Istanbulskier wrote:I am also an intermediate and have two skies.( classic head isupershape 170cm. and atomic race SL 165 cm). I can say I feel even more comfortable with race SL than isupershape(needless to say on the groomers only). Interestingly I was thinking race SL skies are even better for intermediates after trying them. They were better/quicker/easier on edge for me. Am I making a big mistake? I also work for higher angles as all others.
Are you talking about the Atomic Race SL D2? That is a horrible ski for PMTS development! The extreme hourglass shape combined with the torsional stiffness makes it very resistant to tipping. Once you do get it on edge, the ski only really performs well at high edge angles (and it does not like to brush). If you don't yet have the movements to properly allow angles to develop naturally, that ski will encourage you to use some combination of inclination and hip dumping to get them. Additionally, the ski has fantastic grip but in the hands of the less skilled, that just encourages stomping on the edge way too early & trying to force the turn. Unfortunately, you can get away with doing that on that ski and it will make you feel like a hero when you do it--until it gets a little steeper. Unless you know absolutely what you are doing, this ski will lead you down the wrong path. That said, when you do know what you are doing, the ski is a riot. I own a pair & can speak from experience both about being lead astray by it and how much fun it is when it is skied properly.
The iSuperShape is an incredible ski for PMTS development. Probably the best thing about them is that in order to make them grip on hard snow (making slalom radius turns) you must do everything right. They reward great movements with confidence inspiring edge grip, but movement mistakes aren't catastrophic; the ski will just break loose into a nice brush. If the iSuperShape doesn't feel as good as a race ski, you need to ski it until it does. When you can make edge-locked slalom radius turns on a groomed blue run with hard snow on the iSuperShape, then you will be ready to handle a real race ski and make it actually perform the way it was designed to.