l race slalom and gs for a d-1 college and l dont have a lot of money to spend on a new pair of race skis.l either need a pair for both race or a pair that will work for both.l need a fairly stiff ski because im a very aggresive skier.

Okay, first off, check out Ebay. l love Ebay! Atomics r generally inexpensive, but quality race skis. Atomic is all l race on. You can bid on a pair on Ebay that r new, demo, or used but still in good condition. They often sell demo skis, which ski shops on the mountain rent out to prospective buyers. The demo-people often decide they do not want a pair of skis, so the seller sells them on Ebay. My skis were demos, l think. Used skis r also available on Ebay.

l have the Atomic SX skis for slalom & am going to start using a longer pair for GS. Off the top of my head, l am not sure what model the GS skis are. The SX skis r very versatile & that is what l raced on all last year. Check out the site for more information on individual models. Like you, l do not have a ton of money to throw around, either.

You could go Volkl or Fischer too, but they tend to be more expensive. l know that Fischers r generally a lot heavier, so if u have a lighter build Fischers help keep ur skis on the ground in DHs. l do not know much about Volkls, one of my friends was explaining to me the difference between Fischer & Volkls, l was not paying attention. All l can tell u about those brands is that they r rather expensive. l have not seen very many new quality Rossignol lines lately; they were dominant in the racing skis department in the 80s & 90s but l have not seen very many racers with Rossis in the past few years. l reccomend Atomics because that is what l ski on.

Good luck & l hope u find the right skis.

Skibabe says some good stuff. Definately check out ebay for the amazing deals. l do have to say she is a bit off the mark about the pricing as Atomics tend to also be more expensive & they r the heaviest skis on the market (especially when mounted with their NEOX binding.very good system but pretty darn heavy. l know this because Atomic is a featured line in the store l manage).

Atomics r amazing & they r arguably the best skis made for racing but l would not pick the SX skis for ur events. While they r technically a race ski, they r designed for skier cross & l find them to be a better ''race inspired'' freecarving ski than an all out racing ski. If u r racing Slalom & GS I'd look into the SL 11 is for Slalom & the GS 11 is for giant slalom & if u can only afford one pair go for a longer pair of SL 11's. If u want a ski that u can play on & race on than the B5 SX is will rock ur socks off. l would not worry too much about buying used Atomics either. Due to Atomic is construction technique (all metal & foam) their skis last a very long time & do not get ''skied out'' very quickly. If u do go with Atomic be sure to have them tuned by an authorized Atomic Tuner as they have very rigid guidelines for tuning.

If u do not want to go with Atomic l also like the Rossignol race skis. Other than that, Fischer has some well reviewed skis but to be honest they do nothing for me & Salomon is race skis have gradually been on the decline for the last couple of seasons.

Good luck with the races next season.

ATomic and Elan is very tough brand to break. If you are aggressive as you say, you should check Elan.

Atomic SL:11. They bite so much!! l was going down a fairly steep black, and just hammered a turn. They whipped around, and l was expierencing G forces.

Atomic