2011 Ski Reviews

Here it goes, as promised in the "Demo Days" thread...
Ken Jones and Sunapee did a nice job putting it together, with all the reps as well. Plus an absolutely great deal at $35 (normally $64 just for the lift ticket) for all the skis you could ski, lift ticket and burgers/dogs off the grill.

Me: 6'0" 210# Level 8 on most days. Currently skiing a 3-year old pair of 170cm Fischer RX8s and occasionally Blizzard Titan 8s for snowier days.

Corduroy over most of the mountain early with some crust in the trees and bumps until later when they softened a bit. Conditions did change a bit during the days but no real exposed slick spots or anything to make testing difficult.

Was skiing with five other people, so didn't have the time to take pics of the boards (sorry) or take more meaningful notes. That being said, I am going from memory and may be slightly off with lengths, widths and radiuses. Basically skied anything we could find from open slopes to treesto crusty bumps to softer bumps. Quick-short turns to medium to high speed long arcs.

Salomon: X-Wing Tornado - Believe it was in the 170 length, maybe 74 wide under foot. Short turns, long turns, let them run pretty fast. No chatter or anything negative. Felt it could handle all turn shapes and sizes. Not terribly exciting but would do the trick for most skiers.

Nordica: Spitfire - 170 or 174 length. Not sure iff this was still under the Doberman race series as it was previously. Though it certainly seemed racy as it held to the snow like glue. Absolutely free of any wandering, chatter and any sheepishness of a lesser ski or SKIER. Not for someone who wants a forgiving ski (in the least) or someone who sits back or doesn't stay centered in general. Rocks for hard charging cruising, but would be rough for dodging trees or bumps of any kind. If I had room/money for a large quiver I would byuy a pair just for cruising.
+Stronger skiing friend was on a Doberman GS (?model name) and liked it's muscle for cruising but not thrilled when he had to mucle them, through the woods.

Blizzard: GForce GPro - 168b length bvut certtainly didn't feel short. Very similar to the above, previously skied Spitfire but a bit (but not much) as stiff. Really liked this well and being just slightly softer it could be a little more versatile then the Spitfire. One of my favorites.
+ Stronger skiing friend tried the Magnum 8.1 and liked it but wasn't wowed by it.

Fischer: Progressor 9 - Not overly comfortable on this one, even though I ski most of my time on RX8s. Didn't overpower me but really didn't feel great doing anything to me. Definitely too much for Cataract Glades. Was a solid cruiser but not overly quick and didn't hold the snow like the Nordica or Blizzard.
+ A couple high-intermedaite friends and also a stronger skier than I really liked their Motive series. One guy tried multiple lengths in multiple models (widths) and will probably be investing his hard aerned money on a pair next year. One of them also had a narrower Watea that he liked.

K2: Amp Charger - 167 length as 174 was out again. "Speed Rocker" meaning the tips and tails were just slightly raised. Full metal sheet, acid green lettering on black. Not sure what this was going to ski like. Would it feel shorter? NO. Could it actually initiate and finish turns as advertised? YES. 14m radius probably helped make it a quick turner, but seemed to make rounder turns than anything I was on all day. Not squirrely, and as the rep said, once on edge you are skiing the full length of the edge versus the tips/tails being slightly raised before and after turns. Surprise of the day and for me personally, it would be as versatile for everything I ski as anything I've ever been on minus any deep snow...
+BUT one quality question - convinced friend of mine to jump on them after me and he was on the 174s. Coming out of the glades (without any spills) he could feel a metallic sound. Seemed to be just a simple loose screw for the tip protector. Hopefully they will address it before they are released. Minor but makes you think. But he, being a slightly lighter but stronger skier absolutely loved this ski as well.

Atomic: Nomad Crimson - 175 length believe 88 underfoot. Wouldn't be fair to detract from this ski since itr was by far the widest ski I skied. Especially since it skied pretty well. Not overly quick but certainly not unwieldy. Just really can't compare it with the narrower all-mountain and carver types I was on all day. Wouldn't be a bad mid-fat that can be skied pretty well on-piste.
+ Stronger skiing friend was on the Blackeye early in the day and put it second to the K2.

Atomic: Varioflex 75 - 166 length, probablt a bit shorter than I would have liked. 75 in name most likely is the waist width, as is almost always the case. Atomic rep threw this at me when I mentioned I was mostly skiing carvers. Seemed more of an intermediate ski to me. Didn't ski badly but no snap or much of an edgable ski. REALLY squirrelly at moderate and higher speeds - unlike anything I skied all day. Probably good for someone skiing leisurely, on-slope, all day and not getting overwelmed.

Didn't get any time to do take out any offerings from Volkl or Rossignol. Friend did get on the Avenger B2 Carbon from Rossi and he didn't mind the way they skied but he did dub them as the school bus with their fake wood look that awas almost yellow and the squared tips resembling the bus's front end shape.

Will I replace my few year old RX8s? NO. Though if they were beat there would be some interesting options out there... K2 is intriguing as hell. Definitely a fun day and enjoyed demoing after not doing it in many years.

Good day to be at Sunapee...I didn't get in nearly as many skis and only did a few runs on each but here's what I reviewed:

Profile: Intermediate, 5'9", 190 lb, groomer skier, skiing Elan Magfire 10s in 168.

• Atomic D2 82 (I think) in 174: Nice solid carving ski, felt heavier than my Elans (expected) but were a little more work to turn. These might have also been Varioflex skis.
• Fischer Motive 80 in 174: First time skiing a wood core ski...had more float than my Elans but had no problem turning them in the hero snow conditions.
• Fischer Watea 82 in 174: Similar experience to the Motive 80s but the Motives felt to me like they had better edge hold and comparable float.
• Fischer Progressor 9 in 170: OK but I liked the Atomics for groomer carving better. At my skill level I also think these would wear me out over a day of skiing.

I definitely had more of a Fischer bias but that was only because I've read more about their product line...wish I would have had time to sample other brands.

Think the Motive 80s were my favorites of the day but the Atomics seemed to be best for the snow conditions.

All of the skis were fine but none of them left me feeling like I should replace my Elans...I'm sure that a more skilled skier can do nice short turns on them but for me the Elans I currently have are much better suited for short turns. My main complaint with my Elans is that for me they can chatter on steeper hardpack. I do think, however, that I will go a bit longer on my next pair of skis.

How are the Cataract Glades? Are they reasonably spaced out? I tried to hit the glades off of Ridge and got in way over my head at the entrance...a little too steep and tight for me, and the crust on top didn't help.

How are the Cataract Glades? Are they reasonably spaced out? I tried to hit the glades off of Ridge and got in way over my head at the entrance...a little too steep and tight for me, and the crust on top didn't help.[/QUOTE]

The top section of the Ridge Glades are steeper than the rest of that trail. Cataract is similar in that it has two or three steeper sections mixed in with flatter sections. Trees are also pretty well spaced and later in the day the snow really softened up in there...

Also those may have been the same Atomics I tried. Not a lot to the graphics so I wasn't sure what the model name is.

Rushski said:

The top section of the Ridge Glades are steeper than the rest of that trail. Cataract is similar in that it has two or three steeper sections mixed in with flatter sections. Trees are also pretty well spaced and later in the day the snow really softened up in there...

Also those may have been the same Atomics I tried. Not a lot to the graphics so I wasn't sure what the model name is.

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I had the same problem with the Atomics...could not tell the model from the top sheet.

You might have been happier with the 82s in a longer length. I'm not a fast skier by any means but I didn't feel like the 82s were unstable.

I'm doing the Ride-em and Rank-em at Wachusett next Friday. They pick most of the skis (we are evaluating them for the shop), but it is free. I'll post up a review of the skis here.

Just a quick "thank you" for doing this. This is GOOD stuff. I'll get more cerebral about skis in the summer and re-read your remarks when I don't ski any more and have too much time on my hands.

disappointing to read that the Progressor didn't perform all that well on hard snow. Has been on my list for a possible hard snow carving board.

deadheadskier said:

disappointing to read that the Progressor didn't perform all that well on hard snow. Has been on my list for a possible hard snow carving board.

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Snow really wasn't hard when I demoed the ski...the ski did OK for me but I liked the Atomics more for charging through the softer snow conditions. May have been my skill level.

deadheadskier said:

disappointing to read that the Progressor didn't perform all that well on hard snow. Has been on my list for a possible hard snow carving board.

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I've been happy with mine. I got new boots too and hadn't had them adjusted so the skis at first felt a little squirlly at first. Now that my boots are dialed in I like them a lot more. Thing to understand with the progessors is that there is essentially a slalom side cut on the front. So if you want to straightline them it's not the ski for that. But they're great high speed carvers that you can rip some tight turns in. I've had no issues with edge grip.

Oh and after racing last night at WA (which with the soft snow, ruts and berms turned the course into a skier cross event) I free skied some. The trails had several inches of loose, heavy crud on top of icy trails. They really rocked through all of this stuff.

so you find the tips wanting to hook at high speeds? I figured that perhaps if you weighted back some in more GS / Super G type turns they'd handle all right.

I suppose I just need to demo some to know.

I stated in another thread that I think ski manufacturers are missing the ball BIG TIME by holding demo events mid-week.

deadheadskier said:

so you find the tips wanting to hook at high speeds? I figured that perhaps if you weighted back some in more GS / Super G type turns they'd handle all right.

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I don't know if they really want to "hook up". You do need to pay attention to where you are putting pressure on them. It's more if you stay balanced they are working like a GS ski, put pressure on the tips and they come around quick. It's a fun ski. If you want a no speed limit all out big turn GS ski, you might want to lean toward the RC4s or another more traditional ski.

what size foot are you? Are you bringing them to Sugarloaf? :lol:

deadheadskier said:

what size foot are you? Are you bringing them to Sugarloaf? :lol:

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304 bsl, I was just going to bring the Watea's and Ripsticks (better in the bumps). I'm driving up solo so I can bring the progressors too if you want to try them out.

Rushski said:

+ A couple high-intermedaite friends and also a stronger skier than I really liked their Motive series. One guy tried multiple lengths in multiple models (widths) and will probably be investing his hard aerned money on a pair next year. One of them also had a narrower Watea that he liked.

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Did you get a sense of how the Motives compared to the Wateas? I think the rep told me they were both wood core. I liked the Motive 80 better than the Watea 84 but it may have been that they were narrower underfoot...

wa-loaf said:

304 bsl, I was just going to bring the Watea's and Ripsticks (better in the bumps). I'm driving up solo so I can bring the progressors too if you want to try them out.

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Not sure on the BSL of my boots. I'm 26.5 in Dalbelos, 9 street shoe.

Actually, I'm not sure I even want to try them. Could end up getting me in trouble with the wife down the line. :lol:

deadheadskier said:

Not sure on the BSL of my boots. I'm 26.5 in Dalbelos, 9 street shoe.

Actually, I'm not sure I even want to try them. Could end up getting me in trouble with the wife down the line. :lol:

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My boots are 26.0, 9.5-10 street shoe, so we should be able to make it work.

deadheadskier said:

Not sure on the BSL of my boots. I'm 26.5 in Dalbelos, 9 street shoe.

Actually, I'm not sure I even want to try them. Could end up getting me in trouble with the wife down the line. :lol:

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Isn't the BSL marked on the outside of the boot? I needed it for the demo day...was easy to find.

Great reports guys! I'll add my quick impressions of the skis I took out. My profile is 5'10", 190, 52yo. I ski and love my Nordica SUV12 115/70/100 but I do get tossed about a bit in the soft stuff. I generally prefer a damp solid feel, not light and lively.

Nordica Igniter CA 170 76mm - this seemed more of a recreational ski. The 76mm waist was annoying rather than helpful

Nordica Jet Fuel 170 84?mm - unexpectedly, this could well be my next ski. Rock solid at any speed or snow condition I could find (admittedly, not a lot of variation on this day.) I could make nice short turns in the softer snow on the trail margins, or rip some big arcs, or just point and shoot down the fall line. Woo-hoo! According to the rep this new construction falls right between the current CA and TI models (figures! Gotta wait till this time next year to get them on the cheap. This will be mighty difficult.)

Fischer Watea 84 176 - not a ski for hard snow at all (bad tune maybe???) - seemed like it would be very good at floating over the deeper stuff. I had to constantly manage my fore/aft position to get what I wanted on the groomed, almost like a straight ski feel

Blizzard Magnum 8.7 170-ish - beefy! Solid! But it wanted to go faster than I wanted to, wanted to be on edge all the time. Not a ski to relax on

Blizzard Magnum 8.1 uh, mid 170's? sorry - a very nice, competent ski, not enough different from my SUV's to warrant a lot of interest. A little turnier than the JF

Rossi Avenger 8.2 Carbon-something 176??? - I totally get the "school bus" thing - but, it actually was a pretty darned good ski! Made nice round carved turns or floated along. Solid choice for spring conditions, didn't seem like it would kill you in the bumps

Rossi S86 17? - I loathed this ski. If this is the Rossi version of the Sultan 85 then I don't get it. Where a few of the skis would do anything I asked, and the JF did them without asking, the S86 seemed to fight me on every turn - refused to initiate, or overturned, tips flapping in the breeze, ugh. Must be me UPDATE 3/6 - apparently these have some new sort of semi-rockered construction which didn't work for me personally

K2 Backlash 174 92mm - another meh K2. Sorry K2 lovers! Although I wouldn't mind trying some PE's, those have a good rep. The 92 width didn't bother me like I thought it would so I guess the ski must have some good qualities.

Volkl AC50 170 - I don't get along with Volkl's. This had the typical Volkl stiff tail feel, sit back a bit and take off like a Toyota! I was hoping to try the 170 Mantras but they were out every time I was in

Atomic Nomad Crimson TI 178 88mm - these skis seemed ginormous when first put on (after the requisite 5 extra minutes fussing with the Atomic bindings) but they handled well enough, steady at speed. I would have liked to try the 171 but I suspect at that length they would not have felt as solid.

At the end of the day, to validate my love for the Jet Fuels I took a run on my regular 70mm skis and fired off some of those short turns in the soft margins. Did pretty well too before I caught a rut and fell. Ta-da!

So the JF's were a clear winner for me. I was favorably impressed with the quality of the Blizzards, and if there had been a model in between the two I tried it, would have been a serious contender. The Rossi Avenger seemed like a fine if unexciting all-purpose ski, and there were some other great choices for you off-road types. Combine that with burgers on the "beach" and it's a heck of a good day :beer:

hammer said:

Did you get a sense of how the Motives compared to the Wateas? I think the rep told me they were both wood core. I liked the Motive 80 better than the Watea 84 but it may have been that they were narrower underfoot...

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The guys I was with seemed to like the Motives (in all lengths and different widths) a little better than the narrow Watea. Guess they are similar construction with a little more on-trail feel for the Motives. But, again I didn't get on them - probably should have.

Also, with the Progressors, I am not slamming them just didn't feel right to me and my run selecetion for them probably didn't help. I'm personally a huge Fischer fan and generally not a K2 fan. Though I really liked those Apache replacements - Amp Chargers...

One of the reps said that the Ken Jones in Manchester might try to work with the reps and get another demo at either Loon or Cannon in the near future. Will relay details when/if I hear them.