol:

From today's avi bulletin:

This storm system has been a tough forecast, but at the moment it looks like light to moderate snow will continue in the mountains for much of the day, especially for areas favored by northwest flow. Most locations will have storm totals of 6 to 10”. Later this afternoon through about midnight, conditions for heavier snowfall on a northwesterly flow look good for Little Cottonwood and mid Big Cottonwood, which could still have storm totals of up to 2 feet by Monday morning.

I'll believe it when I see the Snotel at the mid-Collins plot start stacking up at two inches an hour. I don't see it happening. That said, however, looking out my living room window right now there's a definite phenomenon brewing off the Great Salt Lake that wasn't there when I fell asleep two hours ago.

Edit: Nevermind, the Winter Storm Warning just got cancelled.

Steenburgh did admit yesterday that this one was a tough one to forecast:
http://wasatchweatherweenies.blogspot.c ... shoot.html

However, he's got egg on his face today:
http://wasatchweatherweenies.blogspot.c ... -face.html

As for Dynafits, I found them to be totally fine inbounds as long as you're skiing soft snow (and since they're on S7s, I think we can assume that's what Admin will be using them for).

These Super 7's will actually be my everyday go-to skis, much as my S7's were. The S7's have now gained rock ski status.

there actually quite solid as soon as you get over the mental block of having such tiny bindings.

It took me a day and a half, but I'm already over that now.

Note to Marc_C: that's one of my old S7's on AmyZ's foot on the right.

And I'm now perfectly comfortable with the lower stack height. It turns out that the Radical FT has a two-position switch, one for a "softer" feel and one to lock the system in tight. I didn't realize that until I got home last night and for the first time actually read the paperwork. Maybe it's my head but I don't think so, I was able to rail turns again by locking that switch today. And I charged through about 4 inches of untracked over a chunky base in Tower 3 Chute at Snowbird today at a speed that I normally wouldn't have even considered, and the setup was rock solid. I'm very pleased. As Skrad indicated, the whole thing is way more torsionally stiff than my Fritschis or Silvertta Pures.

Also, what boots are those?

Garmont Shogun.

I'm definitely a happy camper now.

 

[Skiace]

At sub-150 lbs. I just don't put that much torque on stuff, especially as I tend to finesse my skiing rather than muscle through turns. I'm not a hucker and something like the Duke or the Guardian is just too friggin' heavy for touring.

This is why I'm a little surprised at the desire to go for the super 7, but maybe the S7 is more of a noodle than I remember.

 

[Admin]

At sub-150 lbs. I just don't put that much torque on stuff, especially as I tend to finesse my skiing rather than muscle through turns. I'm not a hucker and something like the Duke or the Guardian is just too friggin' heavy for touring.

This is why I'm a little surprised at the desire to go for the super 7, but maybe the S7 is more of a noodle than I remember.

No, I actually love the S7. I've done contract work for the past six years for a certain unnamed ski industry member which has a relationship with Rossignol. A couple of years ago their budget got cut so when my cash compensation got reduced they made up for the difference with a new pair of skis and bindings each season. Last year I opted for the S7's, and while I loved them this season I decided to try something slightly different and went with the Super 7. My initial plan was to demo the Super 7 before drilling it and decide which one I would keep and which I would sell. When they arrived, though, I decided to keep both, especially after hitting rocks the entire first half of this season on the S7's. So much for cashing out the skis.

Honestly, I don't see much difference between the two other than a modest increase in torsional rigidity with the Super 7's, part of which may be the ski and part of which may be the binding.

 

[kingslug]

Read an article on how these type of bindings are now able to withstand front side abuse. One pro skier has used them for several years without a problem, cliff hucking included...hope my Fritchi's last at least a few more seasons..as well as my new Marker Tour F12's I have on my Eastern skis..

 

[Staley]

Eric Hjorleifson skis on Dynafits pretty much all the time and I know he's been converting many other pros. He's not a big guy, either, and most importantly, if you watch his POV edits, you'll notice how unbelievably balanced he is. He seemingly puts very little stress on the binding, and he's landing in powder, so the Dynafits survive.

 

[Tony Crocker]

At least with the way this thread devolved Crocker can now sleep at night that I put it in the Western forum instead of the Equipment one.

It still belongs in the Equipment section IMHO. But it's admin's topic.

 

[Marc_C]

At sub-150 lbs. I just don't put that much torque on stuff, especially as I tend to finesse my skiing rather than muscle through turns.

Given that, and the width of the skis, aren't those a bit on the long side for you?

Are you serious?? I sincerely hope that this is a troll. If so, you caught one.

If you're actually serious, the new skis are the exact same skis that I've been skiing for two seasons now for nearly 140 days, except for a different graphic and a single layer of metal. With a 17.5 meter turning radius they're nimble and quick and I'm about as comfortable as I can be on them. They're precisely the length I want, thank you very much -- any shorter and they'd be too squirrely at speed or in deep snow. In actuality on the groomed, thanks to the rockered tip and tail they ski like about a 175.

Not a troll at all. Actually, I'd never noticed the length till the photograph. I think part of it is that I'm still readjusting to the difference of a rockered/early rise ski and that the running surface is shorter than the overall length of the ski would suggest.