Skippress - Index

Skippress - US_2007_2008 - Index

TOP 3 HIGHEST SCORES
SKI PRESS SKI TEST '08 08
NORDICA • Dobermann Spitfire
PRICE: CDN$1,049.95 WITH 3-12 XBi (ONLY DISTRIBUTED IN CANADA)
LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 154, 162, 170, 178
Go on, we dare you — try to fi nd a
weakness in this ski. The Dobermann
Spitfi re is a pure pleasure master, a
ski that guarantees a sweet ride, no
matter the conditions or what kind of
pilot is at the controls. That makes it
the king of versatility in this category,
a fl awless executioner of varying turn
shapes. A weakness? Here’s the best
we could do — a couple of testers
experienced slight vibration at higher
speeds. But that’s probably to be
expected of a relatively light, relatively
soft-fl exing ski able to dance
quickly from edge to edge.
ATOMIC • SX10 B5c
PRICE: $995 • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 152, 159, 166, 173, 180
As the saying goes, if you’re not
living on the edge, you’re taking up
too much space, and the SX10 B5c
is all about living on the edge. No
ski in the category is close when
it comes to carving up ice like a
sculptor with a sharp chisel. “What
edge hold — you could chop granite
with these skis!” wrote one tester.
Knowing you can trust that edge no
matter what the snow surface gives
great confi dence in opening up the
throttle for fast, long turns. Eastern
skiers: expect to fall in love.
BEST BUY
STABILITY 9.27
EZ TO INITIATE 8.60
EDGE GRIP 9.33
FORGIVENESS 8.33
ENERGY 8.93
SHORT RADIUS 8.13
LONG RADIUS 9.07
VERSATILITY 8.53
RATING
BEST BUY
STABILITY 8.46
EZ TO INITIATE 8.92
EDGE GRIP 8.62
FORGIVENESS 9.00
ENERGY 8.85
SHORT RADIUS 8.92
LONG RADIUS 8.92
VERSATILITY 8.85
RATING
For more winning skis, look for the Online Ski Finder MySki, only at skipressworld.com
88.88
VERSATILE, FORGIVING, EASY — AN ALL-ROUND, WELL-MANNERED SKI.
STEERING average to strong • WEIGHT light • FLEX medium
TESTED LENGTH 170 • DIMENSIONS 122-70-105 • RADIUS 14
87.92
B5 CONNECTED CHASSIS REALLY IMPROVES EDGE GRIP.
STEERING average to strong • WEIGHT medium • FLEX medium to stiff
TESTED LENGTH 173 • DIMENSIONS 115-68-98 • RADIUS 16.5
SALOMON • Cyclone
PRICE: $1,250 WITH Z12 TI • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 154, 162, 170, 178
The Cyclone is a chameleon. Here’s
a ski that showed different personalities
to different testers. Some found
it great for gentle, intermediate skiing;
others liked it for aggressive,
expert skiing. “Easy ski. Very soft,”
wrote one tester; another wrote, “Very
demanding ski. You need to drive
them all the time.” So the Cyclone
is a ski that’s well-rounded enough
to work for a variety of skiing styles.
Is your style one of them? To fi nd out
(and we suggest this for all skis), be
sure to TBYB — try before you buy.
BEST BUY
STABILITY 8.58
EZ TO INITIATE 8.50
EDGE GRIP 8.83
FORGIVENESS 8.33
ENERGY 8.67
SHORT RADIUS 8.50
LONG RADIUS 8.75
VERSATILITY 8.50
RATING
86.63
HAPPINESS BLOSSOMS FOR SKIERS OVER 160 POUNDS.
STEERING strong • WEIGHT medium • FLEX medium
TESTED LENGTH 170 • DIMENSIONS 115-69-98 • RADIUS 16.1
TOP 5 ALSO BEST BUYS
Groo mers PERFORMANCE
BEST BUY BLIZZARD VÖLKL DYNASTAR FISCHER K2
STABILITY 8.80 8.69 7.93 8.14 8.50
EZ TO INITIATE 8.73 8.23 8.21 8.29 8.36
EDGE GRIP 8.80 8.85 8.43 8.21 8.57
FORGIVENESS 8.20 8.15 8.43 8.14 8.43
ENERGY 8.33 8.77 8.21 8.36 8.00
SHORT RADIUS 8.53 8.31 8.57 8.14 7.79
LONG RADIUS 8.60 8.69 8.57 8.57 8.57
VERSATILITY 8.67 8.62 8.50 8.36 8.29
RATING 86.44 85.75 84.32 83.50 83.48
Top Top 88
BLIZZARD • CMX Pro IQ
PRICE: $875 WITH IQ 4.12TC • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 159, 166, 173, 180
Sometimes test scores don’t tell the full story. Although the CMX Pro IQ
received only a modest overall score for energy, it was energy that most testers
praised as its outstanding feature. The majority’s comments included:
“really punchy,” “energetic like a bomb,” and “tries to please us with its
vivacity.” The story behind the scores: a peppy, well-rounded ski.
THE MOST BANG FOR THE BUCK IN THIS CATEGORY.
STEERING average • WEIGHT medium • FLEX medium
TESTED LENGTH 173 • DIMENSIONS 119-70-98 • RADIUS 14.5 (166)
VÖLKL • Tigershark 10 Foot Power Switch
PRICE: $1,650 WITH IPT 12.0 TIGERSHARK • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 161, 168, 175, 182
You can almost hear it — the sizzle of ice melting under the force of a wellhoned
edge. The Tigershark 10 Foot can do many things well, especially long
turns. But if you had to choose a single reason to buy it, edge grip would top the
charts. To hear the sizzle, you need to ski them at considerable speed. “They
are stiff and hard to bend,” wrote one tester. “But when they bend, wow!”
POWER SWITCH ALLOWS SKIER TO ADJUST THE FLEX OF THE SKI.
STEERING strong • WEIGHT medium • FLEX medium
TESTED LENGTH 168 • DIMENSIONS 123-73-105 • RADIUS 14.3
DYNASTAR • Contact 10
PRICE: $1,049 WITH PX 12 FLUID • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 158, 165, 172, 178
For advanced skiers looking to cross the border into the expert zone, the
Contact 10 might be your visa. Equally adept at long and short turns, it’s
a ski that allows different styles to shine. “If you want a smooth ride, this
ski will guide you,” wrote one tester. Just make sure to remain centered at
higher speeds; the ski can get overly excited when you pour on the gas.
BIG BOYS WILL HAVE BIG FUN.
STEERING average • WEIGHT medium • FLEX medium
TESTED LENGTH 172 • DIMENSIONS 122-72-102 • RADIUS 15
FISCHER • RC4 Progressive Flowflex
PRICE: $1,250 WITH FX 12 FLOWFLEX • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 160, 165, 170, 175, 180
Eat a hearty breakfast and pump some iron before jumping aboard the RC4
Progressive. This is a ski that likes playing rough. “The dream ski for strong,
aggressive skiers,” wrote one tester. “You need to drive them,” wrote another.
Or just let them run wild on long turns, which is the way they want to be
skied. Short turns? Not bad, but just be ready to do a little extra work.
A SKI THAT NEEDS TO BE PUSHED TO PERFORM.
STEERING average to strong • WEIGHT medium • FLEX medium
TESTED LENGTH 170 • DIMENSIONS 117-70-100 • RADIUS 15
K2 • Apache Crossfire
PRICE: $1,225 WITH MARKER PISTON M1 12.0 • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 160, 167, 174, 181
Your friends call you FBL — fast but lazy. You’re a guy who loves big speed and
big turns… but doesn’t like to work hard for his fun. FBL dude, the Apache
Crossfi re is your ski. It’s muscular enough for stability at speed, yet easy and
forgiving enough to be skied with a light touch. “A fun ski to play with, an easy
ski to fi gure out, a smooth ride,” is how one FBL tester described it.
GIVE IT A GOLD STAR FOR EASY TURN INITIATION.
STEERING average • WEIGHT medium • FLEX medium
TESTED LENGTH 174 • DIMENSIONS 117-70-101 • RADIUS 16
BUYER’S GUIDE 2008 59