 Poster: A snowHead
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I am a fit 35 year old 5'11" 154lb male. After much research I have settled on the 5* or 6* as being the ski for me but am really struggling to decide which. Latest reviews suggest the 6 as it skis more like last year's 5, i.e. a little softer. I would consider myself a competent advanced skier but probably not quite expert level. I am keen to progress my abilities and enjoy the challenge of skiing hard and perfecting my technique but would also like to be able to switch off occasionaly and cruise.
I ski 70% on-piste, love turns, venture into the powder when I can (not often in Europe) and will tackle the occasional bumps.
Comments and thoughts would be much appreciated as I'm hoping to buy a pair in the next couple of weeks.
Thanks
Richard
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Welcome to snowHeads  Richard! Sorry - haven't got a clue about the skis though!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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hi Richard, welcome to snowheads, I'm sure you'll get a response, sorry I can't help you it's been years since I skied on Volkls.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I tested some 6 stars last season. I've never tried the 5s but I thought the 6s were awsome, probably my favorite ski I've ever skied on. They did take a lot of effort to get the most out of them though. I didn't try them in powder because there wasn't any  They seemed fine in the moguls as well.
I would have bought some but I didn't have enough money as I had just bought a new pair of skis anyway!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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mcbarnet,
Welcome to snowHeads Richard.
I've got last years 5 stars in 168cm & I think they're superb (I'm 5'9" / 185lb & same ability as you). Great for pushing it on piste when you want to but ok for cruising around on when you want a breather - as opposed to the old 6's which just seemed to want to go all the time and were certainly too much for me for all day use. They're also ok for the odd off piste excursion although in deeper powder I did struggle compared to mates of equal ability but on freeride skis.
I tried both the new 5 & 6 stars at Castleford a few weeks ago. I thought my old 5 stars felt the same as the new 5's and the 6's were noticably stiffer - although it's probably hard to tell properly on the short gentle gradient slope at Xscape. However, my opinion was confirmed by the Volkl guy on their stand at the B'ham Ski Show who described the new 6 as an old 5.75 and the new 5 as a 4.75, if you know what I mean.
If I was buying now I'd still buy the 5's and I'd recommend the same for you as you're quite a bit lighter than me ( ). If you're a fit bloke and can keep up the pace all day then you could go for the 6's. Either way, the 175cm length would be perfect for your height as they shouldn't be skied too long. By the way, the Volkl guy also said that the slightly softer 5 would be better off-piste for guys of our ability levels.
I'd certainly recommend you make the trip to Castleford as EB's have demo skis in both models. If you haven't been there before, the slope is certainly long, wide & good enough to get 2/3 decent carved turns in per run so you can make a good comparison. IMO neither the Tamworth or MK slopes are good enough to get a correct impression.
If you don't mind I'd like to offer another option though. If you're planning to do a bit more off-piste (and who isn't?) then check out the new Volkl 724 EXP freeride ski or the K2 Apache Recon. They're both designed for 50/50 on/off piste use and both have Marker bindings as K2 recently bought Volkl.
Whilst I love my 5 stars if I was buying now I think that I'd opt for one of these two as they seem to offer all the on piste performance with the added benefit of being a cracking off piste ski for guys of our ability range. EB's at Castleford have demo versions of both of these also.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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spyderjon, A little off topic but still relevant... How do you demo skis at EB Castleford? Do you need to phone up first or can you just walk in?
How keen are they on you then buying skis from them? Do they give you a hard sell?
Cheers
Paul
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Paul Holland,
You can just walk in but I'd recommend calling them to guarantee availablity.
Have never had the hard sell from them, just good advice.
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The 5 star are by far the best skis that I have skied asspyderjon noted their performance on the piste is awesome. However, like you mcbarnet I found it a bit trickier off piste but thats got everything to do with my abilty, so regretably can't blame the skis 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Here is my review from last year:
http://forums.epicski.com/showthread.php?t=12105
I also plan to be on them again this weekend. The change for 04/05 is not in the ski construction at all. The change is only in the binding. This year, the Markers are the piston, which provides dampening of vibration in the forebody of the ski. This has, according to some reports, changed them to make them more like the other. Most folks are now recommending the 6* over the 5*. Last year, the 6* was too much for most recreational skiers.
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I got bored on Sunday so I went out and bought a pair of 5*s... as you do!
I am 5'8" and weigh 146 lbs. I got 161s but now I'm thinking of swapping them for the 168s... any thoughts?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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dll,
Welcome to snowHeads.
Great purchase. I think you're spot on with the 161's on two counts.
They'll be perfect as they'll be about eye brow level for you giving you an ideal combination of good manoeuverability & good high speed stability.
Also, and probably more importantly, is that you're pretty light weight at 146lbs, compared to my 185lbs now & my 210lbs when I bought my 168's. I don't know your ability level but going longer could be a bit too stiff. When I was researching buying mine I read a report somewhere that the 168's would be too stiff for sub 160 pounders. If I can find the report I'll let you know.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Cheers spidey, that really helps. I like this place already.
I suppose it's just a bit of a mental issue, having never skied on anything as short before - I've read lots of other forums on the subject and that seems to be a recurring theme.
Anyway now I can get back to daydreaming about pulling some serious g's on those quick turns!!!
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