Today was my second day at the Shop Demo Days at Stratton. I could've attended three consecutive days, but it rained (again!!!) yesterday, and after skiing in the rain on Day 1, I couldn't face skiing getting soaked again.
However, today was completely different. It started snowing last night and continued throughout the day, so there was several inches of fresh powder on top of some icy stuff that every now and then broke through. On the whole, though, a good day to ski the wider stuff, but not a great day for narrow-waisted skis.
For me, the big problem was overchoice. There were far too many skis I wanted to try, so the ones I skied I only skied for a really short time. Because of this, I'm hesitant to even call this a "review," since I don't feel like I gave each ski a fair evaluation. It really is just a sneak peek. Please keep that in mind as you read below.
So here's what I tried, and here's what I learned, for what it's worth.
Volkls
Aurora: Oh. My. God. This is a new ski for next season, and let me put it this way: I know what alllllllll the Divas are going to want! A fantastic ski. Features their new "Wide Ride System;" the internal Power Transmission (iPT) binding interface is built into the ski body and slides into position on the ski's inside rails. The rep says this gives it a rounder flex pattern. Whatever. 112-85-129, 14.7 m. I loved it. Great in the big turns, smooth, stable, and can really hold an edge.
Fuego: 121-73-105 (12.9m) No, this isn't a new ski, but I wanted to try it all the same. If the Aurora is a Mercedes, this is a sports car. Spirited, fun, light, quick, easy to edge.
Roxy
Joyrider. 74 underfoot. This is based on the Rossi Z line. Has carbon rods to disperse the energy so you can really hold an edge. I really didn't expect much from this ski, given the "Barbie" like presentation of the Roxy line. They seem to be all about the graphics. Still, a very fun, responsive, smooth ski.
Head
As I said in my last post, they've changed the Head names, getting away from the "Thang" and instead using "One." Let me also say that I've always had a soft spot for Heads, ever since I coveted my sister's black metal Head 360's back in the 70's.
Every One: 75 underfoot. This ski reminded me a lot of my Monster IM 70's. Responsive, fun, easy to turn.
Wild One: Fat(ter). Fun. Stable. Nice. Didn't get the dimensions, but think the waist is in the 80's.
K2
They've changed the graphics on these skis, and for the better, I think. Very, very nice. They also have a lateral sidewall now instead of a cap construction. I don't know how this affects performance. Maybe Volklgirl can help???
Burnin' Luv: I last tried the Burnin' Luv about five or six years ago, and wasn't wowed. Let me say this: I don't know if it was my skiing, the conditions, or what, but I really liked this ski. Maybe it was the lack of ice: I'd heard that these aren't great of hard pack. Anyway, they've increased the waist from 68 to 70.
Lotta Luv: Well NOW I know what the fuss was about. The Lotta Luv is a Lotta Fun. Cuts through all kinds of stuff, no problem. Good carver.
Nordica
They got rid of the female silhouette graphic!!!! Yay!!!! A big improvement; it reminded me of the woman you see on truck mud-flaps. Nice graphics on the new skis.
Olympia Victory: A VERY nice ski. 78 underfoot. Fully integrated binding. A playful ski that performs in a wide range of conditions. Very stable and smooth.
Dynastar:
Exclusive Legend: New graphics. 75 underfoot. VERY versatile. Smooth in crud, good rebound, and good on edge.
Blizzard:
I hate to break it to you Eos lovers, but the Eos has been discontinued for next year. In fact, there's no fat ski at all. They say they will in '09-'10.
Viva Magnum: 76 underfoot, vertical sidewall, wood core. Handles a wide range of conditions very nicely. I liked this ski, too.
I've skied a LOT of skis in the past few days, and they actually began to run together. So for me, here are the stand-outs (in no particular order). I think any one of these would warrant further investigation.
Salomon Opal
Volkl Aurora
Atomic Cloud 9
K2 Lotta Luvs
Nordica Olympia Victory
Nordica Fuego
Blizzard Viva Magnum
Dynastar Exclusive Legend
Roxy Joyrider
However, today was completely different. It started snowing last night and continued throughout the day, so there was several inches of fresh powder on top of some icy stuff that every now and then broke through. On the whole, though, a good day to ski the wider stuff, but not a great day for narrow-waisted skis.
For me, the big problem was overchoice. There were far too many skis I wanted to try, so the ones I skied I only skied for a really short time. Because of this, I'm hesitant to even call this a "review," since I don't feel like I gave each ski a fair evaluation. It really is just a sneak peek. Please keep that in mind as you read below.
So here's what I tried, and here's what I learned, for what it's worth.
Volkls
Aurora: Oh. My. God. This is a new ski for next season, and let me put it this way: I know what alllllllll the Divas are going to want! A fantastic ski. Features their new "Wide Ride System;" the internal Power Transmission (iPT) binding interface is built into the ski body and slides into position on the ski's inside rails. The rep says this gives it a rounder flex pattern. Whatever. 112-85-129, 14.7 m. I loved it. Great in the big turns, smooth, stable, and can really hold an edge.
Fuego: 121-73-105 (12.9m) No, this isn't a new ski, but I wanted to try it all the same. If the Aurora is a Mercedes, this is a sports car. Spirited, fun, light, quick, easy to edge.
Roxy
Joyrider. 74 underfoot. This is based on the Rossi Z line. Has carbon rods to disperse the energy so you can really hold an edge. I really didn't expect much from this ski, given the "Barbie" like presentation of the Roxy line. They seem to be all about the graphics. Still, a very fun, responsive, smooth ski.
Head
As I said in my last post, they've changed the Head names, getting away from the "Thang" and instead using "One." Let me also say that I've always had a soft spot for Heads, ever since I coveted my sister's black metal Head 360's back in the 70's.
Every One: 75 underfoot. This ski reminded me a lot of my Monster IM 70's. Responsive, fun, easy to turn.
Wild One: Fat(ter). Fun. Stable. Nice. Didn't get the dimensions, but think the waist is in the 80's.
K2
They've changed the graphics on these skis, and for the better, I think. Very, very nice. They also have a lateral sidewall now instead of a cap construction. I don't know how this affects performance. Maybe Volklgirl can help???
Burnin' Luv: I last tried the Burnin' Luv about five or six years ago, and wasn't wowed. Let me say this: I don't know if it was my skiing, the conditions, or what, but I really liked this ski. Maybe it was the lack of ice: I'd heard that these aren't great of hard pack. Anyway, they've increased the waist from 68 to 70.
Lotta Luv: Well NOW I know what the fuss was about. The Lotta Luv is a Lotta Fun. Cuts through all kinds of stuff, no problem. Good carver.
Nordica
They got rid of the female silhouette graphic!!!! Yay!!!! A big improvement; it reminded me of the woman you see on truck mud-flaps. Nice graphics on the new skis.
Olympia Victory: A VERY nice ski. 78 underfoot. Fully integrated binding. A playful ski that performs in a wide range of conditions. Very stable and smooth.
Dynastar:
Exclusive Legend: New graphics. 75 underfoot. VERY versatile. Smooth in crud, good rebound, and good on edge.
Blizzard:
I hate to break it to you Eos lovers, but the Eos has been discontinued for next year. In fact, there's no fat ski at all. They say they will in '09-'10.
Viva Magnum: 76 underfoot, vertical sidewall, wood core. Handles a wide range of conditions very nicely. I liked this ski, too.
I've skied a LOT of skis in the past few days, and they actually began to run together. So for me, here are the stand-outs (in no particular order). I think any one of these would warrant further investigation.
Salomon Opal
Volkl Aurora
Atomic Cloud 9
K2 Lotta Luvs
Nordica Olympia Victory
Nordica Fuego
Blizzard Viva Magnum
Dynastar Exclusive Legend
Roxy Joyrider
