Skippress - Index

Skippress - US_2007_2008 - Index

TOP 3 HIGHEST SCORES
SKI PRESS SKI TEST '08 08
FISCHER • Watea 78
PRICE: $695 • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 159, 167, 174, 181
Is twintip just another word for dual
personality? Not all testers were
crazy about the Watea 78, but those
who were loved the rare interface of
muscle and agility. “Magical! Quiet
and easy, yet stable and powerful,”
wrote one tester. For true, all-mountain
versatility, a one-dimensional personality
won’t do, and the Watea 78
behaves like many skis in one, on
many kinds of terrain and conditions.
And it does so without balking or putting
up a fi ght — compatibility is at
the heart of this ski’s personality.
BEST BUY
STABILITY 8.30
EZ TO INITIATE 8.60
EDGE GRIP 8.60
FORGIVENESS 8.40
ENERGY 8.10
SHORT RADIUS 8.10
LONG RADIUS 8.20
VERSATILITY 8.30
RATING
SALOMON • Foil
PRICE: $725 • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 158, 166, 174, 182
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85.36
FORWARD OR BACKWARD, A SMOOTH, TWINTIP RIDE.
STEERING average • WEIGHT light to medium • FLEX medium
TESTED LENGTH 174 • DIMENSIONS 122-78-107 • RADIUS 17
HEAD • Monster 78
PRICE: $1,070 WITH LD12 • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 165, 171, 177, 183
In an ever-changing world, trust is a
wondrous thing. Ice, groomed, crud,
powder, steeps, flats, trees, open
faces — with everything the mountain
throws at you, you need a ski you can
trust. Enter the Monster 78. No matter
where you are or what kind of snow
conditions you encounter, the Monster
inspires complete confi dence. “You
get race performance, midfat versatility
and ease of use in this kinder,
gentler monster,” wrote one tester. In
short, it’s the model of a freeride ski,
a monster you can trust.
BEST BUY
STABILITY 8.14
EZ TO INITIATE 8.79
EDGE GRIP 8.14
FORGIVENESS 8.64
ENERGY 8.07
SHORT RADIUS 8.14
LONG RADIUS 8.21
VERSATILITY 8.71
RATING
85.36
PERFORMANCE + PRICE = STEAL.
STEERING average • WEIGHT medium FLEX • soft to medium
TESTED LENGTH 171 • DIMENSIONS 124-75-110 • RADIUS 14.6
ATOMIC • Blackeye
PRICE: $1,195 WITH NEOX 412 • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 150, 157, 164, 171, 178
Pilot to bombardier — get ready for
an explosive ride. The Blackeye is a
bombs-away kind of ski that needs
a forceful captain at the controls.
When that happens, kaboom! The
ski powers into big turns with assertive
edge grip, then exits with jetpropelled
energy. This is really a GS
carver in freeride clothing — a solid
all-terrain ski that really excels when
executing big-assed turns. “A skier
must be in good shape to ride these
skis,” wrote one tester. Powerful
pilots, fasten your chest harnesses.
BEST BUY
STABILITY 8.69
EZ TO INITIATE 8.54
EDGE GRIP 8.69
FORGIVENESS 7.69
ENERGY 8.38
SHORT RADIUS 7.92
LONG RADIUS 8.62
VERSATILITY 8.15
RATING
85.30
WHEN NO FORCE IS APPLIED, THERE IS NO FORGIVENESS.
STEERING average to strong • WEIGHT light to medium
FLEX medium to stiff
TESTED LENGTH 178 • DIMENSIONS 113-76-99 • RADIUS 17
TOP 5 ALSO BEST BUYS
Top Top 88
Freeride MIDFAT (MSA)
BEST BUY SALOMON NORDICA DYNASTAR BLIZZARD VÖLKL
STABILITY 8.08 8.33 8.58 8.17 8.42
EZ TO INITIATE 8.42 8.08 7.83 8.25 7.83
EDGE GRIP 8.08 8.50 8.42 8.33 8.42
FORGIVENESS 8.50 8.17 7.83 8.17 7.67
ENERGY 8.08 8.17 7.75 7.92 8.25
SHORT RADIUS 8.33 7.92 8.08 8.00 7.75
LONG RADIUS 8.50 8.42 8.42 8.25 8.50
VERSATILITY 8.58 8.17 8.33 8.17 7.83
RATING 85.04 83.63 83.52 83.01 82.90
You ski the whole mountain, but you’re a party animal with your park pals. Go
fetch the Foil — a fi rst-rate all-terrain ski in a cool-looking twintip package. It’s
light and soft enough to handle pipe antics smoothly, but it’s robust enough to
handle a daylong pounding in bumps, on groomers or in powder. “A ski with
no real boundaries — youthful and sassy,” wrote one tester.
AN ARTIST’S IRREVERENT, HIEROGLYPHIC TAKE ON THE WORLD TODAY.
STEERING average • WEIGHT light • FLEX soft to medium
TESTED LENGTH 174 • DIMENSIONS 124-85-114 • RADIUS 17.6
NORDICA • Hot Rod Top Fuel XBS Alu
PRICE: $1,255 WITH 5-14 XBi • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 162, 170, 178, 186
In a category of light, nimble sports cars, the Top Fuel XBS is more Hummer
than Porsche. This is a big-turning bruiser that needs to be brought up to
speed to show its real talents. “Aggressive and dynamic skiers will like it,”
wrote one tester. Eastern tree skiers? Nah. But for the big-mountain bomb
squad, this could be the vehicle of choice.
BRUTE FORCE HELPS TO ENERGIZE THIS BEEFY BOY.
STEERING average to strong • WEIGHT medium • FLEX medium to stiff
TESTED LENGTH 170 • DIMENSIONS 123-78-108 • RADIUS 16
DYNASTAR • Legend 8000
PRICE: $749 • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 165, 172, 178, 184
These days you’re wearing the hooded jacket and the baggy pants, but admit
it — you used to be part of the Lycra crowd. Racers turned freeriders, welcome
with open arms the Legend 8000. There is a lot of GS ski hiding under that
freeride top sheet. That means a combination of stability, edge grip and allmountain
versatility that works best when closet racers are at the controls.
LIGHTER MAY BE BETTER. BELOW-AVERAGE SCORES CAME FROM THREE HEAVIEST TESTERS.
STEERING average to strong • WEIGHT medium to heavy • FLEX medium
TESTED LENGTH 178 • DIMENSIONS 120-79-103 • RADIUS 19
BLIZZARD • IQon 8400
PRICE: $1,175 WITH IQ 4.12 TC • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 160, 167, 174, 181
Some skiers are so smooth they seem to fl ow like mountain streams. The
IQon 8400 makes skiing feel like fl oating on a stream — smooth, smooth,
smooth. That might mean a shortage of turn-to-turn energy, but the payoff
is predictable and confi dence-building ease — on hard snow or soft. “A
very, very, very easy ski,” wrote one tester. As easy as fl owing water.
SURPRISINGLY NIMBLE TURN INITIATION FOR A WIDER BOARD.
STEERING average • WEIGHT medium to light • FLEX medium
TESTED LENGTH 174 • DIMENSIONS 125-84-110 • RADIUS 18.5
VÖLKL • Unlimited AC30 Titanium
PRICE: $1,065 WITH IPT 12.0 TIGERSHARK • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 156, 163, 170, 177, 184
Didn’t the sign back there say, “Entering the freeride zone?” If so, the
Unlimited AC30 may have taken a wrong turn. Unless, that is, the freeride
zone is the land of big turns at high speed on hard snow. This is really a
wide-waisted carving ski, heavier and stiffer than most of its freeride brethren,
with classic Völkl edge grip. The sign here says, “Carving ahead.”
TESTER COMMENT: “SKI WITH MUSCLE TO FULLY APPRECIATE IT.”
STEERING average to strong • WEIGHT medium to heavy • FLEX stiff
TESTED LENGTH 177 • DIMENSIONS 118-76-104 • RADIUS 18.4
BUYER’S GUIDE 2008 65