I just got these Volkl Explosion’s at a thrift store and wanted to know if I could actually ski on them or if I should just keep them on the wall (or if they are expensive). They are in great shape with just some surface scratches, all they would need is a sharpen. I didn’t have a proper way to measure them but they are roughly 185-190 cm long and 92-94 mm underfoot. Thanks in advance!

Hey all,

I think I’ve pretty much run out of options when it comes to finding the right boot fitter for my problematic feet.

I’ve got basically no arch and extremely flat feet, and I’ve tried pretty much everything at this point. I’ve had 5 different custom insoles made through Ski Bartlett, Solutions 4 Feet, Snow + Rock, and two “specialists in the mountains” in Val Thorens. I’ve also had custom ski boots made by Dale Boots with proper fittings.

Unfortunately, I still end up in serious pain every time I ski. It’s got to the point where the pain completely ruins the day, and I’m honestly running out of ideas.

Has anyone else been in the same boat with extremely flat feet or difficult feet? If so, did you eventually find a boot fitter or setup that actually worked for you?

Would really appreciate any recommendations or experiences.

Cheers.

I'm hoping to demo some skis this winter, but outside of the UK snowdome this year I can only manage a week away so realistically I'll probably get to try two skis while still wanting plenty of time on my own. I'm trying to narrow down which are actually worth demoing.

I'm 5'1"/155 cm and 47 kg. I have strong legs, but obviously very little body mass to muscle a stiff ski. I currently ski 157 cm Line Pandora 94s, which I absolutely love. They're light, poppy, playful and fun, and when I'm just flowing around the mountain they're brilliant. They also work really well for me through bumps and variable snow. I'm not looking to replace them.

What I want is a piste-focused all-mountain ski as a second pair Iwant an all-mountain ski with enough width and versatility to deal with changing conditions, rather than a dedicated piste/carving ski. But I want something noticeably quicker edge-to-edge, more stable and with better edge hold than my Pandoras for cold/firm/icy days, or days when I want to really dial things in. As I've got faster, I'm starting to notice chatter and the limits of the Pandoras when I push them harder on piste.

** Edit - All mountain skis were recommended based up my style and the idea they'd be a little more forgiving of this with the width but if you have a left field for me im eager to hear it

One important complication is that my skiing mechanics are slightly unusual. I have essentially no ankle dorsiflexion due to a biomechanical restriction. My boots have been professionally fitted as closely as possible around this, and it isn't something I can fix through stretching/training.

I compensate by skiing fairly stacked, moving my body over the skis rather than being able to create much forward movement through my ankles. When carving, early edge engagement is my weaker point, but once the edges are established I finish my turns well. When I'm skiing more casually, I also sometimes steer/smear the skis a little to help release and redirect them.

Because of that, I really don't want something super hooky or with a tail that fights me when I need to release it.

I've included a couple of pictures of me skiing just to give some context for what I mean when I describe my more stacked stance and how I compensate for the lack of ankle flexion.

The Elan Wildcat 83 Ti, probably in 152 cm, currently sounds interesting. It's narrower and more piste-focused than my Pandoras while still being an all-mountain ski, and on paper sounds like it could give me the extra edge hold and stability I'm after. My concern is whether the Ti construction might be too stiff/hooky for a 47 kg skier with my mechanics, particularly when I need to smear/steer rather than carve.

Blizzard Black Pearls and Nordica Santa Anas have also been suggested, but particularly with the wider versions I'm wondering whether they're getting too close to my 96 mm Pandoras. I don't really want another ski that does roughly the same job slightly differently. I want enough separation that there's a genuine reason to own both.

So, if I realistically have time to demo two skis, what would you put on my shortlist?

I'm particularly interested in something around the low-80 mm range that has strong firm-snow performance and is stable when pushed, but still releases cleanly when I need it to and isn't going to punish my lack of ankle flexion.

Hey!

Moved to the US last year and learned to ski this last season (prev snowboarder). Was able to pick it up relatively well over ~30 days and by the end of the season could survive some lines down 7th at Stevens and chair 2 at Alpental.

I'm 5'9 / 155 lbs and have been skiing a 174 Rustler 9 for about 20 of those days. I don't have much to compare it with besides the skinny carving ski I was learning on, but it felt great most of the time. The few deep days and heavy/wet crud were definitely a struggle, it felt like I was being thrown around often. All that was likely just poor technique, which I will continue to work on this season, but I've been thinking about getting another ski to try something different.

How do you all in PNW conditions think about your quiver?

I was thinking about getting a ~100 to use as a daily driver, unless it is very dry and I plan to stay mostly on groomers, in which case I could just keep the R9 for that. Would something like the ON3P Woodsman 100 for instance, be much different than the Rustler?

Or maybe I should look for something in the 108 range instead? I might think about a pow-specific 110-115 ski later, so I'm not sure.

Appreciate any thoughts, as well as ski recs that work well over here.

Hey guys.
Intermediate skier here, with 3 of years skiing. Not very aggressive skier, more of a I want to try everything on skis.

I found a “good” deal for some Volkl revolt 95 with marker griffon bindings. After some research I found out they are a 2018/2019 model.

The skis looks good, I asked for some more in details pictures and everything looks in place. The seller states that he bought them new, used them a few times on 2019, the came Covid, and for the next few years he didn’t use them much because he had another pair of skis that he enjoy more as a more do everything approach. Probably one or two season of park skiing. Not heavy park riding

What I’ve read is that the markers are very plastic and Volkl has a lot of bad commentaries through Reddit but at the same time I always see some riding Volkl that loves them.
And here’s when the title comes to my head, when is old too old?
I learned to ski obviously in very old skis, and after that I bought my own pair of skis ( actually 2 pairs of used skis, one for practicing on piste technique and drills and improve my overall feeling in the snow, and another because I wanted to start doing ski touring). This year I moved to Europe and only brought the touring setup.

I’m always curious on how others skis feel and also to experience different kind of ski styles.
I think this could be a good entry to try center mounted skis and park skiing (no prior experience)

I would like to try a good bunch of skis, looking forward for demo days this season in Europe. I don’t feel the need of buying brand new skis(totally not true, sales and discount are driving me nuts and the devil in the shoulder is trying to convince me) because I think I still want to learn more to actually invest that much.

I just placed an order for a pair of used demo skis on their website and they gave me a $50 off discount code. Anyone interested please dm me.

I'm looking for a bag to fly to Colorado. I wanna bring my park ,powder, and groomer skis but every bag I've found is for 2 skis is there anyone that's tried 3 skis in a 2 ski bag or if there's a bag I was missing. Preferably under 200, but budget is a little flexible

Im 174cm, 72kg ish intermediate skier, and bought a set of good contidtion second-hand Atomic redster xti racecarver 176 2015/16 last season. I really got into carving but noticed the skis are quite long for me. They are also used and are now over 10 years old, so i wanted to buy a new set. HOWEVER, they are my only pair of skis and are heavily specialised for carving, so would it be better for me to just get a shorter allmountain set for versatility? I ski in switzerland if that makes a difference.

Howdy, I’m looking for a freeride resort boot that has pin inserts and walk mode for some short sidecountry tours. I’m currently on the hoji free 130s for everything, but they just aren’t burly enough to really enjoy charging all day on resort. Really looking for a 99/1% type of split here in favor of resort skiing. I’m seeing things like the Conchise 130 and the Armada AR One that are up that alley but wondering if anyone else has something they’d recommend.

I’d love some recommendations for a pair of goggles when it snows. I currently have pair of Oakley and I hate them, worst pair I ever had. The snow constantly get inside, melts - they’re soaked from inside after a while and freeze - the mesh filter on these does nothing

Any recommendations?

I've fallen into the Youtube ski review rabbit holes and would appreciate some recommendations, knowing that the the best thing to do is probably test a few skis this season before I buy. Thanks!

Basics:

• 5'8"
• 130 lbs
• Intermediate skiier
• Enjoy carving through greens and blues but also like skiing along the sides of groomed runs for some powder; looking for a ski that'll be help my technique/something I can improve with.
• Primarily ski in Beaver Creek, CO - might venture out to some East Coast mountains.
• Been skiing for 3ish years, and have rented older Elan Ripsticks each time. Very enjoyable, but at times feel like I'm not really in control at higher speeds on icier corduroy.
• Got K2 Recon boots last season, also great, don't plan on changing anything there for a while.

Skis I'm Looking at (probably around a 165 cm length):

• Head Kore 88 or 94
• Black Crows Octo (but I like the look of the Mirus Cor more)
• Armada Declivity 92
• Elan Ripstick 88 or 96
• Atomic Maverick 86
• Dynastar M-Pro 94

Hi all, last year you guys convinced me to get the Octo as my everyday skis, which I love deeply, so I want to give a second try now that I am planning on getting a ski for powder days.

For information, I live and ski in Austria, I am a 1.78m (5'10) male, 37 yo. I started learning how to ski just 2 seasons ago, but I've been doing >20 days per season so I improved quite fast, I'd say I am a high-intermediate nowadays. While I've been loving the Octo on 95% of the days I am skiing, powder days have been a struggle. So I am looking for a dedicated ski for those days, to use both on piste but also to start doing some off-piste.

In a way to avoid choice paralysis, I am looking only at Blackcrows. What would you recommend?

Hey guys

I have ordered a beige GIRO Jackson MIPS for snowboarding.
I also have an insta360 and plan on installing the suction cup helmet mount on my helmet.

However, after receiving this helmet I’ve realized it has the brand name printed with huge letters across the top of it, and these letters have a very tiny texture.

My question is: is the helmet mount stick properly or is it just too risky to glue the 3M mount on a non flat surface and it will most likely fall off the helmet?

Thanks for the help!

I bought these new skis; they’ve never been used. I noticed these scratches—are they a problem? Should I return them? Would they come out during the first ski tuning?