which slalom ski to choose

salar600

Seaman
Joined
Sep 26, 2007
Messages
59
I ski slalom with combo ski for many years now and I would like to buy a real slalom ski.

There is not a lot of choice in Canada for used one but what do you think of these one.

Connelly F1 carbon 67'', Connelly Vision binding
Radar Theory 67'' , HO VENOM binding
Connelly Concept 65", Connelly super wrap binding
Duraflex cheyenne

Which one should be the best buy?

I am 170lbs and never had the chance to try any slalom ski.

Thanks, Mart
 

oldjeep

Admiral
Joined
May 17, 2010
Messages
6,455
Re: which slalom ski to choose

You can buy anything online and have it shipped to you, so don't limit your selection if there is something else you want. Switching off a combo, any slalom ski will feel like a rocketship.

At your weight a 67-68 ski is probabally what you want.
 

haulnazz15

Captain
Joined
Mar 9, 2009
Messages
3,720
Re: which slalom ski to choose

Stay with a 67-68" ski as oldjeep mentioned. If you are just freeskiing and not running a slalom course, any of those will be fine as long as the length is appropriate. Connelly, HO Sports, Radar, Goode are all fantastic manufacturers. The bindings you choose are purely your preference, so don't get too caught up on those at this point. When you get good on the ski and want to try the course, then look at bindings closer to weight the different safety aspects of various designs.
 

Bob_VT

Moderator & Unofficial iBoats Historian
Staff member
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May 19, 2001
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26,022
Re: which slalom ski to choose

look at the design of the rear of the ski .......... most combo skis are fairly wide at the skeg and most dedicated slalom skis are narrow to accommodate a sharper cut........... you will have a learning curve for some time. That narrow rear makes the ski feel tippy but once mastered you will love it
 

oldjeep

Admiral
Joined
May 17, 2010
Messages
6,455
Re: which slalom ski to choose

The bindings you choose are purely your preference, so don't get too caught up on those at this point.

Good point - you may be better off choosing by which binding feels better to you since it is a lot cheaper to buy a ski with bindings than a blank and bindings seperately.

One note on the safety aspect - there are a couple bindings like the Connelly Sidewinder and Enzo which really don't release, at least not very often. I really like my sidewinder binding and just bought another one yesterday for my other slalom ski but there is a very real risk of hurting an ankle or knee with them in a big crash.
 

bikerdib

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Aug 16, 2012
Messages
33
Re: which slalom ski to choose

The only thing I'd like to add, don't buy a ski that is way above your skill level. Expert level skiers need quite a lot different ski than someone just getting into it. If you buy too much above your ability, it will probably just hinder your improvement curve.
 

skibrain

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 17, 2004
Messages
766
Re: which slalom ski to choose

The skis you have listed are going to ski better at 32 mph. 34 mph even better. If you are more comfortable in the 28 mph range, something wider would be in order.
 

salar600

Seaman
Joined
Sep 26, 2007
Messages
59
Re: which slalom ski to choose

Well... my wife is the only one to exactly know the speed but I politely ask her for 31-33 mph. During these not so good days... over 30mph please! :facepalm:

I'm defetely not an expert on slalom but do you think these 2 models are above my skills? Are they for Exp only or also good for interm?

Connelly F1 carbon 67'', Connelly Vision binding
Radar Theory 67'' , HO VENOM binding
 
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