Every year about this time we start seeing skis that will be in the shops for next season. Shop owners and employees have been attending demos to select the models they will offer starting in late summer. 

You will actually see a few of these skis in shops between now and the end of the season, and if you are a loyal customer, your shop might allow you out on a pair. I try to attend one of these demos, but schedule didn’t work this year, so I have to rely on catalogs and conversations with the various ski companies. 

The good news is that my favorite skis don’t change much. 

For years, I watched various publications in print and online to see what so-called experts are recommending among new ski models. I would read how wider skis were recommended. I would hear ski instructors tell me how wider skis helped skiers. Since the trend to wider skis came along, I have tried many of them, and I agree they work, in powder! I remember vividly my first day heli skiing. We were outfitted with the new Atomic Powder Plus. They not only made skiing powder easier for me, but I watched a low-intermediate manage skiing untracked powder. Juta, a young woman from Germany needing coaching, but once she got the feel, she handled four runs of 2,500 feet of vertical and never held us up. 

I was sold on those skis about six inches wide. The rest of the trip I skied my own Atomics, at that time a 209 cm GS. A couple of days we were in powder, but nothing more than 8-10 inches, and as veteran skiers our traditional width skis were fine. I relate this experience because I strongly disagree with recommending wide skis for most Eastern skiers, especially those who spend most of their time on groomed runs. For 20 years as a patrolman, I skied either slalom or GS skis 204-210 cms in length. These skis were 65-67 cms wide at the waist, as they are today. Today, my skis are shorter, but they are still SL’s or GS and still in that 65-67 width. 

This year I was pleased to read a piece by Jackson Hogen on realskiers.com about Non FIS race skis. Hogen explains the difference between FIS and Non-FIS models. Simply put, the FIS models are not sold to us.  Your skis might have the same top skin as the skis Bode Miller uses, but they are not the same. One thing you see at World Cup races are huge thighs. Those are the kind of Quad muscles needed to handle a full on race ski. I will admit that on occasion I enjoyed pointing a pair of those skis down and savored the ride.  When you lay those skis on edge, they carve like a train on tracks. This should only be done on a wide perfectly groomed slope, preferably one devoid of other skiers. 

The good news is the Non FIS or recreational racers offer a lot of the stability but are much easier into the turn. My go-to skis are a Volkl GS in a 175. They require little effort to turn, carve nicely and have plenty of stability at the speeds I now ski  If I feel the need to add a few miles per hour, I have a pair of Race Stock GS in a 180 for more stability. If you saw that ski on a high-level racer, there would be plates under the bindings to stiffen the ski under the foot and add power to the ski. 

What’s my point? It’s simple. If you ski only or mostly on groomed runs, give race skis a try. My 175 cm Volkl Race Tiger GS skis have a tip rocker, which makes them especially forgiving. You won’t find any rockers on FIS models. They are all full camber. Racers want to have the entire ski engaged in the turn, and if you look at photos showing how far up on edge their skis are in a turn, you can see how this works. Recreational skiers don’t lay their skis over this way. Hence no need for plates to elevate us off the ski. 

In looking over current models and those on the way, I have identified a number that should be considered for skiers who ski mostly groomed runs and want to carve turns. Blizzard, for example, has always been seen held up in the finish area by racers. Their Firebird series are all full camber, race ski dimensions. The Quatros are labeled All-Mountain but are full camber and just a bit wider, a bit better in loose snow. 

Perhaps no company has more models than Elan, and remember the guy who won more World Cup races than anyone, Stenmark, skied in them his entire career. Along with their full on race models, check the Amphibios, full camber on the inside of the tip and rockered on the outside for more forgiveness. 

Atomic is another company known for race skis and they have a full line. For a little less demanding but high performing on groomers, try the Redsters. Fischers are seen plenty in race-finish areas and their full race models are exactly that. They like speed and hold great on the hard stuff. Check their recreational racers. Stockli cut their teeth on race courses of Europe and these skis carve as well as any. Naturally, HEAD also has a full line of world Cup models. 

These are some of the skis that are on the way. If you are like me, you now ski mostly groomers. Try the race models or ask your shop what they have for recreational racers. 

See you on the slopes. 

Dave Irons is a freelance writer and columnist who hails from Westbrook. He has been contributing to the Sun Journal for many years and is among the most respected ski writers in the Northeast. He also is a member of the Maine Ski Hall of Fame. Write to him at DaveiSkiGolf@aol.com. 

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