Skippress - Index

Skippress - US_2007_2008 - Index

TOP 3 HIGHEST SCORES
66 BUYER’S GUIDE 2008
SKI PRESS SKI TEST '08 08
ELAN • M 888 Alu
PRICE: $975 WITH ELD 14.0 WB • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 159, 168, 177, 186
“Do the right thing.” That must be
the motto of the 888 Alu. No matter
where you take it or what you
demand of it, the Alu responds by
doing exactly what it’s supposed to
do. The delicate calibration between
fl ex, weight and shape allows the ski
to be a great powder board while still
being an all-star performer when
the going gets tough. “An athletic,
sparky mix of all-mountain, freeride
and GS ski,” wrote one tester. That
sounds about right.
BEST BUY
STABILITY 8.38
EZ TO INITIATE 8.15
EDGE GRIP 8.38
FORGIVENESS 8.00
ENERGY 8.23
SHORT RADIUS 7.85
LONG RADIUS 8.85
VERSATILITY 8.38
FLOTATION 8.54
RATING
ATOMIC • Crimson
PRICE: $1,250 WITH NEOX 412 • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 155, 162, 169, 176, 183
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85.18
ELEGANT RETRO LOOK FOR AN ELEGANT SKI.
STEERING average to strong • WEIGHT light to medium • FLEX medium
TESTED LENGTH 186 • DIMENSIONS 128-88-108 • RADIUS 23.1
NORDICA • Jet Fuel
PRICE: $1,295 WITH 5-14 XBi • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 170, 178, 186
Go get ’em, hot foot! You’re the
kind of guy who loves speed so
much you’re doing 60 backing out
of your driveway. For you, there’s
the Jet Fuel, a power-packed speed
machine. Built for the fast lane with
a pedal-to-the-metal mentality, this
is a race ski in a freeride shape.
“Very aggressive ski,” wrote one
tester. “Very responsive to added
pressure.” Slices on ice, blasts
through crud, competent in powder.
Eastern freeriders, go get a pair of
Jet Fuels. Vroom, vroom!
BEST BUY
STABILITY 8.69
EZ TO INITIATE 8.46
EDGE GRIP 8.62
FORGIVENESS 7.85
ENERGY 8.62
SHORT RADIUS 8.46
LONG RADIUS 8.46
VERSATILITY 8.38
FLOTATION 7.77
RATING
84.20
APPLY FORCE TO GET THIS JET TO FLY.
STEERING average to strong • WEIGHT medium • FLEX medium to stiff
TESTED LENGTH 178 • DIMENSIONS 126-84-112 • RADIUS 18
SCOTT • Mission
PRICE: $675 • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 168, 178, 183
Remember your favorite grade-school
teacher? Was an easy marker. Always
forgave you for behaving badly. Gave
you smiley faces. The Mission is Miss
Sweetheart from your fifth-grade
class. No matter what you do on the
Mission, it turns out great. When you
don’t do what you’re supposed to, no
worries. Sweet forgiveness. “Nothing
but all-mountain goodness,” wrote
one tester — a soft tip for powder,
but enough overall stiffness for harder
stuff, too. The one weakness: not
enough beef to plow through crud.
Otherwise, what a sweetheart!
BEST BUY
STABILITY 8.17
EZ TO INITIATE 8.92
EDGE GRIP 8.42
FORGIVENESS 8.67
ENERGY 8.42
SHORT RADIUS 8.42
LONG RADIUS 8.25
VERSATILITY 8.58
FLOTATION 8.25
RATING
83.52
GETTING TURNS STARTED IS DEAD-EASY.
STEERING average • WEIGHT medium to light • FLEX medium
TESTED LENGTH 183 • DIMENSIONS 130-90-116 • RADIUS 15.9
TOP 5 ALSO BEST BUYS
Top Top 88
Freeride MIDFAT (W/B)
BEST BUY ATOMIC VÖLKL FISCHER BLIZZARD HEAD
STABILITY 8.47 8.58 8.08 8.91 9.07
EZ TO INITIATE 8.27 8.50 8.50 8.27 8.21
EDGE GRIP 8.87 8.67 7.92 9.09 8.71
FORGIVENESS 7.67 7.58 8.25 8.18 7.71
ENERGY 8.47 8.33 8.33 8.45 8.14
SHORT RADIUS 8.13 8.00 8.00 8.18 7.71
LONG RADIUS 8.40 8.42 8.08 8.64 8.36
VERSATILITY 7.87 8.08 8.08 8.36 8.07
FLOTATION 7.73 7.25 7.83 8.36 7.29
RATING 83.30 82.72 82.35 82.34 81.67
The Crimson is like a powder ski that’s just fi nished a sixpack of Red Bull.
It’s light like a powder ski and, at 86 mm underfoot, it’s wide enough to
be a powder ski. But it’s overfl owing with overcaffeinated energy. So give
it something to really sink its teeth into, like hardpacked snow, where it
excels. “Good for fast, aggressive, on-piste skiing,” wrote one tester.
LIGHTEST TESTERS HAD THE MOST FUN.
STEERING average to strong • WEIGHT medium • FLEX medium to stiff
TESTED LENGTH 183 • DIMENSIONS 129-86-115 • RADIUS 19
VÖLKL • Unlimited AC 40 Carbon
PRICE: $1,115 WITH IPT 12.0 • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 163, 170, 177, 184
Think Indy-car racer. When the surface is racetrack-smooth, and the turns
consistent and predictable, its performance is extraordinary. Now think Indy
car detuned to be reasonably comfy when riding off track. The mental image
that should be taking shape is the AC 40 Carbon. “Great ski if you ski a lot
of groomers but like to go off-piste once in a while,” wrote one tester.
POWERFUL SKIING MADE AMAZINGLY EASY.
STEERING average to strong • WEIGHT light to medium • FLEX medium to stiff
TESTED LENGTH 184 • DIMENSIONS 125-82-110 • RADIUS 19.5
FISCHER • Watea 84
PRICE: $795 • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 167, 176, 184
“Attack” is not in your vocabulary. You don’t try to beat the mountain; you
take the best the mountain gives you. Like you, the Watea 84 comes to
life when the skiing is creamy and dreamy but gets uncomfortable when
the going gets hard. “Great for carving it up on groomers or ripping it up
in pow,” wrote one tester. In short, it’s a fair-weather skier’s ski.
GENTLE FINESSE WINS THE DAY HERE.
STEERING average to strong • WEIGHT light to medium • FLEX medium
TESTED LENGTH 184 • DIMENSIONS 126-84-112 • RADIUS 19
BLIZZARD • Titan Cronus IQ
PRICE: $1,000 WITH IQ 5.14 • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 166, 173, 180, 187
The combination of ingredients in a recipe sometimes doesn’t make sense,
but still produces tasty results. You’d think the stiffness of this ski, which has
fantastic edge grip and stability, might make it squirrely in softer snow. But
no — “great fl otation and response in powder,” wrote one tester. A hard-snow
star with soft-snow capability — a tasty, all-mountain combo-gumbo. Yum!
SWEET PRICE FOR A SKI THIS NICE.
STEERING average to strong • WEIGHT medium • FLEX medium to stiff
TESTED LENGTH 180 • DIMENSIONS 125-88-111 • RADIUS 19
HEAD • Monster iM 82
PRICE: $900 • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 150, 161, 172, 183
Blast off! Like a rocket on a launch pad, the iM 82 has such a need for
speed it almost quivers just leaning against the ski rack. “Don’t take this
ski lightly; be aggressive and centered,” wrote one tester. “Great for high
speed.” More carver than powder board, here’s a ski with an all-round mix
for Easterners who make one trip a year out West.
A SKI THAT LOVES SPEED, SPEED AND NOTHING BUT SPEED.
STEERING average to strong • WEIGHT medium • FLEX medium to stiff
TESTED LENGTH 183 • DIMENSIONS 123-83-109 • RADIUS 20