Review of some fatties! K2 Nancy, Salomon Scarlet, Volkl Aurora, Volkl Kiku

[oragejuice]

Mt. Bachelor is 50, and between the birthday party festivities, and employee perks, I demoed several pairs of skis today and yesterday! It's been absolutely dumping, we had 24 new inches at 6 this morning and it was puking all day long. Sooooooooo much pow!!! Don't have bindings on my Auras yet, so demos were absolutely necessary. Visibility was disgusting, but got quite a few face shots today and made a few unintentional snow angels.

I'm stealing the ski review format, pardon me while I get reviews together for all four skis.

The Jist...
Yesterday
K2 Nancy
Salomon Scarlet
Today
Volkl Kiku
Volkl Aurora

 

[Pequenita]

Volkl Aurora

Oh, this is disappointing for me to see....

btw, I didn't realize you were in Bend; I will be out there next season. A good friend is moving out there in June.

 

[volklgirl]

Visibility was disgusting, but got quite a few face shots today and made a few unintentional snow angels.

:ROTF:

Volkl Kiku

Oh Crap! I was afraid of that!!!!

 

[oragejuice]

K2 Nancy

The Tester: 5'5", 185lbs, advanced skier (when I can get my knees warmed up), was skiing a bit timid the last couple of days though.

The Conditions: Mt. Bachelor, 12/18/08, 1-2 feet of fresh, even on the "groomed runs", terrible visibility, "Sierra Cement" type snow, not what I am used to at all.

The Test Runs: Foot of fresh on a blue run, some steeper stuff and deeper snow, some freshies, a lot of tracked out stuff. Totally avoided bumps and flats.

The Ski: 2008 K2 Nancy, 159cm, 128-95-118, twin-tip

Mount: Center mounted, obviously for park stuff. Definitely would have liked it a bit further back. Too short of a tip for the conditions, I was not able to really lean forward on it, doing so would result in an unintentional front flip.

Freeskiier Review: "Another solid women’s offering from K2, the Nancy “holds a solid edge on groomers” and “easily powers through broken up snow.” However, true experts may find the Nancy a bit soft. “It’s almost too soft, but that makes it easy to turn,” commented one tester, who much preferred the Phat Luv. If you’re still figuring out how to straightline couloirs, the Nancy is a good ski. If you’ve been there, done that, go with the Phat Luv."

Impressions: First, I should say that I would have liked to try one in a 169, but they didn't have it. The Nancy was great for the snow conditions, but personally, I was not a fan. They were not as snappy and responsive as I would have liked. When throwing down turns in some nearly untracked stuff, I almost felt like there was not a ski on my foot. I didn't have to work to flex them at all, even in the backseat.

I did like the softness when crossing other tracks, they were great for my knees, absorbed quite a bit of the shock that would normally make me feel like I was about to fall over.

For my weight and (new this season) tendency towards an aggressive stance, this ski is a noooodle.

In a Nutshell: Great ski for lighter women, I weigh too much for probably even the 179. Not an advanced/expert ski either. I couldn't get off of them fast enough.

 

[oragejuice]

btw, I didn't realize you were in Bend; I will be out there next season. A good friend is moving out there in June.

Yay!!! Let me know when you are coming! We will have to have a real PNW Diva meet up weekend.

Volklgirl- Don't get all giddy quite yet. While I do want a pair, they are not at Aura status, not in the least.

And everyone, please ask questions if you have any. I'm new to this whole review language thing. =)

 

[oragejuice]

Salomon Scarlet

The Tester: 5'5", 185lbs, advanced skier (when I can get my knees warmed up), same as above.

The Conditions: Mt. Bachelor, 12/18/08, 1-2 feet of fresh, even on the "groomed runs", terrible visibility, "Sierra Cement" type snow, not what I am used to at all, the same day as above.

The Test Runs: Blues, greens, some steeper stuff off the sides of the runs, foot plus of fresh everywhere, no groomers to be found.

The Ski: 2008 Salomon Scarlet, 164cm, 130-96-124 (I think)

Mount: Mounted at the factory recommended point, a few cm back from center, not sure of exact spot. Salomon Z10 bindings, I like those. Good tip/tail ratio, I didn't feel like I was skiing face first when I leaned forward.

Freeskiier Review: "The Scarlet is essentially the Gun with the standard graphic change to appeal to women. Like the Gun, the Scarlet will be a great one-ski product that will shred all conditions. With a 96 mm waist, the Scarlet will take you all over the mountain and under some ropes to boot. We recommend this ski to the girl who keeps up with the boys and maybe even beats them down a tree run or two on an epic powder day."

Impressions: Wooh!!! Finally a Salomon women's ski that isn't too soft! A night and day contrast to the K2 Nancy that I skied right before these. They are very responsive, just the right stiffness, and the turn radius was uber nice. I was plowing through everything, tracked out foot deep, a few bumps and untouched stuff up to my knees. I've always been wary of the Salomon womens line, because I bought the Mynx a couple years ago, and they were extremely soft. These have officially changed my mind. Turning was a blast, no matter what the snow looked like, and on the practically groomed (by skis and boards) hill, right up from the lift, I was able to carve them with ease. The waist width didn't affect the way that I was able to transfer from edge to edge, in the deep snow. I didn't get to try them on any hard conditions, but I imagine that they would not hold a very good edge on anything harder than day after a dump corduroy. =P They were a little wobbly at speed, in less powder, so turning was a must. I was not in the back seat much on these, and happy about it.

In a Nutshell: Props to Salomon for impressing me yesterday. I would like to try a longer version, for comparison, with the movement at speed, but I would totally recommend these as an all-mountain fat ski, to just about anyone.

 

[oragejuice]

THE VOLKL KIKU. Oooooooohhhhh. Aaaahhhhhhhh.

The Tester: 5'5", 185lbs, advanced skier (when I can get my knees warmed up), same as above, yeah.

The Conditions: Mt. Bachelor, 12/19/08, 24" of new in 24 hours, dumping all freaking day, the runs that had been groomed in the AM were covered with atleast 6" new, more by the end of the day. I could not see more than 10 feet in front of my face most of the time.

The Test Runs: Blues, greens, some black-esque stuff (suuuper deep), and a cat track from one side of the mountain to the other.

The Ski: 2009 Volkl Kiku, 168cm, 133-105-124

Mount: Mounted at the factory recommended point, a few cm back from center, not sure of exact spot. Marker Griffon bindings (I'm very impressed with these btw, super light binding).

Freeskiier Review: "The Volkl Kiku provides exactly what one has come to expect from Volkl big-mountain tools, a non-compromising ski to smash through the gnarliest conditions on big lines. "This ski has good float, it's really responsive and it was super easy to ski. It skied itself," said one tester. "Volkl gave the gals a legit ski and didn't water it down," said another. "This just goes to show that the industry is starting to figure their **************** out with women's specific gear."

Impressions: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. Such an impressive pair of sticks!! They float like a boat, do not turn like they have a 105mm waist, and they're actually stiff enough to make me happy! They were not as lively as the Aura, which I expected, and it was nice in the tracked out stuff I was in. Like I mentioned in the Nancy review, they didn't have me feeling like I was falling over when I hit deeper snow, someone else's track, or a bump. Powder dream ski.

I never thought I would say this, but if I bought I pair, I would go with the 176. Reason being, they were a little unstable when I was moving on the cat track (the most "groomed" snow I was on with them). I had to keep them on edge to keep them from moving around, and they skiied very short. I've never been on a ski that long, but it didn't seem like much of a difference from other skis I was on. Heck, they're a powder specific ski, there's not much other reason to use them, than a good powder day, and the longer the better. I also think that the extra length would let me get further forward in the pow, like I've mentioned. I want want want want a pair. If I move to the Rockies, ever, I'm buying these.

Oh! And they are a twin tip, which was super annoying. I kept getting the tails hung up on eachother, not used to having that much tail behind me, much less twins. I can see how they would be rad for backcountry jibbing, but glack on that part.

In a Nutshell: GWAH! I totally agree with the Freeskier review. Volkl gave us a serious women's powder ski. It's beefy, ladies.

Seriously, ask specific questions about this one. I got to play with these hotties for a while.

 

[oragejuice]

The Tester: 5'5", 185lbs, advanced skier (when I can get my knees warmed up), same as above, yeah.

The Conditions: Mt. Bachelor, 12/19/08, 24" of new in 24 hours, dumping all freaking day, the runs that had been groomed in the AM were covered with atleast 6" new, more by the end of the day. I could not see more than 10 feet in front of my face most of the time.

The Test Runs: Green run, with 1ft+ on top of it. It's a steep green run, fwiw.

The Ski: 2009 Volkl Aurora, 163cm, 128-85-112

Mount: Mounted at the factory recommended point, a few cm back from center, not sure of exact spot. Integrated binding, technically the Griffon, only.... not.

Impressions: Hmm. Too stiff for me. Not a wide enough waist for the conditions. I tweaked my knee on these, due to the stiffness. Had a really hard time getting them to turn too, leaning forward more didn't help. Similar stiffness to the Attiva Tierra, which I cannot ski either. I don't like the integrated binding system, I need to move the bindings to center, in order to ski these skis, and I can't. I had to do the classic "pick up your foot to turn" in order to ski these. Or did a wedge turn. No offense to all of you lovely ladies, but I felt like I was grandma skiing, compared to the rest of the day.

They are very heavy too. The way that Volkl builds their integrated binding/ski combos just feels bulky and I no like.

I was, however, pretty impressed with this ski in powder. I know they are supposed to be a crossover ski, the rep said they were a
"best of both worlds" ski. They do ride very nicely in pow pow, the width of the tips/tails was nice in the deep stuff, kept me from diving forward too much. I don't have much else to say about these. I don't like them.

In a Nutshell: Meh. More of a carving ski than I like. Super stiff, great for ladies who are charging it on the groomers, and want the ability to venture into the powder once or twice.

 

[PowDiva85]

a note on those volkl auroras... the heel of the binding actually sits 1mm lower than the toe. If you have read the reviews in skiing mag ect. they say things like "get forward or get mauled" and this is why. The binding is actually putting you in the back seat which doesnt make them easy to turn or handle in general. The idea of the ski sounded great and I thought it would definitely be added to my quiver but not anymore, although i have heard some good reviews despite the messed up binding.

 

[oragejuice]

a note on those volkl auroras... the heel of the binding actually sits 1mm lower than the toe. If you have read the reviews in skiing mag ect. they say things like "get forward or get mauled" and this is why. The binding is actually putting you in the back seat which doesnt make them easy to turn or handle in general. The idea of the ski sounded great and I thought it would definitely be added to my quiver but not anymore, although i have heard some good reviews despite the messed up binding.

Doh!! That totally makes sense!! Thanks for mentioning that.

 

[ski now work later]

Great reviews oragejuice! I skied the Scarlets out West last Winter and they are fun, but the pair I had was too short for me (didn't understand when I bought them that with a twin tip you need more length) so I sold them to Marigee who is shorter and lighter than me and will be bringing them to the Summit in March~ I expect she will love them.

Like you, I love the Fuego and the Aura, and I own both. I have the Mynx too and while it's a great park ski, I can't get used to the different construction material so I'm still looking for a different park ski to practice skiing switch and fool around with jumps and in the pipe.

 

[SnowHot]

a note on those volkl auroras... the heel of the binding actually sits 1mm lower than the toe. If you have read the reviews in skiing mag ect. they say things like "get forward or get mauled" and this is why. The binding is actually putting you in the back seat which doesnt make them easy to turn or handle in general. The idea of the ski sounded great and I thought it would definitely be added to my quiver but not anymore, although i have heard some good reviews despite the messed up binding.

Are you sure the heel sits 1 mm lower than the toe, or does it sit 1mm lower than the traditional heel?
FWIW the Aurora is one of the skis that WOW'd the SkiDiva during testing.

 

[oragejuice]

The Mynx is a great park ski, but I weigh too much for it. Blah.

 

[PowDiva85]

it is for sure sitting lower than the toe. ive measured it with calipers. depending on what boot you have the negative heel may not affect you as much because your boot my compensate for the tipping back with a high heel boot board or if you have heel lifts ect.

and on a side note.. i have a pair of salomon scarlet 154 that i just replaced and would like to sell so if anyones interested... i loved the ski but was ready for something a little beefier

 

[ski diva]

FWIW the Aurora is one of the skis that WOW'd the SkiDiva during testing.

Just goes to show -- different strokes for different folks.

That's why there are so many skis. And that's why it's so important to demo.

Here's the thread with my review.

 

[SnowHot]

it is for sure sitting lower than the toe. ive measured it with calipers. depending on what boot you have the negative heel may not affect you as much because your boot my compensate for the tipping back with a high heel boot board or if you have heel lifts ect.

and on a side note.. i have a pair of salomon scarlet 154 that i just replaced and would like to sell so if anyones interested... i loved the ski but was ready for something a little beefier

I demo'd the Salomon Scarlet and thought it was okay but it didn't wow me. On the other hand, my friend demo'd and loved it!

 

[alaski]

I'm testing the Kikus currently, but we have zero powder in the forecast! So far I've been stuck with groomers; such a bummer when I've got this ultimate powder ski in my lineup. My test setup has an a/t binding, but to me it's much too heavy of a binding to take touring, so I'm stuck at the resort. Until I get to ski them in all conditions, I'll keep mum on my impressions, but I do have to say that they get a LOT of attention from the ski patrol guys....

 

[oragejuice]

Lol on the ski patrollers, I'm sure they do!

You're going to need some boot deep + light fluffies for those to wow you, in my opinion. But I'm glad you're getting on them!!! Happy skiing!

 

[ski now work later]

While my Pearls were being mounted this morning, I saw a pair of Kikus in a 169 with Marker Griffon bindings on them. They look like great fun to ski. I hope to find a pair to demo when I'm in Colorado in March. I just can't justify purchasing a ski that wide for myself since I primarily ski in New England.

 

[oragejuice]

Same here, even with the amount of snow we've been getting, and usually get on a semi weekly basis, I still would only buy them if I lived in the Rockies.