srab

Thanks again to all for the advice. After giving it a lot of thought, I decided that a ski package, instead of buying ski and bindings separately, was probably my best bet. Availability of 2022 slalom ski packages with a 65" ski, either HO Carbon Omni or Senate Alloy, seemed to be running a little thin. Plenty of 2023 packages for $150 or so more. For better or for worse, I ordered a 2022 Senate Alloy with Vector BOA and RTP. The Carbon Omni with Animal binding and RTP was tempting for a little bit less, but I decided to go with the Vectors.

I appreciate the advice from all. I'm about sold on the Vector BOAs based on all of the feedback! Perhaps I should just purchase them now and wait a bit to see what ski blanks become available, either on SIA or retail. If I were to go that route, would the aluminum plate be preferable to the feather frame? What comes on the newer skis? Being new to this, aside from Wiley's and Bart's, I don't know which online sites are good and which are sketchy. Are there any others you might care to recommend?

Thanks for the suggestions. I guess I just need to be patient. There are quite a few (>30) Vapors on SIA currently. Senates, not so much (<10), and they're all 67" or 69" lengths. Are there any Connelly skis that would be worth a look? Or, do you think Radar is my best bet for my intended purposes?

Great site. Guess I'm late to the party! I'm 64 yrs old, 5' 7" and 140 lbs, and have many years of bad slalom form/habits to contend with. I've never tried to ski a course, and, going forward, I don't foresee that opportunity ever presenting itself (I slip my boat on a large public lake). But, I still enjoy the heck out of +/- aggressive recreational skiing. Typical speed is 32-34 mph. I'm currently skiing a 65" HO Triumph that I've had for about a dozen years. I still really like that ski, but I'm thinking of upgrading now, leaning towards either an HO Carbon Omni or a Radar Senate Alloy. As far as I know, there are no opportunities to demo skis in this area (San Antonio, TX). Any other skis I should consider? Is it likely that a skier at my level would really be able to appreciate the differences offered by the higher-end skis in either the Omni or Senate lines? Any reason to not stick with a 65" ski? Are there specific bindings I should be looking at, or to maybe avoid altogether? Radar BOA Vector, or the HO Stance 110, tend to be included in ski packages at several websites; but, HO Animal, or Wiley's, strike me as maybe having more long term durability. I would appreciate any recommendations. Thanks.