Fire Arrow 80?? looking to complete my quiver

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WHOdatSK

Member
Looking to buy a Carver to use when going for my APSI level 3 next year in Australia. When i got my level 2s I did all my demos on my old 173 Shoguns.. i was pretty much the only person riding twins on assessment day. I was told if i wanted to go for my lvl 3s i would have to get myself a pair of carvers..

Ive been looking around and I like the sound of the fire arrow.. mainly because it is has a fairly generous waist but still has a fairly tight radius. I defiantly prefer a wider waist ski after riding my chetlers for a whole season in niseko/whistler.

Basically wanting some reviews from people that have actually skied the fire arrow and hear about any other skis worth a look at.. I will be in Tinges in Feb/March 2012 and will hopefully get a chance to demo this ski plus a few others. until then I am on a quest for knowledge

Height - 173cm

Weight - 75kgs (166 pound)

my current quiver is 183 chetler and 170 da nollie

Advanced skier looking for a versatile carver that will help me improve my technical skiing and would be suitable for teaching.

 
if you can front the coin, nothing will carve and exit turns like the Head Supershape. You have Magnum at 71 underfoot, and Titan at 78 underfoot....

they have wood core, sheet of metal, race construction, and a Kers chip. i would go for 170 or 177.
 
I know this but I'm looking for a ski that has a wider waist than a race ski.. but that is still quick edge to edge and will excel in everything from short turns to long GS turns and also handle moguls and crud.. I ski backwards a lot when I'm teaching kids so i like that it has a slight twin on the tail

I guess the key word in my post is "versatile"... I am looking for a serious carver, but i like to be able to play around and explore.. not confined to groomers.

would be good to hear from people that have skied any of the Fire Arrow series and can comment on the flex, weight and basically compare the performance to other skis..

Thanks NS

ps. if anyone works in any of the ski schools in Colorado and knows anything about employment or work visas for internationals please pm me.. ive just finished an epic road trip from west coast to east coast and am hoping to return to Colorado to work for the 2012/13 season. we saw 21 states and CO was my personal fav for obvious reasons.

We were in Breck for the first serious snowfall for the season.. was a sign from ullr i think :)

 
rossi experience 88. it'll blow everything mentioned in this thread except the head supershapes straight out of the water.
 
OK so I like the Head Titan the more i hear about it.. im also guessing theyre quite heavy due to the width and the metal sheet. all the tech make it sound like a fucking rocket ship.. which does sound fun. But im also still waiting to hear from someone about the Fire Arrow.. im intrigued to say the least and i wanna know if it is as good as i imagine!

 
hey man, im currently on a HEAD XRC, 68 underfoot, 14.3m radius, they are good but i thin kthey are dead now (bought em second hand last year) i just finished my CSIA lvl 3 course today, i did it on a pair of nordica dobermann spitfires in a 170cm, which im guessing is the same construction as the firearrows. tey are excellent, and honestly, i wouldnt bother getting the firearrow for the extra width, its still skinny. i skied some ankle-knee deep pow day on them and they were fine. besides if your going for your apsi 3s you should have no problem on a skiny ski in pow. my only complaint with nordica is their shitty bindings
 
YES THIS. SERIOUSLY THIS. THESE SKIS FUCKING RAIL. AND THEY MAKE A 98 VERSION IF YOU WANTED TO GO REAL WIDE UNDERFOOT.(THE 98 DOES NOT HANDLE THE SAME AT ALL BUT IF YOU ARE MAKING BIGGER TURNS THEY ARE GREAT. IF YOU ARE MAKING SHORT TURNS AND YOU DONT WANT TO HAVE TO SLIDE THEM AROUND, THE 98 IS NOT FOR YOU. )

SORRY FOR CAPS.

MY BUTTON IS STUCK
 
off topic but does anyone know of some twins that rail groomers super well? i'd like something to actually be able to trust when i'm skiing icy east coast groomers, and taking my slalom skis out always seems like overkill. my moment tahoes don't quite cut it on ice, but they're very close to what i'm looking for
 
I just got the Head Titans for my BASI level 2 and onwards, heard nothing but good things about them as a general ski as well as a teaching ski and they don't disappoint. Coming from a quiver of halos, old seths (05/06) and JJs this is always going to be the case. They carve longs super easily and shorts are great, even down le Face into Val D'Isere which is used for the Level 4 shorts... As someone else said they're pretty fat underfootfor skiing pow and variables but are still quick edge-to-edge for shorts. They are heavy when you carry them but when they're on your feet somehow it disappears and they feel much lighter.

I'm 6ft (180cm) and 75kg and went for the 177s, but I do like a longer ski.

Here's a thread I created on a less freestyle/freeride site:

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=1948076&highlight=#1948076

Hope that helps
 
I can offer you a ski that has all of those minus short turns. The nordica enforcer has a waist of 98, perfect for crud and powder. It has titanal in it, so perfect for moguls and powerful turns. It is a wider version of a GS ski. Sounds almost perfect. I loved carving on this ski when I tested it out. Now that was in 2011, 2012 has a slight rocker from what I read, so I couldnt tell you how that makes it feel.
 
sounds fun but as ive been saying.. the ski im looking for is not supposed to be and all mountain ski that can carve.. more a carver that can be taken off the groomers..

from what i have heard the Head Titan is the ski im looking for.. and now that im in Europe i cant wait to get to france and test run both the Head titan and the Nordica fire arrow

can anyone comment on the reliability of all the tech in the Head race skis atm? Kers? Intelligence?

sounds legit but i wanna know how it feels and does the tech last!

Thanks for all the help!!
 
Like I said, its the exact same as a gs ski, just wider. Its hands down a carving ski. But hey, to each his own.
 
I skied the firearrow, and was meh. If you like making one turn, which is really short. they are fun.

I had more fun on the experience 88, the dynastar outland 80 and the blizzard 8.1 and 8.7.
 
check out this thread i made i little while back:

https://www.newschoolers.com/ns/forums/readthread/thread_id/679309/

I seriously considered the ski you got. And demoed the firearow, nordica steadfast, and the volkl kendo. All pretty similar to what you were looking for I think. In the end I ended up going with the steadfast over the the firearow because it seemed to hold up well not only with shorter radius carving, but at speeds with gs turns and in the crud as well. My dad ended up buying the fire arrow 80 ti too (we go a solid deal on some demos) and he likes them a lot for cruising the groomers.

If you want a groomer "slalom-style" ski id say go fire arrow. But, what was really a nice feature that the nordica side country series offers was a little bit of early rise and held up better on a slightly more versatile set of train.

You should consider one of the 3 skinniest skis from nordica's side country line. The Fuel has more of a slalom turning radius and would be sick, i didn't know it existed until now and I can't find it online anywhere- if you can find this, it might be the one for you. getting wider is the Burner, with an 84 waist. Downside of this one is that it is harder to go switch with because the tail is completely flat (pretty sure at least). Even wider is the steadfast at 90, a plus side for teaching is that it has a very very minimal twin tip that enables you to go switch if you have to.

Check out some nordica side country series.... that shits legit
 
fuel is next years ski. and all the skies in the hell and back line is a flat tail, other than unleashed hell. everything else though is spot on. steadfast is a kickass all mountain ski, burner brings it to more of a frontside ski with all mountain capabilities. if you want a carver and carver only stick with the firearrow 80. either the pro or the ti. both are identical other than binding and 1 sheet of metal (pro has 2 sheets and better binding). i personally prefer the pro over the ti. and as said before a racestock ski will carve better, but you really only get one turn shape, firearrow is way more versatile in that matter.
 
OK so as this ski will mainly be used for teaching and improving my own technique my final question is really.. should i get the 80 ti or the Pro.. as ill be teaching alot im wondering if the Pro be too much for the most part? if its much better ill go with the pro i think (plus its easier to find the Pro available on the net then the ti).

Unless anyone can convince me that its worth the extra cash for the supershape titan ill be buying one of the firearrow 80s within 2 weeks.

 
have you demoed or tried any of these? if its possible it would make more sense to try any ski out before buying it. And plenty of shops have the ti 80 to demo
 
OT Reply... Nordica Ace of Spades carves about the best of any parky twintip I've ever skied... enough so that my friend who is an ex-racer and instructor wants a pair too.
 
Based on what you have said you're looking for, these are also worth checking out.

Scott Crusade, 94mm (depending on length) under foot, but turns extremely quickly, about a 14m radius. Holds well on hard pack, great float in the soft stuff.

Nordica Hell n Back, This ski turns on a dime with tons of power coming out of the turn, lots of fun!

Blizzard Bonafide, The least energetic of the skis listed so far, doesn't turn quite as quickly but kills it in the bumps and trees.

To answer your question about the 2013 FA80 it will start shipping late summer.

http://theskimonster.com/blog/topics/ski-reviews/

 
definately get the 74 underoot model man. by the looks of this thread i am one of the only ones who wll give you some legoit advise, obviously your smart enough to realise that a 98 underfoot fuckin side country ski wont be a recommendable level 3 ski, that just isnt happening. u seem pretty set on the firesarrow so if u do go for it get the 74. but dont pay $1000 for em, that would be insanity.
 
To be honest most comp pipe skis carve real well, I have used pipe cleaners and they work well on ice. Also the key to edge hold is tuning... Keep those edges sharp.
 
80 pro. you wont be disappointed for a nice, more on piste specific ski. like i said before 80 pro vs 80 ti for me personally i enjoyed the pro, just a little bit more powerful with the extra sheet of metal.
 
couldnt tell you if it is or isnt but that is my favorite front side ski that they make. thats also a hell of a price for that ski as it will be $1299 next season. as for a ski its a true gs style side. very smooth ski, nice and damp, but still has a good amount of pop and rebound to it.
 
what length to get the fire arrow 84 in? 168 or 176?

I weigh 77 Kg (170 pound) and think im about 174cm tall.. read original post.

i feel i would enjoy the 168 because of the tighter turn raidius and a smaller lighter ski.. but maybe 176 be better? i dont know
 
get on a set of either Volkl Codes or K2 Bolts. both are fantastic carvers. the Codes are built like a GS ski with tip and tail rocker while the Bolts will hold an edge on anything and like to be driven harder than a rental car!
 
id recommend the 176 personally. im 5'4'' (163cm) and i ski the 168 in the firearrow 84. ive skied the 176 as well and will say its still pretty quick but again it has a true gs cut to it so not nearly as fast as the firearrow 80. you could go either way but i think for all around performance you would be happier in a 176.

as for the codes (havent skied the k2 but still applies) i have a huge problem with a carving ski that has rocker/ early rise. i just feel it defeats the purpose and you lose a lot of power and pop through the turn. same thing going into a turn, i dont know about everyone but i want my ski to hook right up. that being said out of all the rockered carving skis, i think the code skis the best and thats probably due to the fact that the rocker is minimal. i love rockered skis.....just not for a carving, hard snow specific ski.
 
I would get the rossi rockered skis. I think they are called experience and they are in a bunch of sizes. They are the best ski for technical skiing but not good for going big. Ijust did my psia level 1. Good luck to you
 
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