Head Great One, Dynastar Eden, Kastle 78, K2 Burnin Luv, Head Wild One

[lucine]

This came to me from a friend. She is looking to replace her daily driver. (she has been looking for 2 years.) Super advanced skier.

Head Great One 159 cm. Definitely the best of the day. Held onto the crust and hard pack. Cut through windblown crud. Held an edge from tip to tail. But not as exciting as the Nordica Victory.
Dynastar Eden. This one is a repeat from last time. I still like them quite well. Had to back off the intensity, let them do the work. In a tie with the Kastle.
Kastle 78, 162 cm. In a tie with the Eden for 2nd place for the day. A tad less forgiving.
K2 Burning Luv, 162cm. Fight to stay centered. Tips float. Perhaps the binding system gives too much heal lift and the problem isn't really the ski. This should be offered as a flat ski next season. Try them then.
Head Wild One 156 cm. Wishy washy. Bad chatter in short turns. Didn't hold an arc. Advanced intermediates liked them a lot.
Rossignol (brown, wood look). Too mushy. Definely not. But if you ski less aggressively they'd be fine.

 

[Jilly]

The Rossi sounds like the Attraxion 6. Looks like Bamboo. Or if dark wood the Echo.

 

[lucine]

I was thinking maybe the voodoo 80?

 

[Little Lightning]

When I demoed the Head Wild One it was very twitchy for me when I tried to run it on the flats. As long as I kept it turning it was great. I knew I might have a problem with it because the ramp angle of the demo binding was inappropriate for me. I was very much on my heels and couldn't control the tips.

I went ahead and bought it, the shop balanced me, and with the appropriate binding ramp angle I'm very happy with this ski.

 

[mountainxtc]

the great one and the wild one are the exact same construction, only difference is the dimensions. the wild one is 4mm wider underfoot and has less sidecut. they are sort of like the slalom (great) and gs (wild) of all mountain skis. the great one has a small radius for it's waist size which is probably why it felt easier to control.... I would doubt they had different bindings unless they were demoed from 2 different stores....

the wild one is a more advanced ski. they would both hold an edge the same, it's just slightly harder to get there on the wild one....

just my $0.02

 

[Little Lightning]

I do have some trouble getting them on edge on hardpack (more my technique than the ski) but when I do WOW, what a ski. I love them in soft snow, bumps, etc.

 

[greekpeakskier]

I demoed the great ones twice and loved them. but when I was going to pull the trigger and buy them this year, I came across some reviews that said that they were unstable in powder (I had not skied them in powder), and that is where I want to learn how to ski.... But on groomed and crud, they were the standouts.

 

[mountainxtc]

I demoed the great ones twice and loved them. but when I was going to pull the trigger and buy them this year, I came across some reviews that said that they were unstable in powder (I had not skied them in powder), and that is where I want to learn how to ski.... But on groomed and crud, they were the standouts.

Because they are very shaped for their width, the tip and tail may hook up in powder.... this would be the same for any ski with the same dimensions....

 

[SuZieCoyote]

Wild Ones

I have a pair of Wild Ones (150). I bought them short for the tightly treed and mogul-y areas at Breck (Windows, if you know the runs). They work very well in this situation, but I rarely use them otherwise, as the clatter on the groomers and I like the Salomon Lady ski for the moguls. I agree that they take a little more finesse to get up on the edges.