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Skis For My Old Man?

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lgward
Posts: 301 - Karma: 404
Hey NS,

I'm in need of some advice... again.

So here's a little info for y'all:
My dad is an absolute ripper, has been skiing his whole life, and is so much fun to ski with. (Yeah, I still ski with my dad sometimes, he's fucking great.) But, this past year, he's been having a lot of trouble with his knee/calf. Long story short, he's getting old and crotchety, which is terrifying enough in itself, but even more so when we realized he wouldn't be able to ski anymore if he didn't get it together. So, right now, he's trying to do just that and I've suggested that, in order to help, he needs to get off of those ancient titanium race skis and onto something a little less... race-y.

So humans, here is my question, should you choose to answer it:
Do you know of any light skis that turn easy but still pack enough punch to satisfy an old dude (and by old dude I mean slightly narrow-minded dude)? He lives on the east coast and weighs around 165lbs, fyi. Would be skiing all-mtn/groomers with the occasional bumps or pow run. He's not super aggressive, but if they don't carve well I'll never hear the end of it.

Massive thanks! Peace
Aug 21 2015 8:04PM
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methscratchface
Posts: 1201 - Karma: 4,433
Volkl Mantra. Old dudes love them.
Aug 21 2015 8:14PM
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tomPietrowski
Posts: 7099 - Karma: 17,043
^kendo would probably be better.

Op op take a look at the salomon mnt 95. They are super light but still rail a turn. i had a lot of fun on them last season but they should not be overkill for him.

**This post was edited on Aug 21st 2015 at 11:55:25pm
Aug 21 2015 8:28PM
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FastSpeed
Posts: 646 - Karma: 644
Experience 98s rip groomers
Aug 21 2015 10:10PM
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lgward
Posts: 301 - Karma: 404
Thanks for the suggestions guys!

I'm wondering if those skis may be a little more powder oriented than he prefers. The vast majority of his time on the mountain will be spent on groomers - not much fresh snow where he resides.
Aug 21 2015 10:14PM
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tomPietrowski
Posts: 7099 - Karma: 17,043
Then yeah look in the 80 range that will give him enough width without being overly hard on the knees. Just go to a decent shop and talk to some staff. That type of ski is usually the type most shops stock the most as realistically they sell the best.
Aug 21 2015 10:31PM
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Parches
Posts: 164 - Karma: 176
tomPietrowski^kendo would probably be better.

Op op take a look at the salomon mnt 95. They are super light but still rail a turn. i had a lot of fun on them last season but they should not be overkill for him.

**This post was edited on Aug 21st 2015 at 11:55:25pm


I second the kendo, my dad rides them and loves them
Aug 22 2015 12:52AM
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lgward
Posts: 301 - Karma: 404
Sweet, I'll have him take a look at those. Thanks guys +K
Aug 22 2015 1:49PM
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rillburgher
Posts: 1 - Karma: 11
I'm old and ski the east with old rippers, some complain about knee pain from wide skis. When the oldsters tip up wider skis to carve on hard snow it can introduce uncomfortable forces into their creaky unstable joints. Consider widths approximately 75 to 85. This is about the width of your dad's forefoot, and will let him stand right over his edge with ease.

Regarding your dad's patience level... Check the short videos K2 has up on their Ikonic and AMP skis, see if those are speaking his language. Your east coast shop will offer many similar choices and brands because there are lots of us old guys, and we have the cash.
Aug 22 2015 4:47PM
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Burgy
Posts: 414 - Karma: 630
I ski with my old man all the time, a few years ago he picked up some volkl kendos, his old skis were these old skinny atomics and he was complaining that his legs were hurting on the longer runs. he was nervous about the time it would take to get use to his new skis, but he felt supper comfy on his first run, and the pain went away! these things rip man! we've been all over the east coast and he loves them

last season, a thin layer of the top sheet started to peel from the tail of the ski, only cosmetic damage, nothing serious. (probably caused by kids skiing over them in the lift lines. anyways he got a hold of volkl and they gave him a brand new pair of planks for free! pretty sweet PR story if u ask me. the new pair seem to have a different top sheet and hes never had a problem on them since.
Aug 22 2015 5:17PM
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kylemclean
Posts: 413 - Karma: 1,311
Have him take a look at the elan amphio line. I rode them for a day in Ontario and loves them and they carved like a dream. I am by mo means old though. Another guy I work with rode them all season and he is around 60-70 years old. They were his favorite ski he has every ridden. Both of us were riding the amphio 82 xti and I have had heard good reviews of all the others. The narrower ski will also be easier on his knees
Aug 23 2015 4:02PM
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rozboon
Posts: 1642 - Karma: 868
The 2016 Fischer Rangers - in whatever width seems about right.
Everyone I know that has tried them has been raving about them. Plus they've got carbon fibre on the topsheet which any self respecting dad will approve of. They're pretty light but still relatively stiff and charge hard if you want to.
Aug 23 2015 5:30PM
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Rodigan
Posts: 1288 - Karma: 1,814
icelantic pilgrim....absolute carving machine
Aug 25 2015 9:53AM
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