Tester: 48 years old, intermediate progressing toward advanced skier, 5'7", 145 lbs.
Testing Grounds: Shallow powder, soft "crud," bumps, trees, groomed and windblown hardpack in Southwestern Montana.
This was my first experience demo-ing skis and I had a blast, though I didn't like the heaviness of a demo binding. I entered the process expecting and hoping to love one ski and being sure that the other would be too much for me, and was totally surprised by both skis. More below....
Blizzard Titan Eos in 159, 123-88-109
Performed similarly well in short, medium, and long turns: 4
Rebound: Not sure how to describe given conditions I skied in today.
Stability: 3 I caught an edge several times when transitioning between different types of snow (pow, soft crud, hardpack underneath) and once had a complete and quite spectacular yardsale fall which is very unusual for me.
Forgiveness: 4
Grip: 3-4
Steeps: 3-4
Crud: 4, except for the transition issue
Powder: 4 (didn't try in deep powder)
Ice: N/A (no ice here in Montana today but they performed well on windblown hardpack, 4)
Overall: 4
Tested length felt right
Ski sidecut felt good
Ski flex felt good (they are a stiffer ski but that allowed them to ski fast with stability and to cut through crud)
Best described as: a great 1 ski quiver for a Rocky Mountain skier who likes groomed and off-piste conditions. They are rated by Blizzard as 40% groomed, 60% off-piste. They performed very well in the bumps too.
Volka Aura in 163, 130-94-113
Surprisingly good in short radius turns (they have a 19m turning radius): 4
Medium and long radius turns: 5
Rebound: Again, ????
Stability: 5
Forgiveness: 4
Grip: 5
Steeps: 5
Crud: 5
Powder: 5 (didn't get a chance to ski in deep powder but found stashes in the trees and can tell they will float very well)
Ice: No ice here, but they performed superbly on the windblown icepack.
Overall: 5
Tested length felt right
Ski sidecut felt right
Ski flex felt right, stiff in the bumps, but if they were softer, then they wouldn't perform as well through the crud
Best described as: Bombproof! That is the word that immediately came to mind as I began to ski them and is still the word that best describes my experience with them today. The Aura is a perfect all mountain 1-ski quiver for an advanced intermediate or advanced skier who wants to ski in all conditions. It will give you the stability and grip you need to edge along the windblown hard pack at the top of a high peak and then help you sail through the powder below. A bit stiff for the bumps, but the shorter length helps here and they are definately manageable. Crud? This ski doesn't know crud from pow. The transition from one type of surface to another is flawless and the stability gives me (as someone new to varied conditions) a platform to improve my skills while not risking life and limb. I skied hard and fast on these skis and never came close to falling, not even a stumble.
* * *
So, you've probably figured out that I thought I would like the Eos, and while I did, they just didn't wow me. They were neither a carver nor a pow ski, and so I returned them and took out the Auras just because it was included in the demo price and I was determined to try them after all I'd read on this forum about them. I was sure that they would be too stiff, too long, and too advanced a ski for me and I was already tired when I picked them up and thought I would just do a run or two with them. On the Auras, I actually caught a second wind and skied hard for another hour and a half and had a blast, forcing myself to come inside.
Of course, now I want a pair. In addition to the difficulty in locating them, and the cost, would I use them in the Northeast? Probably not often. Would I take them here to Big Sky as my only ski for a ski vacation? Definitely. They rock. But many of you Divas knew that!
Testing Grounds: Shallow powder, soft "crud," bumps, trees, groomed and windblown hardpack in Southwestern Montana.
This was my first experience demo-ing skis and I had a blast, though I didn't like the heaviness of a demo binding. I entered the process expecting and hoping to love one ski and being sure that the other would be too much for me, and was totally surprised by both skis. More below....
Blizzard Titan Eos in 159, 123-88-109
Performed similarly well in short, medium, and long turns: 4
Rebound: Not sure how to describe given conditions I skied in today.
Stability: 3 I caught an edge several times when transitioning between different types of snow (pow, soft crud, hardpack underneath) and once had a complete and quite spectacular yardsale fall which is very unusual for me.
Forgiveness: 4
Grip: 3-4
Steeps: 3-4
Crud: 4, except for the transition issue
Powder: 4 (didn't try in deep powder)
Ice: N/A (no ice here in Montana today but they performed well on windblown hardpack, 4)
Overall: 4
Tested length felt right
Ski sidecut felt good
Ski flex felt good (they are a stiffer ski but that allowed them to ski fast with stability and to cut through crud)
Best described as: a great 1 ski quiver for a Rocky Mountain skier who likes groomed and off-piste conditions. They are rated by Blizzard as 40% groomed, 60% off-piste. They performed very well in the bumps too.
Volka Aura in 163, 130-94-113
Surprisingly good in short radius turns (they have a 19m turning radius): 4
Medium and long radius turns: 5
Rebound: Again, ????
Stability: 5
Forgiveness: 4
Grip: 5
Steeps: 5
Crud: 5
Powder: 5 (didn't get a chance to ski in deep powder but found stashes in the trees and can tell they will float very well)
Ice: No ice here, but they performed superbly on the windblown icepack.
Overall: 5
Tested length felt right
Ski sidecut felt right
Ski flex felt right, stiff in the bumps, but if they were softer, then they wouldn't perform as well through the crud
Best described as: Bombproof! That is the word that immediately came to mind as I began to ski them and is still the word that best describes my experience with them today. The Aura is a perfect all mountain 1-ski quiver for an advanced intermediate or advanced skier who wants to ski in all conditions. It will give you the stability and grip you need to edge along the windblown hard pack at the top of a high peak and then help you sail through the powder below. A bit stiff for the bumps, but the shorter length helps here and they are definately manageable. Crud? This ski doesn't know crud from pow. The transition from one type of surface to another is flawless and the stability gives me (as someone new to varied conditions) a platform to improve my skills while not risking life and limb. I skied hard and fast on these skis and never came close to falling, not even a stumble.
* * *
So, you've probably figured out that I thought I would like the Eos, and while I did, they just didn't wow me. They were neither a carver nor a pow ski, and so I returned them and took out the Auras just because it was included in the demo price and I was determined to try them after all I'd read on this forum about them. I was sure that they would be too stiff, too long, and too advanced a ski for me and I was already tired when I picked them up and thought I would just do a run or two with them. On the Auras, I actually caught a second wind and skied hard for another hour and a half and had a blast, forcing myself to come inside.
Of course, now I want a pair. In addition to the difficulty in locating them, and the cost, would I use them in the Northeast? Probably not often. Would I take them here to Big Sky as my only ski for a ski vacation? Definitely. They rock. But many of you Divas knew that!
)
