I grew up skiing on lousy hardpack in New York state, but we moved to VA almost 10 years ago and I hadn't given skiing a lot of thought after that. However, recently I have been getting all into it again - it's super fun and gives you something active to do when nobody wants to go outside in the cold, otherwise. So I had sold my old, enormous 183cm Salomon race skis, and decided to start looking at new gear. From reading forums at The Ski Diva, I found out that the best thing to do is find a Demo Day, where skiers (or snowboarders) can try out different brands & models to see what suits them best, since there is so much variation. What is comfortable to your friend may feel horrible to you.
So this past weekend we went up to Wintergreen Resort because the on-site ski shop was hosting a Demo Day. It was my first time on skis in over 6 years, but I got the cheap rentals and tried a couple runs first to make sure everything still worked. Then headed over to the demo tent - what a neat opportunity! I tried the following women's-specific models out, all around lengths between 151-154cm: Nordica Infinite, Dynastar Exclusive Elite, K2 Burnin Luv, and Head Wild One.
From the pic above, I'm sure you can guess which was my favorite. The Nordica and the Head skis were both a little wider underfoot (80 and 81mm, respectively). To me, the additional width and stiffness of these two skis made them feel very stable and "solid". Some may not like it and prefer the more nimble feel of a thinner model. But the Nordica in particular just made me feel like I could do anything on those skis - the conditions were typical lousy east coast icy hardpack, with zero natural snow, and those things had an edge that held onto anything. The Head Wild One was a close second, but the Nordica was my pick of the day. I am truly in love!
Let readers know what you think of skis you've tried or owned. If you don't ski or snowboard, give it a try - it's National Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month! :)
