Rec. Racing

[cuzinick]

I recently moved from Tahoe to Michigan and want to join a shitty rec. racing league to keep the skills sharp. Can I get some recomendations for an Ice ski for a 300ft hill. Im a 6ft 175lbs solid skier with no race background.
Ps. Should I worry about any ski restictions since I have not seen any rules yet or is that not a concern in beer racing.

[nick > jesus]

i am pretty sure you don't need to worry about restrictions, you have to be doing well in competitive racing in order to have any body care or question your equipment.

but i if you need it, i can sell you race skis, GS or slalom, conveniently FIS legal (for now at least) should be good for what you described PM for details

[baxter]

I also have a pair of race ski's i could sell you but they are shorter then regulation and very soft, but in great shape.

[Jonathan S.]

You won't face any official restrictions, but you should find out first whether the courses are set more like SL or GS. For example, in the Boston area, one night league is optimal for GS skis (or skiercross-type skis that have enhanced GS sidecuts); at another, although they set with GS-type panels, SL skis (or skiercross skis with very tight sidecuts) are optimal and you'd have to skip half the gates if you were on GS skis.

[justcuz]

You'll likely be at a hill that varies the course from week to week. GS one night, SL, etc. etc.

A lot of people that I race weekly with have one ski in the 170 to 175 cm range with a 13 to 16 meter radius. I'm a little heavier than you and ski 177's with a 16 meter radius for everything. They're perfect...

[nick > jesus]

I also have a pair of race ski's i could sell you but they are shorter then regulation and very soft, but in great shape.

for some one your size i would not get hers, they are really soft and really short

[shmerham]

Since you don't have race experience, I would go with a shorter length and turn radius. You won't be able to get enough speed for the stiffness and larger turn radius of a gs ski to be a benefit. Get a slalom ski with a bigger turning radius (~14m). I think Fischer makes one like that. A cross ski with a 16m turn radius will work good too and they're fun for tearing up groomers.

[RShea]

You are about my size and height. I would recommend you look at (as others have stated it may depend on the course and the format) one of the "GS cheater" skis - not any of the 21 meter GS skis out there or a Slalom ski as possible choices. Something in the GS cheater would be the Fischer Worldcup RC4 (170 at 15 meter radius, 175 is 16 meter radius), or if the courses are more slalom radius turning gates, then the Fischer Race SC would be a little tighter and slightly softer ski than the RC4 (13 meters radius at 170).

Nordica and Volkl also has a few models out there that would be worth a look too. Of course read through the beer league rules to be sure there is no mention of FIS rules being followed- very few do any more. If the format of the races are run under the Nastar rules then you have nothing to worry about either. A talk with other racers about what works best (or show up earlier for a training day if they have one and see if there is a popular ski and radius being used.

[Andy_B]

I spent some time on a 07 volkl racetiger with a orange top sheet's, they would be a perfect ski for a beer league. I was ripping around on them in 170 or 175 which had about a 16m rad. Lot's of power coming off the tails, and quick edge to edge.

Maybe squaretail has some more info. But I have not seen him `round these parts in some time.

[cuzinick]

Cheers I appereciate the help. Now who can help with the spandex?

[Arty50]

Now who can help with the spandex?

Paging Walter.

[PORNO SAVED MY LIFE!]

My $.02
Most of todays SL skis can be used in eather event (SL or GS).
and the same goes for GS skis, in shorted lengts(170-175) go figure?
with that said one must take into account that the above statement goes for thoes that have had mucho "Gate Time"
Head Sl skis @170 cm will get the job done as long as your feet know what the snow is doing under your edeges.(presure build up ect)
imo the fisher sc is a great pick for any ski bum race, while the wc will need an attentive pilot.
one of my better "Fun GS" races was won on a pair of Atomic metron B'5's @ 162cm...must have been the wax job!
But i digress...
To bad that most shops do not "Demo" race skis, but if your lucky and find a hill that has a demo day with more that one vender on site...take the time to get the rep to bust out the race skis and have at it!
Oh, remember this "Ski Fast and Take Chances"! (well that holds true for the second run.....)

[ill-advised strategy]

I would add challenge to the situation by skiing 225 red sleds with derbyflexes and DIN 10 markers.

Face it, that's going to be the only way to make it interesting.

[PORNO SAVED MY LIFE!]

I would add challenge to the situation by skiing 225 red sleds with derbyflexes and DIN 10 markers.

Face it, that's going to be the only way to make it interesting.

There ya go...hope thoes were Explodo-mats!
Ahh raking the snow with your fingers trying to find the spring that flew off on it's way to finding it's new home in the snow....thoes were the days!

one of my fav set ups was the Head kelly DH 224 with a look nevada toe and the rotomat heal (4 lead bars under the binder mounting area) yeee-haw!

[mnflyfish]

I race in a Ski Patrol league in Minnesota so lots of ice. I picked up a pair of Rossi 9X Powerpulsion GS skis on ebay for under $200. I figured they'd be a scrapping around ski and just for fun on race day but they turned out a lot nicer than I expected. They are now my daily ski and are a ton of fun on wide open groomers out west as well. They have a similar cut to the 9X World Cup and are FIS legal. I'm about the same size as you and went with the 174cm so I could use them for a SL course as well. They are super fast in turns and a lot of fun to ski on. They have a noticable "pop" coming out of a turn. That and you can't beat the price, I think they are 3 or so years old but I've noticed a number of pairs on ebay recently that are listed as New.

Good Luck,
Jay