Re new ski purchase

Question
Hi Ron, Am considering purchase of new Volkl Allstar Supersport 168cm 1PT Piston R14 bindings. I am 58 yrs, 6ft tall & weigh 74kg. Am fairly fit (gym twice week) & keen sportsman. Have skied approx 10yrs and am an intermediate skier. These skis are 116 - 70 - 101 & radius 14.4mt. The question is are these skis to advanced for me. I like to ski mostly groomed, with some off piste. Is that radius(14.4) going to suit(will they turn too hard??)
Thanks for your time.
Regards Trevor

Answer
Hi Trevor,

The all star is a lot of ski, but you'll only notice it when you are in the bumps, or if you try to shape a turn that is sharper than the ski wants to make.

The advantage of the ski is that it can perform all the way to your potential, or you can simply detune (dull the edges a bit) the ski to back off its performance.

The R14 is not an intermediate binding- so you need to be particularly accurate when describing your skier type to the technician. The piston aspect makes the ski damper (less vibration, slowed response) which facilitates higher speed skiing and takes some of the fun out of the ski.

14.4 radius is just fine- you only experience that tight a turn when you work higher edge angles, and that is at your discretion- the allstar skids a turn as well. As for off piste, well, the all star will be a bit stiff, but the 70mm under foot is enough for float in a couple of feet of fresh snow- but the ski is prone to diving with it's stiff tip- so don't plan on this being your only powder ski.

Surprisingly, my favorite skis this year were from Fischer and Blizzard. Good luck, hope this helps.

Ron