Post
by MikeK » Mon Apr 06, 2015 4:26 pm
I have nothing to add about the vector except to say it's probably one of the most reviewed skis out there. Seems everywhere I look someone is talking about it. I think you guys should give your chronicles though, as everyone is different and unique user reviews can be a deciding factor for someone looking to justify buying a ski like that.
I'll leave you with a long-winded story about some other internet opinions.
A year or so back I was thinking of getting some plastic boots and an Epoch or something and focusing on skiing hills, mainly at a resort until I was feeling comfortable. I had initially thought about AT, and waffled back and forth between the two.
I happened to be talking with Dave Mann aka Pinnah at another NE forum and was grilling him for info about what I should do. I had it in my mind that he was a good source because of his website. A nice guy, knowledgeable, but like I've found, has his own niche of what he's after and what he's doing. He recognizes this though, and wasn't very forward about forcing me one way or another.
Like most people I didn't really know what the heck I wanted... the more I thought about, the more confused I was. The more opinions I got, the more I waffled. I already had my Glittertinds and Alaskas but I was already skiing them in situations where I felt like they weren't ideal, and I was well aware that skiing them on more advanced terrain was going to take a lot more skill than I was going to amass in one season. The allure of skiing glades was still calling to me though...
Anyway I had conversations with Dave and other NE skiers about what was next, and I have to admit I was probably more ambitious in my mind that I was letting myself onto. My thought was Epoch + Excursion because in my head that was the best compromise. I could kick and glide, ski hills, take them to a resort, etc... I was going to get the best bang for my buck and have a quiver killer. I would use my Glitts for skiing on flats and in tracks.
Dave kind of back me out of that though. He strongly urged me to either go big if I wanted to dh i.e. full on tele gear, or stick with leather if I was going to be touring around. He was of course trying to save me from myself. Simply put he said if you want to ski tele, go to a resort, use modern gear, and learn how to tele. If you want to tour, stick with leather boots and wax skis. Of course those are reasonable replies but I didn't want to hear it. I wanted one ski to do it all. Lots of people started chiming in saying a Vector was what I really needed. It was claimed it would do everything I wanted, and it probably would... but again I don't think I was being honest with myself at that point...
Dave came back with something that still resonates with me as well about those skis, and is kind of the point of this whole long-winded post. He said modern, fat, surfy skis like those scare him in the woods. His point was they inspire the confidence, and enough flotation to ski fast enough through the woods where hitting a tree is going to be a very bad thing. That really stuck with me. I don't know how correct he is but I'd seen some videos of people skiing glades in deep powder at moderate to slow speeds with narrower skis. They were sunk right down in and even pointed down the fall line weren't going to get much over 10mph. That was about my comfort zone for my current skill level - which at the time I was thinking was going to be better than it actually is.
This is why I say be wary of advice of others, particularly when getting into something like this. Be honest with yourself about what you are really going to do, what your skills are, and what your expectations are. Some people reviewing or talking about certain skis or boots may have a ton more experience or skill, so ripping through tight trees surfing up at high speeds might not be an issue for them. Also you may wind up doing way more kick and glide than you think you will. You may have it in your mind that you are going to ski everything imaginable, but conditions, and where you ski may decide that more for you.
If I had to do it all over again I would have never bought the skis in the order I did. I would have listened to what more Adirondack tourers have found out through experience and bought a pair of Eons with NNN BC magnums first. For the majority of terrain I ski it's a much better compromise. But I'm really not bushwacking, I'm not skiing at resorts, I'm not skiing steep hardwood glades - maybe someday I'll do more, but it's simply not something you jump right into, and the terrain and snow in NY isn't always ideal for that.
I'm actually pretty happy with the choice of xcD ski I have. I don't think I'd go back on a pair of the mid S bounds with plain pins. It's not so wide it gets too much speed, surfs and terrifies me in powder. It's light enough and turny enough for someone without much tele experience to handle. It tours and floats well enough for the type of snow we have here, and I thought this year was exceptionally powdery, usually the snow is denser. It's not let me down on climbing and it gives me a good gauge of what I'm dealing with. If I have trouble climbing it, I might have trouble getting down it. For the realistic amount of days out I need or want a ski like this, I feel like I paid more than enough. A vector would be a waste of money for a skier like me, IMO. Not good enough to appreciate it's dh prowess and tour too much to not have something narrower, lighter and more cambered.
