SallyCat

Cool, I didn't know that. I know some people who really like their Renouns. I ski on Atomic Vantage 90 ctis right now and I'm very happy with them--light and playful. The Volkls mean business. They are burlier, faster, and grippier. Having the two together I think will be a great combo.

The shop has been great; they agreed to take them back immediately, shipping at their expense. The skis were brand new and wrapped in plastic, so the fault is Volkl's, not the shop's.

I demoed the RTM 84s a couple of times in different lengths. Just demoed the 2018s two weeks ago to be absolutely sure before I bought them. They are definitely the skis I want; love them. Saved up my $$ for a long time, sold some stuff, etc. and was finally able to afford them and now this. Boo. I feel like Homer Simpson when he tried to buy a gun (at "Bloodbath and Beyond") only to find there was a seven-day waiting period. "Seven days!? But I'm angry now."

Just spoke to the shop; I'm going to send them back and they'll send me a replacement pair. Just a bummer having to wait.

Got them online for a slight discount. Not worth it it seems. I don't necessarily care about resale, just not killing myself on sketchy bindings

Absolutely. I should be in the lot early.

Yeah, sorry I was unclear. The same hole spins both screws. The other hole tightens both screws. Not sure about the threads; I'd have to take the binding off to look at it I think. I'm about to give up and just hand it over to Blue's shop and see what they say. Thanks for the help, though!

Tried swapping screws, same result. (I.e., it's the ski, not the screw). "Ride the Mountain" because they're all-mountain skis. Also why we don't turn to the Germans for their creative genius.

I'm the one with the girl parts.

Shit, it just won't tighten. All I want is to pay $25 for an adjustment instead of $80 for a mount. That's the only reason I put them on the rails to begin with--hoping that counts as "mounted." Most place don't charge as much to mount a system binding as they do a flat ski, but Blue seems to have only one price and I don't want to pay the high one.

Length is overvalued.

Just got new Volkl RTMs with system bindings, and I put the bindings on the rails and then secured them with the one center screw they use. Problem is, one of the screws gets flush but won't tighten. The other one is fine. Any suggestions? Locktite or something? (And no, I'm not doing the whole installation myself, I will have Blue's shop do a final adjustment and release test.) These are the bindings. Thanks for any input. https://abetterski.com/ski-binding-reviews/marker-ipt-wideride-12-ski-binding-review/

I tried to quit in December but my boss talked me out of it. So I'm quitting in June. Last day of teaching: June 12! Can't jack a thread that's been mugged eleventy-thousand times. Here: I just got Volkl RTM 84s in 172. That should piss somebody off...I forget who hates RTM talk....

The censorship is an unfortunate teacher habit. You may, however, regret opening the "Sally is allowed to say fuck" floodgate. I am known on campus as the most dangerous faculty member to sit next to in faculty meetings. (And yet I never sit alone, because I have fucking awesome colleagues.)

An awful lot of women's skis are the exact same as the men's model but with a different topsheet (Kendo/Kenja, e.g.). Or they'll be the same but with less metal and/or a range of shorter sizes which may work for all kinds of skiers. Basically, aside from the menopausal graphics, most "women's" skis are just for smaller, lighter skiers. Some do have more forward mount points, though, and I think some Blizzards have sidecut specifically designed around the more-forward mount point. I have men's skis and men's boots because of my height, weight, and circus-clown sized feet. Fine by me--I hate pink shit anyway and definitely don't want white, fur-lined boots on account of I don't live in a f***ing Bond movie.

I basically run seminar discussions for a living and we sometimes map the conversation to see connections and diagnose problems. So I made a flow chart to examine the Thread-tastrophe that happened here this evening. I'm not innocent, I admit that eaf. This chart has the advantage of representing 90% of ski-forum "help me choose a ski" discussions, so I feel that it could be a real time-saver in the future. Near as I can figure, it all went wrong when someone mentioned skis.

Yes, and it rhymes with "Splaschinal Blar Rental."

Oh, I don't have to imagine. I spent three years getting yelled at every Friday over something that I persistently tried to correct but ultimately couldn't control.

No shit, I used to work at a tiny airport managing a car rental company outpost and those were the biggest 'planes that came in. We just called them "Brazilians" but we hated them because they came in late Friday night from Boston and New York and our company's 800 number relentlessly overbooked our cars. So we would know exactly how many passengers on each Brazilian we had to disappoint by telling them we had no car for them and neither did anyone else. Then we waited for the yelling. I still have a visceral reaction to those 'planes.

Don't you worry about your 170s Salty, I've seen the PASRs with long skis. They only have one technique and finish their runs really fast.

Guys arguing about width and length measurement. This place is basically the Athens of the internet.

The noobs at Blue are more likely to be drunk. But the good thing is, you're at Blue.

It's better.

Is this year 2 of your skiing? Don't just take a lesson, take a LOT of lessons. If you don't you'll cement bad habits that will hold you back when you want to ski bumps or trees, or hit warp speed at Blue with the PASRs. I worked my arse off last year, skiing whenever I could no matter the conditions. I took lessons, I did drills, nice people gave me advice, friends videoed me skiing so I could see ALL of my shortcomings, and I took more lessons. I'm nowhere near where I want to be, but I'm way closer than I was last year and I have SO much more fun. When I carve a beautiful turn I say a little mental "F YEAH!!" To each his own and whatnot, but sking well a joy in itself. If you settle for just getting down stuff with minimal competence you'll miss out on a deep well of fun and satsfaction.

You're relatively new to skiing, right? 170 will be fine. I have RTM 84s in 172. The 177s were a bit unwieldy for me and I am 5'8" and ... let's say "non-petite."