Need some help choosing a ski

[rq0013]

Its snowing and 15 degrees and Im thinking about skiing. I currently have an mpd and get through 28 off usually, my pb is 3 at 32 off. I have a very good onside turn and my offside needs help. I can pick up an RS1 cheap right now and was wondering how forgiving it is. I know its fast , with less rocker, so is turning going to be harder??  Im thinking the radar products may not be for a person like me that needs help on the toeside turn. Am I right??

Other skis I have in mind are the rcx and A1. I heard the rcx is very consistent and the A1 helps the toeside turn.

Any thought thoughts would help greatly

 

[Horton]

That all depends. What do you think goes wrong with your offside?

If anything the RS-1 turns too hard. I struggle with it because I can not calm down comming into one ball. The onside turns are so good it is shocking. THe RS changes direction easier then the MPD.

The A1's on side is just silly good.

The RCX is hard to beat.

If you want a new ski you really need to call Tadd at H2oz and do the demo thing. Other wise buy used and resale until you find a stick that fits you.

[rq0013]

It seems like my toeside is very inconsistent, If I didnt have any problems with it i know i would be skiing into much shorter line lengths. That turn makes or breaks me every pass. I dont get enought angle out of the turn or i cant cast it out effectivley enough. I need something that will help this toeside inconsistency. Ther rs1, A1 and rcx seem like the right path. Before all i really cared about was ski speed and now im leaning more toward how easy it is to ski on and the consistency to get me skiing better. Any more thoughts Mr. Horton??

thanks

[ForrestGump]

I find the RS1 very forgiving. It is easily the fastest ski behind the boat, turns wicked hard and carries the speed on my toe side. Keep your mass over the top of it and it will just turn and go. I had a tendancy to stomp on the front of the ski before. I can't do that on the RS1 because that's the one thing that will cause it to stop. So really, it's kind of helped to cure one of my bad habits.

[Horton]

Honestly it may be that you just need coaching and the ski you are on is fine. I hate to tell you that the ski you are on is wrong.... on the other hand it may be totally wrong for you. Do you have any video of you skiing that you can post?

[rq0013]

No I dont have any videos here at school with me. thats something i need to do more of i think. I have had some coaching, I had seth work with me for 2 days on my offside and i maybe had 4 good toeside turns in 6 sets. I also ski with Dr Micheals in the summer 2 days a week usually. I guess my question is out of these skis were talking about which one would be the best for a person with a troubled toeside turn.

Thanks for all the insight

[Horton]

You might not want to talk to much about skiing with Dr Micheals.... Do you ski with Lisa Fitz?

[rq0013]

where would one get a different fin. Which one would you recommend?

 No i havent been around when she skis there but i heard she is very good

[ForrestGump]

I put the schnitz slot fin/mini wing on my RS1 and love it.  It definitely helped me with my toe side turn.

[Horton]

I went to college with Lisa at NLU (ULM). She is great.

 As for your ski, lets try to figure out what is wrong before we start changing gear. What do you think you could do better and what do you think the ski could do better?

[Old MS Accout]

Keep your MPD and get some lessons. The MPD is plenty of ski and your money is better spent on training then on a updated stick. The RS1 is a great ski but as a 28 off skier, you will not beable to tell the diferance between the Rs1 and MPD.

[rq0013]

I know i need to point my hip more in the direction i want to travel.  It seems that I do that everytime and the ski only produces a nice arc or nice turn once in awhile. I guess i could get even more of the ski in the water allowing the ski to turn for me more, than me trying to push it around. Should i add tip or move my bindings?  Would you say the rcx is even more forgiving than the mpd? I was thinking maybe going more that route would help.

MS: thanks i was wondering if it would be benefical for me to make the transition

 

[ktm300]

Some will disagree with me on this but, try some different skis.  I have wasted time on bad skis because like so many other skiers I believe the mantra that my problems are my fault not the ski.  One story:  I could not make a decent onside turn to save my life.  Moved everything on the ski around.  I was getting professional coaching from someone who is a true master at setting up skis.  He insisted that it was something I was doing.  After a lot of sets, I guess he figured that if only by accident I should have made a good onside turn.  He kindly mounted up my ski and he rode it for three passes.  Every onside turn he did the exact same thing I had been doing.  Got in the boat and said this ski is not balanced right, get a new one.  I did, problem solved.  It is not that easy to discern whether the glitch is the skier or the ski and the guy in the boat cannot feel what you are feeling.  Trying some other skis will give you the confidence to know where the problem lies.  If you have the same issues on three different skis, it is all you.

 Having said all that, $800 worth of good coaching will do more for you than a truckload of skis.  If you can afford it, go ski with a pro and take your demos skis with you.  If not, shoot video on each new demo ski and send the tape to pro for advice.  Good luck.