Shannon D
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
This will certainly be installment #1. I will continue to update my impressions as they become more specific through the season. Thanks to Volklgirl for the awesome template that I stole.
The Tester: I am 5’7” and 190+. I am a moderately aggressive advanced skier preferring bumps, steeps and off piste.
The Conditions: Keystone 12/13/08 - 4-6 inches of powder on the back side and dust on crust front side and A-Basin 12/14/08 6 inches of powder.
The Test Runs: Blue groomers, blue powder bumps, and trees.
The Ski: 2009 Line Pandora 172cm 139-110-137
Mount: Salomon z12ti mounted -2 from factory recommended. The factory mount line on these skis is designed to be a park mount, near center. I felt that this would leave too much tail, so I moved them back. Final positioning was determined by comparing the mounting points on my Celebrities and MissDemeanors for tail vs. tip length on a twin tip.
Impressions: In powder and soft snow, this ski is lively and fun. In varying depths of tracked powder, it did not miss a beat. It happily bounces from turn to turn, especially in the large powdery bumps. The softness of the tips makes it very easy to maneuver regardless of pitch. For such a wide ski, these did pretty well in the bumps in the Outback at Keystone. These really shine in the trees as well. They are exceptionally light and as said before, turn initiation is a breeze. In the trees especially, I found that I could easily pivot my turns without using my edges at all, making them quick and responsive in tight glades. Fresh tracks down Slalom at A-Basin on Sunday had me grinning ear to ear. These babies float!!!
On the front side of the mountain, these don’t make me as happy. This is a ski that I will have to learn to ski on the front side. While they hold an edge well, it takes work and energy to get them there. Also, because of the softness in the tips, they chatter at a relatively low speed. I think that as I gain strength through the season, these will become more manageable, but my initial impression is that is very much my powder only ski. As I got into the day and my legs started to tire out some, I did notice that this ski had a tendency to ski me. My feeling is that this is a ski that wants an aggressive driver and wants to be pointed downhill.
I will continue to update this review as I have more opportunities to take them out over the season.
In a Nutshell: This is a powder specific ski with good torsional flex, but super soft tips and tails. I would not recommend this to an east coast skier, nor would I recommend this as an all mountain fat ski. This ski is great as a quiver addition for someone looking for a ski for those 6”+ days.
The Tester: I am 5’7” and 190+. I am a moderately aggressive advanced skier preferring bumps, steeps and off piste.
The Conditions: Keystone 12/13/08 - 4-6 inches of powder on the back side and dust on crust front side and A-Basin 12/14/08 6 inches of powder.
The Test Runs: Blue groomers, blue powder bumps, and trees.
The Ski: 2009 Line Pandora 172cm 139-110-137
Mount: Salomon z12ti mounted -2 from factory recommended. The factory mount line on these skis is designed to be a park mount, near center. I felt that this would leave too much tail, so I moved them back. Final positioning was determined by comparing the mounting points on my Celebrities and MissDemeanors for tail vs. tip length on a twin tip.
Impressions: In powder and soft snow, this ski is lively and fun. In varying depths of tracked powder, it did not miss a beat. It happily bounces from turn to turn, especially in the large powdery bumps. The softness of the tips makes it very easy to maneuver regardless of pitch. For such a wide ski, these did pretty well in the bumps in the Outback at Keystone. These really shine in the trees as well. They are exceptionally light and as said before, turn initiation is a breeze. In the trees especially, I found that I could easily pivot my turns without using my edges at all, making them quick and responsive in tight glades. Fresh tracks down Slalom at A-Basin on Sunday had me grinning ear to ear. These babies float!!!
On the front side of the mountain, these don’t make me as happy. This is a ski that I will have to learn to ski on the front side. While they hold an edge well, it takes work and energy to get them there. Also, because of the softness in the tips, they chatter at a relatively low speed. I think that as I gain strength through the season, these will become more manageable, but my initial impression is that is very much my powder only ski. As I got into the day and my legs started to tire out some, I did notice that this ski had a tendency to ski me. My feeling is that this is a ski that wants an aggressive driver and wants to be pointed downhill.
I will continue to update this review as I have more opportunities to take them out over the season.
In a Nutshell: This is a powder specific ski with good torsional flex, but super soft tips and tails. I would not recommend this to an east coast skier, nor would I recommend this as an all mountain fat ski. This ski is great as a quiver addition for someone looking for a ski for those 6”+ days.
We're just dying to know!!!!
I demo'd a few different skis. Kiku and others are here: 
