Best Tele Ski for Women

Shug · 10-05-2005

I am a snowboarder that started getting into tele a lot more last year. I am a fairly aggressive boarder but I would not call myself a very aggressive skier since I still feel like a beginner. I am 5'2 and about 120lbs and currently ski Atomic TM22s. I found that at the resort, they are great but as soon as I get in to powder, I am flailing. Does anyone have a suggestion for a more versitile ski for all conditions? I am looking at the Karhu Jil but not sure if that's a good choice for what I'm looking for.

Thanks!

chili · 10-05-2005

I'm a guy.. but I work in shop and have demo'd alot of the womens tele skis..

there are a few you can try and it's always personal preference.. but a couple really sweet skis that alot of women seem to like in my experience.. are the K2 dawn patrol and rossi t3. the k2 is pretty wide under foot (90mm?) but is still very ez to turn on a groomer and great in crud and powder. the rossi is 76mm under foot and very ez to turn in almost any conditions.. inbounds or out. The atomic tm:ex is a good one to try also -wider than what you have (84mm).. and wider means stability in softer/ choppier conditions. I don't know very many women who don't like that dawn patrol tho.. unless they are really aggressive, then they seem to ski mens skis or mount tele bindings on alpine skis.

hope that gives you an idea or two.. think wider. That tm22 is really skinny by todays standards..

johnnewman00 · 10-05-2005

All the tele ski manufacturers are making a women's specific ski now and all of them are good skis. The Karhu Jil is a good ski. Check out K2, Black Diamond, G3 and Rossi as well. Then narrow it down to three or four skis and go to a demo day at Loveland or wherever and try each one. Buying a ski has so much to do with personal preference that it's impossible to say which is the best. Some like a snappy and stiff ski, others like a softer ski. After you demo them you'll know what to buy and you'll be happy you were patient and tried all the skis on your list.

JN

alexhenes · 10-05-2005

try the She Stinx

Don · 10-05-2005

My wife went through what your looking at. And, I've worked with several women here at the shop. From what I've learned. If you have a solid alpine backround, your propabliy already too agressive for a women specific ski. The womens skiis are to be built lite and flexy. Something that would be perfect for the learning to ski crowd. If you are used to using your edges and using them hard- you're not going to like that much flex.

By far the most popular skiis are the mid-fat style. Look for something in the 160-170 length. Good luck finding a deal- that is the most popular women's size and style. They are great on resort and off piste. You won't want to ski anything else. Demo before you buy, unless your only buying on price. Then get it where you can find it and get it quick. Deals don't last forever and tele is the smallest market in skiing.

My wife loves her T3 170's. And she didn't like any of the women's specific styles. They were way too soft and chattery.

Kris M · 10-05-2005

I switched over to tele from alpine last year so I am no expert but I did manage to demo a few different skis before purchasing. Since I am about your height/weight I thought I would throw in my .02.

Don is correct, some of the women's teles are really soft (she's piste - k2). IMO the Dawn patrols were just too wide for me to control effectively. I did try a pair of T3's - I think - from them (confluence) and they were a lot stiffer than even my alpines. I ended up with the instincts(sp) - k2. Not sure if they are still making this model - it is/was their all mt ski that seem to have the right amount of stiffness along with a short enough length.

Just trying to help - my biggest suggestion is to get a good pair of boots of your own and demo demo demo till you learn what you want.

Kris

matobs · 10-05-2005

my wife has the K2 instinx - more versatile than the She's piste, which mainly an area ski, but not quite as wide as the Dawn Patrol. she love's um.

chili · 10-05-2005

i couldn't think of the name of the instinx earlier.. but that ski is great. definitley one you should try.. it's around 78-80mm under foot and great all around. I skied a few runs on it one day in lots of different snow conditions and it rocked. it didn't feel like the typical light and flimsy tele ski most manufactures seem to make these days. it felt solid and damp. It might be called somethign different this year tho..

telegurl · 10-19-2005

I've been skiing tele for several years now. I'm 5'4" 120 and ski the K2 Instinx for both inbounds and backcountry right now. They chatter a bit on hardpack but that's the only drawback I have had with them. I would echo everyone else on this thread and demo a bunch of them. Also, a good idea would be to try and snag someone's old pair for awhile until you get the hang of tele skiing. That way when you do begin to demo ski's you'll be able to more accuratly know what you do and don't like. I went out and bought brand new gear b/f I knew how to tele...and ended up hating the ski's I bouth after awhile. Additionally, I would spend the money for good boots...it makes a world of difference...at least for me it does. Good luck

ADKKAYAKER · 10-19-2005

Looks like plenty of good advice on skis that like powder. Wider under foot is better. Also, think about a couple of technique points for powder:

1) Surf - pull your skis up to the top of the pow while you're making your transitions

2) Weight the back foot 65% and front foot 35%. On hardpack you should be 50-50, but in pow, keep some weight back. Again, this will keep your front ski surfing rather than diving.

3) Quiet upper body that floats down the fall line with shoulders committed to your line while your legs swing underneath you.

Check out www.telemarktips.com for some great video clips and critiques.

Have fun!