Basic skate skis recommendations
Larry
Most of my skiing, infortunately, is on pavement. This situation is
not helped by lousy rentals that occasionally spoil precious few days
per year that I can spend on snow. Other places have skate trails but
no skate rentals. So, I thought I should consider buying a pair that
would allow me to do justice to that week on snow.
Of all the rentals that I've tried, I have fond memories of a pair of
new Rossi Zynex in Craftsbury. May not be the best ski (I wouldn't
know anyway), but it had the best edge and made for the most enjoyable
skiing. Others didn't have a sidecut at all and looked more like a
waxless classic, and were slipping violently.
So, what would you recommend in the way of basic ski for fairly
limited use? How about used (sight unseen, no such things within
reasonable driving distance here in central NJ)
Thanks!
Eric N.
The Rossi Zynex is a nice ski, its stable, handles well, and has the
typical Rossi springy feel to it. You may also want to look at the
Fischer SC or the Atomic Team as well. All are good skis for the
money, and are worth a look. The entry level of most of the
major ski makers all have some good things to offer, with feature
"trickle-down" from the top models of just a few years ago. No matter
which ski
you decide on, making sure you have a proper fit is by far the most
important thing in selecting a ski, and will give you the best on-snow
experience.
hth
Eric
runcyc...@yahoo.com
I agree that ski fit is everything. Rental skis oriented towards the
general public who XC ski once or twice a year are way too soft; they
are essentially long snowshoes. just to let beginners mush around in
the snow.
Wild slippage is a sign of skis being too soft which rental skis
usually are. I don't think sidecut matters much. Side cut was the sh**
~8 years ago, now they are moving back to no sidecut in racing.
Any used racing skating ski that came from a person of your weight
should work. You can also get left over racing skis from 2-3 years ago
at most dedicated stores. They easily cost 1/2 of MSRP. You can also
get a pair 1-2 steps below top of the line (usually classified by the
manufacturer for "citizen racing") which will be even cheaper.
Of low key skis, I remember Fischer Pacers rental skating skis being
decent. My wife has rented them at Van Ho in Lake Placid. I borrowed
them from her just for fun, and for the price they were great skis.
They were way slower than my top of the lines at the time, but they
felt solid and comfortable.
The closest dedicated XC ski shop from Central Jersey (I used to live
in Piscataway) would probably be Reliable Racing in Queensbury, NY.
Worth the drive and could be combined with other fun things to do in
ADK. I would not buy sight unseen. If you are posting here you must be
concerned about the subject enough to warrant a trip North to test the
skis before buying.