Rossi B3 Vs. Volkl AC4?

[Norway]

Hi everyone,

I'm offered a good deal on a pair of 2006 Rossignol or Volkl skis. Looking for a good allround ski which is good off-piste, but also acceptable in the slope. I plan to take my 5 year old kid skiing, and do some off-piste alone.

To start with I was considering the Volkl Unlimited AC3 or the Rossignol Bandit B2. But after talking to a ski salesmen he advised me not to go below 80 mid ski.
So now I'm considering the Volkl Unlimited AC4 (125-82-110) Vs. the Rossignol Bandit B3 (120-83-110)! I have seen the B3, but not the AC4, does the AC4 have that tip in the back like the B3 has (I'd prefer that)?

I now I should probably do a demo of both (and several other) skis, but we don't have any snow at all yet. I'm working offshore for the moment, so I can't run to the store either.

I used to be a good skier some ten years ago, but haven't skied alot lately.
More info about myself;
I'm 5'8'' (173 cm) and 165 lbs (75kg)

Hope anyone can give me some good advice
:idea: .
Have a great week-end :dunce: :beer:

Orjan

 

[BeanoNYC]

Velcommen til Alpinezone Orjan. Jeg heter Rich og jeg kan snakker lit Norsk. Sviegemor og Sviegefar min er fra Norge. Sviegemor er fra Høllen, Søgne og Sviegefar min er fra Nordland like di, Hitra. Jeg har reis til Norge fem time og Jeg elske Norge. Unshult, jeg vært ikke svaren til spørsmål din.

Unshult for dårlig Norsk!

Snakkis!

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Nordica Hot Rod Nitrous, you'll never regret it.

Norway, does Kari Traa have rock star status in your country. I see her on the mogul tour stop at Whiteface Mt, every year. That chick seems to have everything that would make her a commerical endorsement success, looks, personality, great bump skier and a gold medal. What's the take on her in your country?

 

[riverc0il]

To start with I was considering the Volkl Unlimited AC3 or the Rossignol Bandit B2. But after talking to a ski salesmen he advised me not to go below 80 mid ski.

why did the salesman advise you not to go below 80 waist??? this salesman's advice is extremely suspect unless you told the guy you were interested in a ski that is mostly to be used on powder. i suggest you check out all four skis and decide which is best on your own, don't listen to sales people. especially in the ski industry. not to say that some sales folks don't know their game, but a LOT don't and i would rather not trust everyone than try to pick out the good from the majority of the bad.

all that said, in my experience in testing out the B2 and 724 Pro (AC4 of this year), if you are going to be on groomed conditions for any amount of time, i think the volkl is a much better ski.

 

[BeanoNYC]

Steve ... Trondheim is Northern Norway. I've never been lucky enough to ski in Norway, but I did spend a bit of time in Oslo (South East of Trondheim) during February of 2001. (My other trips have been during the summer) I'm assuming he will be tackling a ton of powder.

 

[Norway]

Thanks for the welcome @Alpinezone. Your norwegian is not to bad Rich but Hitra is an island in mid-norway (where I live) not in Nordland. :wink:

Highpeaksdrifter; Kari Traa is a pretty cool chick, yes I agree. On a TV show here she had Daniel Frank (Snowboarder) eat fish sperm. I wouldn't say rock-star status though. She's got her own collection of clothes for women (my wife has some).

rivercOil; The salesman didn't advise to go below 80 waist if I wanted to do off-piste skiing. He said they wouldn't float on top of the powder as good. This salesman is not the one I'm going to buy the skis from anyway.
The good deal I have is actually a little touchy subject. It's only an offer for my brother in law, and since he's not going to get a pair for himself he offered it to me. :lol: But it includes only Rossignol or Volkl.

It does suprise me that the ski manufactures don't have a profile picture of the skis in their websites. Anyone who knows if the AC4 has a twin-tip shape? If they do (like the B3 has), I think I'll go for the Volkl. I'm going to call a Volkl dealer on monday.

Thanx for the response so far,
Orjan

 

[BeanoNYC]

Thanks for the welcome @Alpinezone. Your norwegian is not to bad Rich but Hitra is an island in mid-norway (where I live) not in Nordland. :wink:

Ahhh I lost you in translation. I meant Northen Norway. I forget how far North your country goes. From my perspective near Kristiansand, everything is North! When my father in law passed away, we actually inherited a bit of land in Hitra. We were thinking about building a hitte there, but may sell it and build in Søgne
(I prefer CB øl over Ringness).

I called over to Norway yesterday but got rushed off the phone because the Norwegian National team was play the Czechs.

If you ever come to NYC let me know .... I´ll buy you an aquavit!

 

[Norway]

When my father in law passed away, we actually inherited a bit of land in Hitra. We were thinking about building a hitte there, but may sell it and build in S�gne

No shit! I'm actually looking around for some property there myself. Feel free to pm me with some info.

(I prefer CB �l over Ringness).

Rignes E.C. Dahls here

If you ever come to NYC let me know .... I�ll buy you an aquavit!

Thanx I'll remember that, my cousin lives in Westfield, NJ, and I plan to go visit her soon :beer:

 

[Norway]

Called the company that imports Volkl to Norway. Yes the AC4 has a small tip in the back, but by no means a twin tip, which I didn't think either. I'm onshore again for a couple of days so tomorrow I'm running to a local dealer here in Bergen, Norway, to check them out. Still no snow, only rain rain and rain.

Come to think of it, I need a pair of boots to. I've tried several, Nordica, Dolomite(?), Lange and Salomon. The ones of the above that suited me the best was the Salomon XWave 8, and the Nordica Speedmachine 8.
Any other suggestions?
How are the Rossignol boots?

 

[mattchuck2]

Volkl Mantra . . haven't tried them, but if you're looking for a twin with "off-piste" potential, that's your ticket.

- Matt

 

[Norway]

Thanks for the suggestion, but the Mantra is going to be a fatter ski than I’m looking for. More like Rossi B4 I assume.

I have been looking at the AC4 in the store, and liked it a lot. The tail tip isn’t as big as the B3 though, which I really liked about the B3.
Bought a Ski Magazine (Ultra Sport) on the way back to work (my home for the moment), that included a test of this year new models. Here are some of their comments regarding these skis (guess it’s their length in parentheses):

The AC4 (184) for is doing quite all right and gets 5 out of 6 points. More aggressive than average. It’s good for high speed and moderate to long turns, but it’s a hard ski to do short turns with. “A good bye for speed-freaks” as they put it.

The B3 (176)is scoring 6 out of 6: A super ski. Fun and aggressive and precise, but as easy so fresh freeriders (ME ) can enjoy it. Does what you tell it to. State of the art freerideski that fulfill all requirements for a top ski.

Some other skis in the same category (Freeride):
Nordica Hot Rod (178): 5 pts.
Fisher AMC79 Railflex (182): 5/6 pts
Head Monster M77 (181): 5 pts
Movement Thunder (185): 5 pts
Salomon Scrambler Hot (182): 5 pts
Zag Le Rouge (183): 2 pts
Atomic M2TRON EX (185): 6 pts
(This ski was actually recommended by two different salesmen I talked to. Again never trust a salesman right?)

Ridea All Mountain (185): 4/5 pts
Blizzard TITAN NINE (181): 6 pts
Dynastar Legend 8000 (184): 5 pts
Goode Carbon 82 (186): 5 pts
Scott Santiago Mission (178): 4 pts

Anyway now I’m more confused. I had almost made up my mind about the AC4 with 177 cm length, but after reading this test, I’m kind of going for the B3 (???). The Atomic M2TRON EX wouldn’t be such a bad choice either (might get a good deal on the Atomic as well). Any of the other brands are out of the question as far as I’m concerned since I’m not getting such a good deal on them. Thought I give you some inputs about these other
brands for those that are interested.

Maybe I shouldn't put so much in a test, but it's a guideline, since I can't demo any for another 4 weeks from now (back offshore again)
I really want to make up my mind pretty soon so I can order my skis. It has started snowing over here. Approx a foot already. Don’t know if I have the patience to wait until mid December (when I will be back home) to go demo the skis. Knowing my luck, the good deal might be off at that time. :angry:

Orjan

 

[riverc0il]

the best advice i think any one can give you right now is don't judge a ski based on a ski magazine tester. big mistake in my opinion. don't pick a ski just cause it got a 5 instead of a 6 or what ever. pick a ski because it's going to work best for you. again, i can't recommend demoing enough. the two skis you are looking at feel and perform radically different, imo.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Well Norway, it seems you have decided to drive yourself nuts. Too many choices, too many opinions from too many places. Demo some skis if you can, boots are harder cause you can't tell from trying them on in a shop, so a boot fitter is a good idea. In the end you just have to make a choice.

Your not married to ski gear for life and its not a life or death decision. Go with the gear you feel best about.

 

[Norway]

Well, it's been a while since I've been visiting AlpineZone now. Anyway, I think it's good manners to give feedback about what equipment I ended up with. It turned out that my deal wasn't that good after all, but still OK.

I ended up with a pair of this season's Rossignol B2 skis and last season's Rossignol Elite Bandit 1 Boots. Didn't have time to test all kinds of different skis. Like highpeadsdrifter says, I'm not married to the gear for life. I assume that my time in powder will -unfortunately- be less than aprox. 20%.
I tested the gear once before I bought it, and then once with my five year old doughter.
Finally I ordered a Matte Black Giro Bad Lieutenant helmet from the States (1/2 prize) with the tune up audio system.

Thanx for the feedback I've got, now I'm looking forward to some serious skiing the next month, if weather permits.
-Orjan