Lori_K
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Friday and Saturday were demo days at Taos. We got up there bright and early Saturday morning, and it looked like there was good representation from many manufacturers-- Nordica, Salomon, K2, Head, Fischer, Dynastar, Elan, Volkl. A bit surprised that we didn't see Atomic there.
Hubby is in the search for a "big mountain" ski, so we were looking at skis in the "fat" category, 100+mm underfoot. I had a few skis I wanted to try, but I'm not in the market for anything at this point. But hey, a demo day is a demo day-- I'm all about checking out new skis!
This is a mini-review, kind of a seat of the pants evaluation. I didn't take any notes, so I'm just going by gut feel on these.
About me: 42 yrs old, advanced skier. 140 lbs. Ski all mountain, on piste and off piste. Current skis: Volkl Attiva 5S 160cm, K2 Public Enemy 159cm, Volkl Aura 163 cm.
Conditions: There was about 4-6" of new snow. It is windy, so there are some areas of windpacked powder, piles of powder, and some windscraped areas. Later in the morning it was cut up powder and bumps. Greens and blue slopes, limited black terrain open. (But this is Taos, so the blues are like blacks at other resorts.)
Evaluated in the order tested.
First up, Salomon Czar. 125-105-115, 166cm. Men's or Unisex ski.
This was a ski that the hubby wanted to try out. Since it was available in a 166cm, I decided what the heck. This is an interesting ski, as it has a different tip-waist-tail dimension depending on length. This is a rockered ski, designed for off-piste/powder work. Impression: this ski is easy to ride. Pretty forgiving, it really likes to smear turns. In fact, that's about all it wanted to do! Even so, it was still predictable, if uninspiring, on the packed powder groomer. It was great at ripping short turns in powder, something that I struggle with on other skis. I did feel occasionally that it was trying to catch an inside edge on this ski. It eventually caught up with me one time, and I had a minor biff in some soft snow. Nice ski. I'd like to try it again in some deeper powder, in the trees.
Next up: Volkl Kiku. 133-105-124, 168cm. This is a Women's specific ski, the women's version of the popular Gotama.
As soon as I got on this ski, I knew I was on a Volkl. I swear if I could ski blindfolded I could tell Volkl skis from other brands. There is just a feel, a springiness, a "tension" underfoot that only Volkl has. This ski was ripping in cut up powder, and powder piles. One of the other guys we were skiing with said, "You look really good on that ski!"
It is a fast ski, and confidence inspiring. That confidence comes with a price-- it requires energy, and after a couple runs my early-season legs were feeling it! For those familiar with the Aura, the Kiku is very similar in feel. Just a little bit wider, and I'd say a little bit stiffer overall. If you are jonesing for the Aura but think you need a little wider ski, the Kiku is for youi. It is limited to 168cm and 176cm lengths. However, it is a twin tip and skis shorter than the length would indicate.
Next: K2 Phat Luv. 135-102-121, 167cm. Women's powder ski. There's been a lot of rage over the Phat Luv, especially in comparison with the Volkl Aura. I just had to see what all the hoopla was about, so this was my chance. The first thing I noticed was that the tails were completely flat. Interesting. The Auras have a slight upturn to the tails, which I find extremely useful in the trees. I found that the Phat Luvs were competent in the now-scraped off snow, and decent in the powder piles. Nice thing about K2 is that their skis never take you by surprise. We then went down two bumped out black runs, and I then felt like I had two planks on my feet. Ugh. I'm not a great bump skier, but I manage. I like skiing bumps on my K2 Public Enemies-- they are fun and forgiving. The Phat Luvs didn't want anything to do with the bumps. Now, whether it was the longer length or the flat tails, (or my bump incompetence!) I'm not sure. I was tired at this point, but I when I was done with the K2 Phat Luvs, I was a bit underwhelmed.
I then went back for a couple runs on my K2 Public Enemies. (118-85-109, 159cm, twin tip, rockered ski). This is a ski when I'm tired, when snow conditions are unknown, or highly variable. I took these out to re-calibrate my legs, and have a little fun. Well, it worked. I was again ripping through the piles. We stopped for a quick snack break and we talked about the different skis. We were skiing with another couple, and it just so happened that she had the same boot size as I did.
This gal has some older K2 Phat Luvs, '07 model in a 160cm length. (128-95-118). After our break, we switched skis. I immediately noticed that this older version of Phat Luv has a slightly upturned tail. When I took it out, it was very similar in feel to the Public Enemy. Fun, playful, easy to ride. I wouldn't have any problem taking this ski through bumps. The slight turn-up to the tail makes it easier to release in cut up powder and piles. In my opinion, the older Phat Luv is a bit more versatile, all-mountain ski. The newer Phat Luv appears to be more powder oriented. I'm a bit surprised that the new Phat Luv has a flat tail. I find that flat tails get hung up in deep powder, and reduce maneuverability in trees.
That's all I was able to demo for the day. We had to leave early due to a prior engagement later in the afternoon, but we made the most of our four hours of skiing! I didn't find anything that I absolutely HAD to have in my quiver, but then the season is still early...
Hubby is in the search for a "big mountain" ski, so we were looking at skis in the "fat" category, 100+mm underfoot. I had a few skis I wanted to try, but I'm not in the market for anything at this point. But hey, a demo day is a demo day-- I'm all about checking out new skis!
This is a mini-review, kind of a seat of the pants evaluation. I didn't take any notes, so I'm just going by gut feel on these.
About me: 42 yrs old, advanced skier. 140 lbs. Ski all mountain, on piste and off piste. Current skis: Volkl Attiva 5S 160cm, K2 Public Enemy 159cm, Volkl Aura 163 cm.
Conditions: There was about 4-6" of new snow. It is windy, so there are some areas of windpacked powder, piles of powder, and some windscraped areas. Later in the morning it was cut up powder and bumps. Greens and blue slopes, limited black terrain open. (But this is Taos, so the blues are like blacks at other resorts.)
Evaluated in the order tested.
First up, Salomon Czar. 125-105-115, 166cm. Men's or Unisex ski.
This was a ski that the hubby wanted to try out. Since it was available in a 166cm, I decided what the heck. This is an interesting ski, as it has a different tip-waist-tail dimension depending on length. This is a rockered ski, designed for off-piste/powder work. Impression: this ski is easy to ride. Pretty forgiving, it really likes to smear turns. In fact, that's about all it wanted to do! Even so, it was still predictable, if uninspiring, on the packed powder groomer. It was great at ripping short turns in powder, something that I struggle with on other skis. I did feel occasionally that it was trying to catch an inside edge on this ski. It eventually caught up with me one time, and I had a minor biff in some soft snow. Nice ski. I'd like to try it again in some deeper powder, in the trees.
Next up: Volkl Kiku. 133-105-124, 168cm. This is a Women's specific ski, the women's version of the popular Gotama.
As soon as I got on this ski, I knew I was on a Volkl. I swear if I could ski blindfolded I could tell Volkl skis from other brands. There is just a feel, a springiness, a "tension" underfoot that only Volkl has. This ski was ripping in cut up powder, and powder piles. One of the other guys we were skiing with said, "You look really good on that ski!"
It is a fast ski, and confidence inspiring. That confidence comes with a price-- it requires energy, and after a couple runs my early-season legs were feeling it! For those familiar with the Aura, the Kiku is very similar in feel. Just a little bit wider, and I'd say a little bit stiffer overall. If you are jonesing for the Aura but think you need a little wider ski, the Kiku is for youi. It is limited to 168cm and 176cm lengths. However, it is a twin tip and skis shorter than the length would indicate.
Next: K2 Phat Luv. 135-102-121, 167cm. Women's powder ski. There's been a lot of rage over the Phat Luv, especially in comparison with the Volkl Aura. I just had to see what all the hoopla was about, so this was my chance. The first thing I noticed was that the tails were completely flat. Interesting. The Auras have a slight upturn to the tails, which I find extremely useful in the trees. I found that the Phat Luvs were competent in the now-scraped off snow, and decent in the powder piles. Nice thing about K2 is that their skis never take you by surprise. We then went down two bumped out black runs, and I then felt like I had two planks on my feet. Ugh. I'm not a great bump skier, but I manage. I like skiing bumps on my K2 Public Enemies-- they are fun and forgiving. The Phat Luvs didn't want anything to do with the bumps. Now, whether it was the longer length or the flat tails, (or my bump incompetence!) I'm not sure. I was tired at this point, but I when I was done with the K2 Phat Luvs, I was a bit underwhelmed.
I then went back for a couple runs on my K2 Public Enemies. (118-85-109, 159cm, twin tip, rockered ski). This is a ski when I'm tired, when snow conditions are unknown, or highly variable. I took these out to re-calibrate my legs, and have a little fun. Well, it worked. I was again ripping through the piles. We stopped for a quick snack break and we talked about the different skis. We were skiing with another couple, and it just so happened that she had the same boot size as I did.
This gal has some older K2 Phat Luvs, '07 model in a 160cm length. (128-95-118). After our break, we switched skis. I immediately noticed that this older version of Phat Luv has a slightly upturned tail. When I took it out, it was very similar in feel to the Public Enemy. Fun, playful, easy to ride. I wouldn't have any problem taking this ski through bumps. The slight turn-up to the tail makes it easier to release in cut up powder and piles. In my opinion, the older Phat Luv is a bit more versatile, all-mountain ski. The newer Phat Luv appears to be more powder oriented. I'm a bit surprised that the new Phat Luv has a flat tail. I find that flat tails get hung up in deep powder, and reduce maneuverability in trees.
That's all I was able to demo for the day. We had to leave early due to a prior engagement later in the afternoon, but we made the most of our four hours of skiing! I didn't find anything that I absolutely HAD to have in my quiver, but then the season is still early...
