twin tips

nialo

Been skiing a good few times now and am pretty decent on ski's at this stage. very little i cant deal with.. Been wondering what twin tips would be like? are they much fun? hard to use or easy? any things to watch out for? should i just stick to normal skis?

also they called blades or twin tips?

robinph

Blades are very short skis, less than a meter, and tend to have non-release bindings on them. I think they are great fun and have a pair myself. They have also caused me a knee ligament tear although that could just have been due to me being a muppet at the time.

SnowBlades is also a trademarked name of Salamon so other manufacturers will call theirs something different, but similar to the hover and biro it's pretty much become the generic term for the things.

Twin tips are longer like regular skis, but with twin tips. Never used them myself though, well other than some big fat powder versions I had for a heliski day.

Fattes

nialo:Blades are for losers and very few companies still make them. Not even Salomon who invetned them. Stay away you will be the laughing stock of the mountain:D

Twin tips are normal skis with matching tip and tails. The constructions materials are the same the process etc. Some of them are awsome all mountain weapons. the K2 Public Enemy and the Salomon Dumont or Suspect will cover the 4 P'S for you PARK,PISTE,PIPE & POW

The still have side cut so you can carve on them just less than a normal piste ski

Main diffrences are

A little more difficult (from a VERY technical point) to complete smooth rounded turns.

Tend to be lighter to make park riding easier.

Easier to rotate 360 on the snow and to ski switch (backwards) on.

Tend to have reinforced edges and bases to deal with the impacts of rails etc.

On average waist width of approx 84mm or greater meaning a larger turning radius. Approx 19 meters or greater compared to a piste ski of 11-16 meters

They are a great ski to have in the bag for a holiday as they do cover allot. They are also the biggest selling skis on the market

nialo

Losers you say! noted then!

As for the twin tips, so unless im going backwards and hitting the snow parks, i should stick to piste skis for now? might explain why last year i had trouble carving and turning really sharply! had a set of twin tips and while i didnt struggle i wasnt as smooth as the previous year..

robinph

May have to start infracting people for having a go at blades. They are great fun and I won't hear it said otherwise.

You'll struggle to find any ski instructors that say anything good about them admitedly, but being an instructor myself I do have to break that "rule". Any method of sliding down a mountain is good in my book though. Not used my blades in a good while but I will be taking them along on my next trip.

Fattes

robinph: We all know snowbladers are the real enemy! They are great for practicing some technical stuff though.

nialo: The carving and short turn issues are more to do with the radius of the ski than the twin tips. Once you get the technique right you will be able for both on twin tips. Also depends on where the binding is mounted a progressive mounting (JUst forward of the skis ceter point) Is great for the park but sucks for skiing where as a traditional mounted ski will perform much better on piste.

They have a huge benefit as they tend to be cheaper than piste skis by a very long way. I wouldnt knock them off the list as they are incredible option as a one ski quiver.

nialo

ok cool. so i should probably invest in a few lessons when i go back this year. the last two years ive stayed on my owe and just practiced what i got the previous year. had one of the instructors from kilternan over with us three years ago and she spent a day with me. improved most things..

bother with ski school or just do individual day lesson?

sarsfield06

I love my twin tips (Volkl Karma) and don't think I'd buy anything else. Buying any ski will compromise performance somewhere but twin tips tend to do most things well. Especially as you say you can ski well already, twin tips will give you extra float to enjoy powder more and make it much much easier to attempt jumps and spins. They are the 4WD of skis as they can go anywhere. They are also quiet soft so are easy to turn even if the turn radius is quite long. You should buy twin tips a little shorter than your height although freestylers may prefer something a little shorter again.

If you want to buy some cheap I have a pair of Salomon Thruster 161 to sell, see pics on this thread

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=62879912&posted=1#post62879912

Fattes

sarsfield06 Was wondering how long it would take

nialo: Personally as an instructor I think you will get more out of a half day private than 4 days in ski school but it is up to you. Have a look at http://www.warrensmith-skiacademy.com/online-tips.htm
for a few tips.

There is an advanced class in Kilternan for a full day on the 28th of November may well be worth a look.

Snowie

Fattes wrote: »

nialo:Blades are for losers and very few companies still make them. Not even Salomon who invetned them. Stay away you will be the laughing stock of the mountain:D

and subject to abuse and snowballs :pac:;)

Fattes

Yellow Snowballs;)

nialo

sarsfield06: im a beast of a man and those look a bit short for me to be able to handle! im 197cm..

fattes: cheers for the tips. figure a day with an instructor is the way to go. dont need a huge amount of help just brushing up on a few bits and pieces. thinkin Tignes in feb this year. Just need to get a few more ppl together!

sarsfield06

nialo 161s for your height would be a little short! but there are not too many your height around! You'll probably need something stiff so they aren't too flappy at speed.