Have you had a test ride on a race ski latey?

[Cheese]

I've been guilty of skiing my rockered powder boards and demoing skis with 98mm waists lately. Almost like I've had a one track mind in search of an all mountain ski even though I've always believed a quiver of skis was the way to go. I do like the carving ability of my World Cup GS skis but the turning radius is so large and the stability so great that I cruise far too fast for crowded slopes. What I call my slalom ski (Rossignol Z10) is tuned down from Rossignol's race line to make it softer and therefore easier to turn and ski all day.

Last week on a day I knew I'd be following others on piste I decided to demo a pair of race stock slalom skis (Rossignol Radical 9SL World Cup). I figured the tighter turns would keep my speed in check and allow me to stay with the group. Boy have I lost my way and forgotten just how well a World Cup slalom ski grips in tight arcs. The edge angles they held, the trenches they cut and the energy released from each turn was amazing. Keeping them on the snow after a turn actually took effort as they'd much prefer to release all their energy and air out the turn transitions. I had an absolute blast.

So, if like me you've been caught up in the search for an all mountain single ski quiver raving about how awesome your fat skis carve, give the Rossignol Radical 9SL World Cup a demo ride and decided if you're still a believer in wider boards for carving. Rossignol's slalom ski will take a lot of work in powder and require a harnessing of it's energy in the bumps but as an on piste small arc carver, you'll be enlightened at what a race ski can offer. Obviously plenty of other names make a World Cup slalom ski and a test ride on those would likely offer the same result. I'm not trying to promote Rossignol, merely to suggest demoing a ski specifically designed for the tight turns with edge hold that our US Ski Team members require. I'm putting my all mountain ski search on hold and returning to my narrow ski roots. I'll be adding a race stock slalom ski to my quiver next.

 

[jimmywilson69]

sweet blog

 

[bdfreetuna]

Haven't used race skis since 2000. Never really used race skis that didn't sort of suck.

But I'd love to demo something like the ones you tried on an icy day when the woods are closed anyway.

 

[drjeff]

One of the co-owners of the shop where I get 99% of my families gear, who fortuitously has the same boot sole length as I do , was out on these, Atomic's limited edition Redster Marcel Hirscher SL race ski

As I was taking a few runs with him, as I usually do a few times a month, I asked him while riding the lift what they skied like? A quick ski swap at the top of lift, and I was on them (171cm, 124-70-111 12.3 meter radius) and he was on my rockered 185cm Blizzard Cochises that go 135-108-123 and a 28.5 meter radius! Let's just say that after the 1st few turns of adjusting to a "slightly" smaller turning radius :lol: I was having a blast. Talk about feeling like I was dialed in an skiing on some rails with some big G forces (and this is from someone who's regular everyday non powder skis are a pair of Atomic VF75's traditional cambered front side "power carver" with a 14.3 meter radius! The Hirscher's an entirely different and amazing level above! Now everytime I go into the shop, I keep asking if he's going to sell them!

 

[fbrissette]

May be I'm due for a test ride. I have not skied a racer in a long while.

As much as I love my fat skis, they don't carve really well outside of their natural radius. But shine in just about any other conditions.

 

[KevinF]

Cheese, where did you get to demo the Rossi slalom ski?

I have the Blizzard FIS-legal slalom ski which carves like nothing else, but you seriously need to be on it all the time.

 

[Cheese]

Cheese, where did you get to demo the Rossi slalom ski?

I have the Blizzard FIS-legal slalom ski which carves like nothing else, but you seriously need to be on it all the time.

Kevin,

Sorry, by demo I meant I didn't buy them but a better term would have been Performance Rental. I trenched up Zermatt on them last Friday skiing on piste with Penny Pitou. BTW, she still skis like an Olympian even at ..... 29.

 

[OffPeak]

I gave a friend my 06 volkl supersport 6 stars, I bought Line Profit 90's. Have about 8 sessions on them at Wachusetts, I'm up in Killington now and wished I still had them. I found a nice pair o 5 stars on the net and bought them. The 90's are a great ski I still haven't skied them in real snow. Really looking forward to having both these sets of skis.