There are a lot of Divas here who love the Auras. I'm one of them. I had the 2010 model (which is for sale in our Gear Swap & Sale section, if anyone's interested. Very reasonable and in great shape. Go here), and thought they were a great ski.
This year I got the 2012, and today, with some new snow finally on the mountain, I couldn't resist giving them a try.
Let me say a word about conditions: challenging. Yeah, we had a few inches of new snow. But it was heavy and wet. And where it wasn't skied into piles, it was either scraped off or sticky. What can I say. It's been a lousy snow year so far.
How'd the Auras do? There were a lot of people positively fighting their way through the snow. Was I? No. Those Auras went through it all like butter, from heavy and wet to scraped off or sticky. A very stable ride, too, without a damp, heavy feeling. Easy to turn, very responsive. In short, a ton of fun.
This year's Auras have an early rise tip, which makes turn initiation even easier than before. The graphics are better; they've done away with the busty geisha and replaced her with a soothing hummingbird, split between the two planks. (The bases are bright pink, too. Cool!) And they've supposedly made the flex softer. To be honest, I didn't notice any difference. For me, they're just fine. I don't find them difficult or demanding or just for experts, as some have said in other threads. What I really like about the Aura is its versatility. I find I can take it in just about any conditions and have a hoot of a day.
Here are the stats:
Me: Advanced skier, 5'1", 110 lbs
Skis:
130-94-113
Length: 163
Binding:
Salomon Z10, mounted just a tad forward of center
This year I got the 2012, and today, with some new snow finally on the mountain, I couldn't resist giving them a try.
Let me say a word about conditions: challenging. Yeah, we had a few inches of new snow. But it was heavy and wet. And where it wasn't skied into piles, it was either scraped off or sticky. What can I say. It's been a lousy snow year so far.
How'd the Auras do? There were a lot of people positively fighting their way through the snow. Was I? No. Those Auras went through it all like butter, from heavy and wet to scraped off or sticky. A very stable ride, too, without a damp, heavy feeling. Easy to turn, very responsive. In short, a ton of fun.
This year's Auras have an early rise tip, which makes turn initiation even easier than before. The graphics are better; they've done away with the busty geisha and replaced her with a soothing hummingbird, split between the two planks. (The bases are bright pink, too. Cool!) And they've supposedly made the flex softer. To be honest, I didn't notice any difference. For me, they're just fine. I don't find them difficult or demanding or just for experts, as some have said in other threads. What I really like about the Aura is its versatility. I find I can take it in just about any conditions and have a hoot of a day.
Here are the stats:
Me: Advanced skier, 5'1", 110 lbs
Skis:
130-94-113
Length: 163
Binding:
Salomon Z10, mounted just a tad forward of center