Finally switching to shaped skis.

Question
I think I'm the last hold-out on skinny, straight skis!  It's getting to be embarrassing :)   I'm finally thinking about upgrading, but I have no idea where to begin.  I'll definitely demo some (I'd rather buy cheaper over the summer), but I'm hoping you can make a recommendation or two to get me started.  

I'm 39, I grew up in Colorado, and I've been skiing for 30 years. I skied with my family quite a bit growing up, but I got a whole lot better in college ?I went to the ultimate ski bum school, just outside of Crested Butte, Colorado.  For four years, I skied at least two days a week, sometimes more.  My friends were amazing skiers, and by the time I graduated, I was following right behind them, turn for turn, on any run. And I managed to get in quite a few days at a lot of the big Colorado resorts when I lived in Denver after college.  

Everything changed when I became a mother 10 years ago, and then it all changed again when we moved to So. Cal. eight years ago.  I love skiing ?it was a huge part of my life and I never wanted to stop ?but because of the expense and the demands of raising young kids, my husband and I have barely managed one day a season for the past 10 years.  But now our sons are old enough to follow behind us, and I'm happy to say that it's becoming a big part of our lives again.  We bought season passes to Big Bear ?it's nothing like the Colorado conditions I was raised on, but we're all loving it.  We're already planning a ski trip to Colorado for next year.

Given how little we've skied, I haven't been able to justify upgrading my equipment.  My skis are probably 15 years old! I knew they'd be outdated, but it's more than that:  When I look around me in the lift lines, I realize that the whole industry has completely changed.  I have to admit, though ?I absolutely love my skis (Rossignol 5SVs), so it kinda feels like I'm only upgrading for the sake of fashion.  I used to think that shaped skis were just a cute little trend to help beginners learn how to turn, but I figured I didn't need them because I turn just fine.  Everyone tells me I'm wrong about that ?and looking around in the lift lines, apparently I am because everyone else has switched!  So it's time for me to give them a try.  

Even with all the time off, I still consider myself to be an expert skier. I love skiing steep blues or blacks, and I ski very, very fast, making a lot of quick turns ?pretty aggressive for such an old woman :)  Even at my prime, I was never a great mogul skier, but I could stay in control in them.  I'm probably a little wimpier than I was in college ?I don't jump as much, and I stay out of the trees and usually on groomed runs ?but I've really surprised myself at how much has stuck with me.

I've never been that into having the latest and greatest equipment ?I've only had a few pairs of skis in my life, most of them Rossignols.  I bought a beat-up pair of Rossi 4Ss at a used demo sale, and I loved them.  I did a lot of research and spent a bundle the next year on some K2s, and I hated them ?I kept dragging the 4Ss out instead. That was way back in college, probably 1988.  My husband worked briefly as a ski tech in Denver and surprised me with the Rossi 5SVs (again, used demos), probably in 1994.  I've skied nothing else since ?I call them my Wonder Skis.  I don't know what it is about them, but I can carve and turn on anything, skis always tightly together, with complete confidence.  

As you can see, I know nothing about ski technology and what I need ?and I haven't really shopped around or asked any experts in nearly 20 years!  But I do know that I have an affinity for Rossignol.  Maybe it's a superstition, but all things being equal, I'd prefer to stick with them.  Someone once told me that the 5SVs were, at the time, the next generation of the 4Ss.  Maybe that's why I love them so much.  

So, first question:  I'm curious if that chronology continues ?I know it's been close to 15 years, but do you know if there's a Rossignol model out there now that skis like those two old models?  That would make this decision really easy! Also, is my superstition silly?  Are there other brands that I should try before making a final decision?

Second question:  What size should I try?  My 4Ss were 195s and my 5SVs are 193s.  I'm 5'5", 140 lbs.  I know shaped skis are supposed to be shorter, but I have no idea how short I should go.  Doesn't the length contribute to stability at higher speeds?

Third question:  My husband thinks I need more of a GS racing ski, maybe even a men's ski, because I ski fast and aggressive with a lot of turning ?he thinks I'll need something a little stiffer than a women's ski.  But he hasn't worked in the industry in 13 years (and he's a snowboarder), so I don't really trust that, and I feel a little weird asking to demo a men's ski.  I'm sure weight is an issue ?I'm not that tall, but I'm not exactly petite after having two kids!  

Finally:  What will it be like, my first day on shaped skis?  Is there going to be a learning curve?  Will they change how I ski?  Anything else I should know?  

I didn't mean to write a novel -- sorry!  Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Answer
Sorry for the delay in responding. I am a part time ski coach as well as a sales manager for a major sporting goods chain so my time has been tough these past weeks. but I have some suggestions to make and will try to answer most of your questions.

1) There are no skis anymore that really duplicate the sensations of the past models you mention. Don't let brand be an issue as all manufacturers are making good product at the performance level that you want. However there are some pretty significant differences in feeling (think sweet spot in a tennis racquet) from one model to another. so there isn't a guarantee that one manufacturer's design will be what you enjoy the most.

The variety of equipment and terrain and your own desires make it possible to be very selective now. Though under most circumstances there is a set of lengths (within 5-10 cm of each other) that are considered average now for what you have told me there are sacrifices in performance capabilities or enhancements that occur as the length, shape and intended design use of a particular ski changes.

2) Modern GS skis have very specific performance characteristics. Though in the past it was the ski design of choice for the aggressive speed seeking all mountain skier they aren't really designed to make tight (under 15 metre) modern carving turn shapes (think edge performance not just turning the feet quickly which is called pivoting)in soft snow. They are a straight ahead Fred (down the fall line if you are skiing deep) or hard snow high speed carving tool.

3) Length before was required to provide stability at higher speeds because we actually were not engaging the ski edge easily in an arced shape (turn follows the edges) but more a series of interrupted skids (think of a straight edge being turned across the hill and skidding if only imperceptibly). This is what we sued to call chatter which really only felt like it disappeared in soft snow or at high speeds. Now unless your average speed is approaching 60 km/hr and up lengths under 170 cm are more than enough. The average women's length now is 160 cm and the average men's is 170 cm for all around use.

4) Women's skis are designed to take a women's anatomy into consideration. At your height and weight usually the greatest percentage of your mass resides from the chest down while on a man its from the knees up. Centre of mass (the physical point in space relative to your own unique body shape that has to move down the hill in relation to the skis in order to balance most effectively and promote ski performance) will be different than a man of the same height and weight. In other words most women are hip and most men are chest dominated. In addition the key anatomical differences that make women different from men mean's that skeletally they are different in terms of alignment which has a huge impact on performance. End result is that they women may often ski biomechanically in a slightly different way (not worse if you have the right boots and skis) than men. In the bad old days women's skis were prettified marketing tools for beginners or detuned versions of a men's model. Very chauvinistic. The industry has seen the error of its ways and women's equipment that takes into account these differences offer performance for all abilities. Don't discount trying men's models either as the ski doesn't know what sex you are it just relates to how to use it and when and how you put pressure into the system.

Now as to some general advice. Your height and weight do not indicate that you would require a men's GS ski. For example I am 5'11", 145 lbs., style aggressive (race), technical (trained instructor/coach). When I ski I am looking on hard snow to generate speed. When I ski in soft snow I am looking to float and minimize effort. Not a high risk taker but a thrill seeker (going into the parks now but no high aerials all butter tricks and terrain play) The point is we use different tactics for different situations  depending upon what we do. My skis are 155 cm men's slalom race, 163 powder and park twin tips, and 170 cm men's soft race GS. However I ski in women's flex boots and have used 160 cm women's slalom skis until I went to the shorter men's (because they have a quicker impulse on very hard snow). In 1996 I was on 200 cm slalom, 205 GS and my first pair of shaped skis were 190 cm GS (which I still have and bring out only if I am skiing at Super G speeds). My real range in length depending upon use and purpose of the design, size of turn, type of turn shape, speed and environment is now between 155 and 180 cm max.

The point is throw out any older concepts of what makes a ski right for you. The biggest change that you can make to appreciate the difference in the potential of what you are going to get and what you had is to modify your technique as well as your ski length and shape. I would suggest that when you demo that you use a ski around 155 to 160 cm with a turn radius of less than 14 metres (written right on the ski). If you can take an introductory carving lesson. If you are not going to do this go to a gentle slope point yourself downhill and start unlocking the potential of the new technology by simply rolling onto both inside edges at the same time without turning the foot. Allow the skis to increase the arc on their own without much input from you. If you want to decrease (tighten up) the arc (radius of the turn) as the ski begins to change direction by following the side cut of the ski move your mass (upper body and bending the joints laterally or inside the arc) inside the turn while still looking somewhat down the hill rather than at where the skis are going at that exact moment. As you speed increases ensure that more and more of your commitment is to balance against the inside edge of the outside ski and ski less and less two footed.

On very steep sloes with hard snow the skills that you have developed from the past will come into play. You will want to pivot the skis across the fall line before balancing or bracing against the edge. However on green, blue and many groomed black diamond runs this is no longer necessary and a fully modern technique can be used. Shorter skis travel between the bumps easily and you will need to turn across the hill less but turn more often. Think of using the troughs of the bumps like a luge run rather than crossing over the tops and into the hollows like a staircase. Its way easier on the joints, faster and more fun.

Hope this has been of assistance and welcome back to skiing.

Glenn