by jbotti » Fri Dec 01, 2017 2:00 pm
The Head Supershape i.speed is not too much ski for intermediate PMTS skiers working on tipping and other PMTS essentials. HSS has put many people that ski at this level on the original Head Supershapes, the SS Kers, the head SS i.Speed. the old Icon TT 80 and the head ISL non RD. Of all of those the softest and most user friendly was the original Head SS (pre Kers).
Of the skis available today off of that list I think its a toss up as to which is better for intermediate skiers versus the ISL non RD or the SS i.Speed. The ISL is a little softer and bends maybe slightly easier but it has a lot of rebound (which most intermediate skiers are rarely producing in their skiing).
Maybe I can put it this way, my older brother is an intermediate skier working to develop PMTS movements with modest skills and I would not hesitate to put him on either the SS i.Speed or the ISL non RD. He would enjoy both and neither would feel like too much ski.
This is the beauty of good recreational slalom carvers. The thing that can be difficult about skiing them is the amount of rebound they can produce when bent aggressively in an arc. By the time an intermediate skier can actually do this and produce a good amount of rebound in their skiing they are already good enough to learn how to handle those forces. Said another way, if they can bend these skis a lot in an arc they are no longer intermediate skiers.
Balance: Essential in skiing and in life!