What boots to buy??

[connyro]

Your argument is binary: Control or no control. That's not how skiing works. Control is a spectrum without many absolutes. Speed can add or subtract control. Grip can add control (climbing for example) or subtract control (scale/skin drag for example). I'm surprised that I need to explain this to you, blowhard (/s).

It certainly isn’t binary. Nor is it relational.

More speed doesn’t equal more control… less speed doesn’t equal less control. There is no “perfect speed” for control. There are good speeds for conditions and good conditions for speed, but this is all down to the control a skier has.

Control is entirely separate of speed.

When novice skiers wipe out, they sometimes say that they were going too fast. They’re not thinking through the problem. The issue was that they couldn’t control their speed. They couldn’t modulate speed to say within their limits or they freaked out and did something stupid (control wise) because they got scared and stopped applying the fundamentals of skiing.

Control is control. You can apply the same control to skis regardless of whether you’re going fast or slow… have grip of no grip. The way that the ski responds might be different but it’s still “control” that is determining the outcome.

This explains why amazing skiers can pull off things that seem impossible. Their speed isn’t endowing them with some magical ability. Nor is the level of grip optimal. If these things were true, then their achievements wouldn’t seem impossible. The difference is that their control is transcendent… far beyond what we could achieve in the conditions (which includes the psychological pressure of skiing at warp 11).

Some skiers have better control at high speeds, some have better control at low speeds. These are facts. Your argument says control is independent of speed. That's not a fact in this scenario.

[Manney]

Some skiers have superb control at any speed too.

[connyro]

Some skiers have superb control at any speed too.

Like you, Pirmin Zurbriggen?

[Manney]

Me? Average on a good day at the collegiate level tbh. Look, it was a bit of fun (except for the last part). Wasn’t going anywhere with it. 99% don’t. That’s just the way it works. Doesn’t get in the way of good skiing, or understanding the fundamentals.

There are truly gifted ppl out there. You named one of them. Hundreds of others… on a planet of how many billion?

We can’t let our egos be bruised by facing the reality that we’re not in that cadre. But we can all try to learn more, ski more, etc. Hard to do with a closed mind, “one way” system of skiing, determined ignorance etc.

[connyro]

Me? Average on a good day at the collegiate level tbh. Look, it was a bit of fun (except for the last part). Wasn’t going anywhere with it. 99% don’t. That’s just the way it works. Doesn’t get in the way of good skiing, or understanding the fundamentals.

There are truly gifted ppl out there. You named one of them. Hundreds of others… on a planet of how many billion?

We can’t let our egos be bruised by facing the reality that we’re not in that cadre. But we can all try to learn more, ski more, etc. Hard to do with a closed mind, “one way” system of skiing, determined ignorance etc.

Nice humble-brag there blowhard. I'm sure you kick ass. My ego isn't "brused by facing the reality that we’re not in that cadre". That thought never crossed my mind. I slide on snow for kicks and don't take myself too seriously when I'm doing it. Give it a try sometime!

[Manney]

LOL. Being average is now bragging.

Love the world you live in, @connyro. Explains your whole deal, from feeling butt hurt to rejecting fundamentals. Thing is, you don’t need to be like this. Idk how old you are but if you have a few good years left, they could be great years. Awesome ones… not just fun or for kicks. Fulfilling ones as a skier. But whether you get there or not is on you. It’s not on anyone else.

[connyro]

LOL. Being average is now bragging.

Love the world you live in, @connyro. Explains your whole deal, from feeling butt hurt to rejecting fundamentals. Thing is, you don’t need to be like this. Idk how old you are but if you have a few good years left, they could be great years. Awesome ones… not just fun or for kicks. Fulfilling ones as a skier. But whether you get there or not is on you. It’s not on anyone else.

Thanks for the advice, champ. You should try chilling out and taking yourself a bit less seriously. Drop the pretense of expertise and superiority. "Thing is, you don’t need to be like this. Idk how old you are but if you have a few good years left, they could be great years. Awesome ones… not just fun or for kicks. Fulfilling ones as a skier. But whether you get there or not is on you. It’s not on anyone else." lol

[lowangle al]

Interesting discussion, the widest scaled ski I have skied underfoot is 78 mm. I’m curious, perhaps @connyro or @lowangle al could answer. I know both you guys ski scaled Vectors which are mid 90 mm underfoot. Are these mid-ninety underfoot slower edge to edge than a smooth ski. I am honestly curious. If anyone else has experience with mid ninety underfoot skis, both scaled and smooth, I would appreciate your thoughts on the difference you perceive in edge to edge quickness.
Happy summer guys

Fish, the Vectors are very fast edge to edge. All of my alpine camber skis are, even the wider ones. As soon as you get even a little "Nordic" camber they are slower edge to edge because it takes more time, and energy, to get weight on the ski. I don't think scales or width matter, but your boots do. A bigger and stiffer boot will potentially get a ski on edge faster then a lighter one, if you know how to use them.

[mca80]

I suppose I should rephrase my question. With scales facing in a fixed direction, even on edge during a turn won't part of the scales be hitting snow and causing resistance in a manner that is highly variable throughout the turn as the direction of the scales relative to fall line changes? Keep in mind I have never skied scales downhill so just curious, but it seemed, theoretically, like this fact could have an impact.

[lowangle al]

The scales do cause resistance and lower your speed, but as long as that resistance is consistent they ski fine and can even help your control. The scales become a problem for turning when you are on double camber skis. The camber prevents you from having consistent pressure on your bases making for a jerky ride.