Connelly versus Radar slalom

[FoggyNogginz]

So I have been skiing on various Connelly skis for 30+ years. I spent a single season on an HO and hated every moment, so I assume this is just differences in skiing styles. I'm looking for a new ski now and noticing a few things. Connelly still has an impressive list of champions and podiums each year (I'm a Joel Howley fan for sure), but Radar seems to be all the rage on the forums like BallofSpray and one other competing forum that I won't mention.

From what I can read, the Radar rides higher and the Connelly rides deeper. While I am of course used to the latter, and I missing out on something? I am wanting to buy a new ski because my old one is 15 years old and I simply know that technology changes over time.

Thoughts? What are you guys riding? I am 5-10, 195, and trying to eat more vegetables...lol

[bturner2]

I was skiing a Connelly Concept until about 4 years ago. The ski was probably 5 years old at the time and never really worked well for me. Local pro shop talked me into taking a RADAR Senate for a weekend and I never returned it.

The Senate for me was super easy to turn and didn't try to buck me off like the Concept did. Maybe I'm just old to too fat but I swear that b!tch was trying to kill me every time I went out. I had 2 over the front falls which is how I ended up at the pro shop. I'm 6'1, 220 and I'm riding a 69" Senate at 32. As if the ski alone wasn't enough to make me switch the Prime boots are the stuff. I have fat feet and these are the most comfortable boots I've ever used. The boots on the Connelly would have my feet cramping after a single short run.

It all depends on what you're looking for but the Senate with Prime bindings worked for me.

[JohnnyB]

Huge fan of HO over Connelly as a longtime die hard Connelly guy. Picked up a Syndicate A3 last year and love it. Rode a radar for the 1st time this morning...imo it is meant to be skied very weight forward to get it to perform....very different than HO

Sent from my SM-G960U1 using Tapatalk

[FoggyNogginz]

I was skiing a Connelly Concept until about 4 years ago. The ski was probably 5 years old at the time and never really worked well for me. Local pro shop talked me into taking a RADAR Senate for a weekend and I never returned it.

The Senate for me was super easy to turn and didn't try to buck me off like the Concept did. Maybe I'm just old to too fat but I swear that b!tch was trying to kill me every time I went out. I had 2 over the front falls which is how I ended up at the pro shop. I'm 6'1, 220 and I'm riding a 69" Senate at 32. As if the ski alone wasn't enough to make me switch the Prime boots are the stuff. I have fat feet and these are the most comfortable boots I've ever used. The boots on the Connelly would have my feet cramping after a single short run.

It all depends on what you're looking for but the Senate with Prime bindings worked for me.

Thanks for the insight. Agree on the bindings, as I have been running Radar boots on my Connelly since the day I bought it.

My concern is about how deep the Connelly rides versus how shallow the Radar is advertised to be. Do you find that the tail comes out more easily in the course? I am only skiing 15 off and 32 most days, but it feels like a lot to me because I am finally old enough to where things don't heal overnight. Appreciate the feedback.

[FoggyNogginz]

Huge fan of HO over Connelly as a longtime die hard Connelly guy. Picked up a Syndicate A3 last year and love it. Rode a radar for the 1st time this morning...imo it is meant to be skied very weight forward to get it to perform....very different than HO

Sent from my SM-G960U1 using Tapatalk

Thanks for the info. Which Radar did you ride and how did you get your weight more forward? Lead differently or move bindings? I think I have always been more centered or back to be honest. Did you like it? These differences in riding styles is exactly what I an trying to figure out before I try to demo a whole field of skis.

[88 PS190]

Its not really fair to compare any old skis to begin with - so don't take a season on a turd of a ski into account when judging what you should try next. And if you hated say an HO Theory or Monza, or maybe you hated the concept - don't worry none of those are really comparable to the modern generation of skis. I hated my concept and liked a mapple siege and liked the Goode 9200 and the D3 Nomad RC and hated the D3 X7.

The current GT-R that Howley rides is a development on the GT which a development on the Prophecy that Beauchesne rode. And is a top end tournament ski the comparison to which would be a Radar Vapor Probuild or HO Syndicate - so don't compare that ski to say a Union/Senate/Omni. All of these current generation skis do prefer a weight forwards (not binding forwards) position as that is what has been shown to perform best with the least work and is where the field went.

They all have slightly different design philosophy - currently i think the one that excites me the most would be the HO Omega.

[FoggyNogginz]

Its not really fair to compare any old skis to begin with - so don't take a season on a turd of a ski into account when judging what you should try next. And if you hated say an HO Theory or Monza, or maybe you hated the concept - don't worry none of those are really comparable to the modern generation of skis. I hated my concept and liked a mapple siege and liked the Goode 9200 and the D3 Nomad RC and hated the D3 X7.

The current GT-R that Howley rides is a development on the GT which a development on the Prophecy that Beauchesne rode. And is a top end tournament ski the comparison to which would be a Radar Vapor Probuild or HO Syndicate - so don't compare that ski to say a Union/Senate/Omni. All of these current generation skis do prefer a weight forwards (not binding forwards) position as that is what has been shown to perform best with the least work and is where the field went.

They all have slightly different design philosophy - currently i think the one that excites me the most would be the HO Omega.

That's fair. A lot of technology/design has changed in fifteen years, and a lot of brands have come/gone since then too. I guess I am just trying to narrow down which ones I want to consider and then try a few. Not that it matters, but for the record I really liked the Connelly Carbon V, but hated the Monza. Appreciate the discussion. Thanks.

[SteveO]

Kent, you are motivating me to dust off my slalom ski. Need a driver? I'd love to take some weekday early morning runs.

[FoggyNogginz]

Kent, you are motivating me to dust off my slalom ski. Need a driver? I'd love to take some weekday early morning runs.

I always need a driver! I have a good friend on OHL that I ski with about 2x per week in the good months, but I am always willing to go! Give me a shout sometime. I'm currently in "quarantine shape", but I'm working on it.

[88 PS190]

That's fair. A lot of technology/design has changed in fifteen years, and a lot of brands have come/gone since then too.

The other thing to consider is that different people are at the helm of the brands - Obrien was a big deal when I was younger - they're not really a tournament ski company any more. HO has a whole new crew from the Monza era with now what I consider to be one of the largest teams.

Radar came out of nowhere and has a really cool vibe - great brand like HO is as well.

Connelly with Joel blew up from a company pitching prophecies to a company with a young brand and quite a few great skiers.

D3 has freddie!

Goode lost Dave and we'll see where they go in the future - they're still goode.

Denali is doing cool stuff

Parsons making a ski?

The future is bright! Go have fun!

Personally HO and Radar I think have the most fun brands just because they're in definition extensions of their brand as a hole (hyperlite and ronix and etc)

[46Chief]

Aren’t they all kidder, Connelly,HO, Et al with different names?

As an up and coming tournament skier I wanted a kidder redline, I ended up in Florida and had Camille Duvall in the boat as she was training at the same ski school I was at. I was struggling with the latest greatest Duval ski, she suggested I try her ski, and I killed it. I wasn’t strong enough for the top of the line model but I ran a PB on a ski I would of never considered.

You can’t expect the most suitable ski because of a name or color, you have to ride a few of them and see what fits.

[88 PS190]

Aren’t they all kidder, Connelly,HO, Et al with different names?
.

Denny Kidder, Herb O'brien, those guys definitely left their mark. But no - its not like the 90's where these brands were all directly being run by the direct lineage of these guys.

HO skis for example - you're talking a brand that currently was essentially a clean ship all new staff around the time of the A3 with Dave Wingerter and the team they built even if it was Herb Obrien for the HO.

They very much have different personas from what they had ~12 years ago. To me most of the brands inverted around 2006/8

[JohnnyB]

Thanks for the info. Which Radar did you ride and how did you get your weight more forward? Lead differently or move bindings? I think I have always been more centered or back to be honest. Did you like it? These differences in riding styles is exactly what I an trying to figure out before I try to demo a whole field of skis.

Lead differently pre-turn....as I changed edge preturn shifting further forward than my syndicate a3

Sent from my SM-G960U1 using Tapatalk

[Mark rsa2au]

So I have been skiing on various Connelly skis for 30+ years. I spent a single season on an HO and hated every moment, so I assume this is just differences in skiing styles. I'm looking for a new ski now and noticing a few things. Connelly still has an impressive list of champions and podiums each year (I'm a Joel Howley fan for sure), but Radar seems to be all the rage on the forums like BallofSpray and one other competing forum that I won't mention.

From what I can read, the Radar rides higher and the Connelly rides deeper. While I am of course used to the latter, and I missing out on something? I am wanting to buy a new ski because my old one is 15 years old and I simply know that technology changes over time.

Thoughts? What are you guys riding? I am 5-10, 195, and trying to eat more vegetables...lol

Foggy, the best advice is to get to a ski shop and demo each ski - preferably over the same weekend and that will shorten your list pretty quickly. Also get advice on the right size of ski for your weight and speed as each manufacturer is slightly different depending on design. Talk to the pro's at the ski shop not the assistants. The wrong size ski will not do you any favors...

That said I ski a 2019 Connelly Carbon V and rate it highly. Ski's light in the water with very little drag, turnes nicely and is pretty forgiving. I also have access to the GT and while this is a rocket in the course it is too focused for 90% of where I ski. I am built for comfort these days and not for speed (but still run the course at 36). My old Connelly F1 is 18 years old, still a great ski and in good condition - Can't bring myself to move it on...

Before i settled on the Conelly Carbon V I tested the Syndicate Omni and Carbon Omni - both good skis. The Carbon better for open water, the Syndicate is a weapon. The Carbon did not like my turning style and to me felt like a barge. The Syndicate was a ball tearer and incredible until I got my weight wrong and face planted - rode this one with a little more respect after that but to much ski for my old bones.

As for Radar it is a love hate relationship - teenage daughters love it & I dont. The old P6 the kids learned on was great and took some abuse with several friends learning on it but the bindings needed to be replaced twice as they perished - yes the rubber just fell apart. The next was a Lyric which faded badly ( always kept in a bag as are all our skis) and again the bindings fell apart and were replaced under warranty. We could not even give that ski away and screwed it to our shed wall as an ornament. We now have a Lyric Graphite which my girls love - skis well and suits them perfectly... but you guessed it the bindings are fading. I did not demo a Radar ski for me.

Our most recent ski is the HO Hovercraft and this is serious fun. SLow it all down, surf or jump the wakes, carve some spray, it is just a blast. We are loving this ski just for the fun of it..

Bottom line is they are all pretty good skis nowadays but will differ according to your style. Also not all skis are designed for your skill level - get one that meets your level now and some room to grow - or in my case room to relax into. And get the right size for you. Then go and enjoy it while saving for the next one.

( PS I get my vegies from the animals that eat vegies.. and drink my grains fermented)

[88 PS190]

The Syndicate was a ball tearer and incredible until I got my weight wrong and face planted - rode this one with a little more respect after that but to much ski for my old bones.

As for Radar it is a love hate relationship - teenage daughters love it & I dont. The old P6 the kids learned on was great and took some abuse with several friends learning on it but the bindings needed to be replaced twice as they perished - yes the rubber just fell apart. The next was a Lyric which faded badly ( always kept in a bag as are all our skis) and again the bindings fell apart and were replaced under warranty. We could not even give that ski away and screwed it to our shed wall as an ornament. We now have a Lyric Graphite which my girls love - skis well and suits them perfectly... but you guessed it the bindings are fading. I did not demo a Radar ski for me.

That's funny I have had a couple syndicate omni faceplants. They're not when I'm skiing the course only when I'm screwing around.

With the Radar issue - Radar stuff is usually replaced with very few questions if you contact them about it, but understand also that all of these ski companies essentially manufacture two lines. HO for instance the Syndicate skis are hand laminated in the US (cept the Omni) the rest of the skis are produced overseas, same with Radar - and many of the lower tier skis such as the Lyric and P6 are just compression molded versions. So if your daughters like the Lyric and its not holding up you could definitely move them into a top tier Senate which will have much better longevity.

Binding wise - I'm sort of torn on what to recommend in that scenario, the hybrid bindings with elastic laces work so well but they do tend to blow out if you use them year after year. Most people running the Radar hybrid style boots seem to get about 3 seasons out of them before they start tearing. Hardshells bring a lot to the table but they do require some tinkering and upkeep. I put my family members on Wiley's whenever I set their skis up - hard to beat the longevity and simplicity. They make a soft version of the slalom binding called a CBO which is just a great alternative to many of the low end adjustable ski bindings and last forver.