junior skis

Question
Hello,

I wrote you last week regarding the difference between the Nordica SL Plate or the Nordica Fastrak and I have a follow up question.

I see that he SL is the better ski and the Fastrak seems to be a regular kids ski and not necessarily a race ski.

Is this a right analysis???

Secondly, as previously mentioned, my daughter is in pre-competition and is aiming at making the race team the following year. She is 9 1/9 and weighs 78 lbs. I got a hold of the suggestions that the race team in our area recommends the kids to get in her category and they are saying that if the child only has one pair of skis then to get a short GS ski with a rayon of 10 to 15.  If the child gets two pairs of skis then a SL with a rayon of 7 to 10. This is all Chinese for me.

If I look at the Nordica GS, they only have it in the 135 cm (130 cm is at my daughters nose when bare foot....I have to try with boots).

Can you help me understand all of this.

Also, if I were to get the SL.....will it be hard for her to do the Grand Slalom with the SL skis????

As mentioned above, my concern is that the Fastrak, which is a multi ski, is not a real race ski and therefore not what I should get for her.

A bit confusing!!!!!!


I would appreciate your insight.

Thank you.

Answer
Hey Kim,

Your analysis is correct. The Fastrak is just a recreational ski where is SL plate is a race ski.

I understand your confusion. A lot of it is techno mumbo jumbo that most of us don't understand. Our concerns lean towards 'will it suit my needs?'.

The rayon ratio is just another technical jargon for how stiff a ski is. Most race skis are stiffer because the skier is pushing them harder and the skis need to perform in more extreme use.

SL stands for slalom. On a slalom course, the gates are closer together, turns are tighter, and the speeds are a bit slower.

GS stands for Giant Slalom. On a GS course the gates are futher apart, turns are a bit wider, and the speeds are quite fast.

What you are being told about a shorter GS ski with a stiffer ratio vs. a SL ski with a softer ratio is basically this. With a shorter GS ski, a skier can still ski a SL course fairly well as the shorter skis will handle the tighter turns better than a longer ski. The reason for getting a stiffer (shorter) GS ski is so the skis will still perform well at the higher speeds of a GS course.

With two pair of skis, one would be a GS ski and one would be a SL ski. At your daughters current level, I would just go with one ski that would work for both GS & SL. If she excells and finds herself on the podium alot during the next season or two, then having specific skis for GS & SL would be a serious consideration. For just getting experience and having fun, one pair should do her fine.

As for having a SL ski and using it for GS, at her level of experience and ability, I feel it would work well enough for her. She might not do quite as well but she will still gain experience and confidence just being on the GS course.

If you decide to go with the GS ski, the 135cm length should be about right for her and would fit the theory of 'shorter/stiffer' for SL courses. As I mentioned before, it would be a ski that her abilities would grow into instead of outgrowing it.

Hope this helps.
Keep on skiing,
Windlover