suggest race skis for HS freshman

Question
QUESTION: You have given great advice for years - thanks.

My high school freshman son (150 lbs, 5'7") will be on the school team this year.  He really did well last year in the middle school ranks racing on Fisher World Cup skis and Fisher boots all bought used off of ebay (148 SL and 158 GL).

Now he feels he is in the big leagues and he wants all new, top dollar equipment.  Our family budget would prefer modest priced equipment.  

Can you suggest brands and sizes for this over zealous skier and spender? All racing will be on Maine mountains which are frequently hard and icy.

ANSWER: Dear Steve --

Sorry it took me so long to start to answer you, I have been away on a military mission, and could not get to the Internet.

I would like a bit more information on your son's skiing, before I recommend any equipment.  You will be able to get new and pleasing equipment for your son, if you shop early, or buy last year's models -- but new.

Here is the information I need in order to make a good recommendation for you and your son:

1.  Does he ski with high energy (a lot of vertical movement) or does he ski more smoothly (more early cross-over to initiate his turns)?

2.  Is his slalom skiing similar or very different from his GS skiing?  Can you describe the differences?

3.  Does he do better in the finesse events (technical slalom) or better in the speed events (long turn GS)?

4.  After a long day of skiing where does he feel muscle weakness or tiredness (all-over, feet, shins, calves, hamstrings, quads, butt, abdomen/stomach, shoulders, back, neck or arms)?

5.  What type of skiing makes him most "happy?"  Or what would be a day of perfect skiing for him?

Thank you for answering these questions.  The answers will help my research, and make my recommendations better tuned to your son's style.  You can send them to me by using the
"follow-up" question option.

Think snow!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Cynthia,

Thanks for your dedication to this service and especially thanks for your dedication to our country抯 military service.  Let me answer each of your questions:

1.   Does he ski with high energy (a lot of vertical movement) or does he ski more smoothly (more early cross-over to initiate his turns)?

His middle school coaches worked with him for a couple of years trying to get more vertical movement.  He has got it somewhat, but he still is skiing upright.  He has shot up 4 inches over this past summer so now he has some height to work with on his turns.  Answer to your question ?smooth but working on vertical movement.

2.  Is his slalom skiing similar or very different from his GS skiing?  Can you describe the differences?

Very similar in the way he skis the slalom and the GS.  In middle school the kids race at Shawnee Peak (Bridgeton, ME) where there really isn抰 much difference between the courses.  The Maine high school races are at lots of different mountains so now he will see some longer, faster GS courses.  He found his edges last year and was skiing in the top half of the pack but he is still well behind the leaders.  He now needs to attack the gates and on the GS let the skis run between the turns.

3.  Does he do better in the finesse events (technical slalom) or better in the speed events (long turn GS)?

Like most kids, speed is his thing.  He is fearless on the hill, but he still lacks the true finesse to master the slalom.  Hopefully his high school coach will make him work on that.

4.  After a long day of skiing where does he feel muscle weakness or tiredness (all-over, feet, shins, calves, hamstrings, quads, butt, abdomen/stomach, shoulders, back, neck or arms)?

What tiredness ?he is a teenager.  This question is more applicable to his old man!  But over the years I have noticed that he is pretty much spent by mid-afternoon if we go at the hill starting when the lifts open.  No specific area of tiredness, just physically spent.  The kids in our town have been dry land training for weeks already so they will be in shape for the season.  Also my son plans on competing for the title of Maine Skimeister  which is a combined competition of Alpine and Nordic events so he spends half the winter running on skinny skis.

5.  What type of skiing makes him most "happy?"  Or what would be a day of perfect skiing for him?

Flat out top to bottom speed skiing.  The fewer turns the better.  He dreams of skiing out west where the top to bottom runs are long and steep and the lift rides back up are fast.  He has never skied anywhere but Maine and he has mastered everything our mountains have to offer including the snowfields atop Sugarloaf and White Nitro at Sunday River.

Hope this info helps you.  I am concerned that at his current size he is crossing over to adult skis which are stiffer and take more effort to ski correctly.  It appears that Atomic (SL12) has a crossover ski in the 155 size for slalom.  I don抰 know much about Atomics but I have seen plenty of them on the hills.

Thanks again for your advice.


Answer
Dear Steve --

From the description of his skiing, your son still needs help initiating turns, especially short, quick slalom turns.  I recommend he remain on shorter skis than his new height might indicate.  Get skis with a strong side cut and not too stiff to help him roll those tips quickly into the turn.  Look at the Atomic slalom ski with the super side cut, either this year's model or last year's model will work.  Other brands to look at are Dynastar, and Rossignol.  Stay with shorter skis and high (but legal for racing) side-cut.  I think your son is still light enough for advanced junior race skis rather than the adult skis.  He will be better off on high performance junior skis than adult skis that are soft enough for him.  Adult performance slalom skis will be too stiff for him, and throw off his current skill advancement.  

I recommend the Atomic SL 12 Juniors in 151cm.  If you decide to go with an adult ski the Atomic SL 12 Race in the 149 cm length is a good option.  The reason I recommend longer in the youth ski and shorter in the adult ski, is the stiffness differential.  However, if he has begun to use his legs for explosive power (which good fall dry-land training facilitates) he could handle 151 and even possibly a 155 cm ski.  My recommendation for a skier still developing slalom skills is 搒horter skis help control.? You could also consider the Fischer RC4 Worldcup Slalom Jr. Skis, but I think you will get more ski for your money with the Atomic skis.  I would avoid K2 skis.  I find them 搒quirrelly?and feel they do not track well.  Many young people like their modern look, but I have only had bad luck with K2s.

As for giant slalom, it sounds like your son made a real breakthrough in GS last season.  His skiing style with a smooth torso cross-over to initiate the turn favors this type of skiing.  If he had not grown so much, I would have recommended starting the season on his old skis, and then, based on where his performance was weak, buy new skis mid-season to accommodate those weaknesses.  However, if I understand your questions correctly, he has grown quite a lot, and will need more length or more stiffness to really ride the ski edge between gates for maximum controlled speed.

My tendency here is to recommend a low-end Volkl GS ski, but those may be more of an expense than you can afford given that you are buying a lot of new gear this year.  Volkls seem to love New England 搃ce skiing?and will respond well to your son抯 style of GS skiing.  I would recommend the Volkl Racetiger junior GS ski in the 163 cm.  Another ski to consider is the Blizzard Giant Slalom Jr. ski.  This ski is torsionally stiff, with excellent edging when skied well.  Your son could probably ski the 168 cm length which should serve him for a couple years, but may make this year very challenging early on.  The Volkl Racetiger should also serve for a number of years, even at the shorter length.  

The biggest boost you can give your son抯 skiing will still be the boots.  Ensure he has the right size and style boots for his ability and style of skiing.  Some ski shops will give you a high end seasonal rental.  This would allow you to get boots and skis for how your son is skiing now, and then, if he outgrows the boots, or needs different skis for performance improvements or even just style differences, you can trade them out.  Unfortunately I can only recommend shops in New Hampshire and Massachusetts that do this type of seasonal rentals.

Please feel free to write back with a follow-up or a new question, if you need further elaboration or have a new issue to discuss.  Good luck to you both.  Think snow!