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Date(s) Skied: Tuesday, 12/28/2004, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Resort or Ski Area: Ski Butternut, Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Conditions: Hard pack, manmade, machine groomed. Temps about 5-15; no wind; sun early, then mostly cloudy.
Trip Report: Today was free demo day up at Ski Butternut. I got to the lot about 8:45 and quickly got dressed in the lodge. It was nice to not have to lug the skis through the parking lot. First I'll discuss conditions, then the skis I tried.
First run was down Lucifer's Leap and Hob Nob. Lucifer's was a bit scratchy, yet edgeable as was most of the mountain. I then rode up the Top Flight again and hit Pied Piper, Twist and West Way (terrain park). There was a lot of snowmaking on much of that run. I then took a ride up the new Highline Quad which is nice and should relieve some pressure off the Top Flight Quad. Main Street was nice with decent snow along the sides. Centers of the trails were slick today. A lot of snowmaking on Whip today, but it was still not yet open. Also hit Lower Applejack from the midpoint on Hob Nob/Crosstown. Snowmaking going strong here too, but the snow was nice.
Now for the skis. I was hoping to try some Volkl Supersport 5 Stars, but they only had 168 cm so I opted for the Volkl 7 24 EXP in 177 cm. Very nice ski that transitions well between turns, but it, with most Volkls I'd imagine, skied very fast. Super fun ski but I'm looking for something a little more responsive at slower speeds and forgiving in the bumps.
Next demo was the Dynastar Skicross 9 in 178 cm. I actually liked these skis alot. The did very well on the hardpack and cut right in. Super stable, but almost too much that they were a bit boring and didn't have the life of the Volkls. I next tried the Dynastar Legend 4800, but he only had them in 165 cm. Perhaps it was the ski length or type of snow surface (fast hardpack), but I really couldn't get into these skis. I would have like to try them in a longer length.
Final ski was an Atomic M9 in 162 cm. These skis were fun and skied longer, but nowhere near as fun as the Volkls or even the Skicross 9. So, after today, I would have to say the Skicross 9 and Volkl 7 24 EXP were the two best skis I tried. The Dyna was stable and secure, while the Volkl was fast and exhilirating. I think I'm going to need to demo some more again when there are some moguls as I don't know that either of these two will be the best ski for that. Perhaps the Dynastar Legend 4800 will be better for me in a slightly longer length and in the bumps.
All in all a fun day and great chance to try out some different skis!
Resort or Ski Area: Ski Butternut, Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Conditions: Hard pack, manmade, machine groomed. Temps about 5-15; no wind; sun early, then mostly cloudy.
Trip Report: Today was free demo day up at Ski Butternut. I got to the lot about 8:45 and quickly got dressed in the lodge. It was nice to not have to lug the skis through the parking lot. First I'll discuss conditions, then the skis I tried.
First run was down Lucifer's Leap and Hob Nob. Lucifer's was a bit scratchy, yet edgeable as was most of the mountain. I then rode up the Top Flight again and hit Pied Piper, Twist and West Way (terrain park). There was a lot of snowmaking on much of that run. I then took a ride up the new Highline Quad which is nice and should relieve some pressure off the Top Flight Quad. Main Street was nice with decent snow along the sides. Centers of the trails were slick today. A lot of snowmaking on Whip today, but it was still not yet open. Also hit Lower Applejack from the midpoint on Hob Nob/Crosstown. Snowmaking going strong here too, but the snow was nice.
Now for the skis. I was hoping to try some Volkl Supersport 5 Stars, but they only had 168 cm so I opted for the Volkl 7 24 EXP in 177 cm. Very nice ski that transitions well between turns, but it, with most Volkls I'd imagine, skied very fast. Super fun ski but I'm looking for something a little more responsive at slower speeds and forgiving in the bumps.
Next demo was the Dynastar Skicross 9 in 178 cm. I actually liked these skis alot. The did very well on the hardpack and cut right in. Super stable, but almost too much that they were a bit boring and didn't have the life of the Volkls. I next tried the Dynastar Legend 4800, but he only had them in 165 cm. Perhaps it was the ski length or type of snow surface (fast hardpack), but I really couldn't get into these skis. I would have like to try them in a longer length.
Final ski was an Atomic M9 in 162 cm. These skis were fun and skied longer, but nowhere near as fun as the Volkls or even the Skicross 9. So, after today, I would have to say the Skicross 9 and Volkl 7 24 EXP were the two best skis I tried. The Dyna was stable and secure, while the Volkl was fast and exhilirating. I think I'm going to need to demo some more again when there are some moguls as I don't know that either of these two will be the best ski for that. Perhaps the Dynastar Legend 4800 will be better for me in a slightly longer length and in the bumps.
All in all a fun day and great chance to try out some different skis!