Skippress - Index

Skippress - US_2007_2008 - Index

TOP 3 HIGHEST SCORES
SKI PRESS SKI TEST '08 08
NORDICA • Hellcat
PRICE: $1,425 WITH 5-14 XBi • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 170, 178, 186
What’s in a name? Sometimes, a lot.
This Hellcat prowls the mountain
with the certitude that it is lord of
the entire domain. No wonder testers
gave it high scores across the
board, especially when the deep
sidecut tackled fast-and-fi rm conditions.
“If this is hell, sign me up,”
wrote one tester of a ski that others
described as “sparky,” “snappy,”
and “vivacious.” It’s a cat that even
intermediates can fi nd playful, but
it really hunts when a forceful expert
is in command.
BEST BUY
STABILITY 8.93
EZ TO INITIATE 8.71
EDGE GRIP 9.00
FORGIVENESS 8.07
ENERGY 8.64
SHORT RADIUS 8.57
LONG RADIUS 8.57
VERSATILITY 8.50
FLOTATION 8.50
RATING
DYNASTAR • Legend Pro Rider
PRICE: $999 • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 176, 186, 194
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86.69
IT TAKES A TOUGH DUDE TO TAME THE HELLCAT.
STEERING strong • WEIGHT medium • FLEX medium to stiff
TESTED LENGTH 178 • DIMENSIONS 132-90-118 • RADIUS 20
VÖLKL • Mantra
PRICE: $975 • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 170, 177, 184, 191
Ver-sa-tile — look it up in the skier’s
dictionary, and you know what’s pictured?
The Mantra. This ski has the
concept of versatility nailed. How
many skis have the vise-like edge grip
to sting like a bee on hard snow, yet
are supple enough to fl oat like a butterfl
y in powder? It’s as if the Mantra’s
fl ex changes miraculously with the
snow. “The Mantra is a candidate for
the podium in the overall ranking,”
gushed one tester. Why? Because it’s
the defi nition of versatile.
BEST BUY
STABILITY 8.94
EZ TO INITIATE 8.38
EDGE GRIP 9.00
FORGIVENESS 8.06
ENERGY 8.69
SHORT RADIUS 8.38
LONG RADIUS 9.06
VERSATILITY 8.94
FLOTATION 8.94
RATING
86.62
COOLEST LOOK IN VÖLKL’S ENTIRE LINE.
STEERINGaverage to strong • WEIGHTmedium • FLEXmedium to stiff
TESTED LENGTH 191 • DIMENSIONS 133-96-116 • RADIUS 24.8
FISCHER • Watea 94
PRICE: $895 • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 178, 186
Fat skis are supposed to know their
place. Stay on soft snow. Avoid tight
turns in tight spaces. Apparently
the Watea 94 didn’t get the memo.
Here’s a ski that does all a fat ski
is supposed to — make smooth,
round turns in soft snow — but has
the renegade spirit to venture successfully
into moguls and trees, too.
Loaded with energy yet easy to turn,
this is a true, all-round performer
— any place on the mountain.
BEST BUY
STABILITY 8.54
EZ TO INITIATE 8.62
EDGE GRIP 8.38
FORGIVENESS 8.46
ENERGY 8.69
SHORT RADIUS 8.15
LONG RADIUS 8.69
VERSATILITY 8.31
FLOTATION 8.08
RATING
84.69
IN THE PRICE-PERFORMANCE RATIO, THE WATEA 94 IS A CATEGORY WINNER.
STEERING average to strong • WEIGHT medium • FLEX medium
TESTED LENGTH 186 • DIMENSIONS 130-94-118 • RADIUS 22
TOP 5 ALSO BEST BUYS
Top Top 88
BEST BUY DYNASTAR ELAN K2 HEAD BLIZZARD
STABILITY 9.33 8.79 8.13 8.62 8.77
EZ TO INITIATE 8.20 8.00 8.20 8.31 7.62
EDGE GRIP 9.00 8.21 8.07 8.46 7.92
FORGIVENESS 7.93 8.57 8.13 7.77 7.62
ENERGY 8.47 8.14 7.73 8.15 7.62
SHORT RADIUS 7.40 7.57 7.53 7.69 7.08
LONG RADIUS 9.07 8.57 8.47 8.31 8.46
VERSATILITY 8.33 7.86 7.80 8.15 7.54
FLOTATION 8.67 8.57 9.00 7.46 8.69
RATING 84.01 83.97 83.59 81.58 81.41
The Legend Pro Rider has a serious attitude. It doesn’t like messing around
with the small stuff — in tight places, it’s a bull in a china shop. But let the
bull loose, charging through big, open spaces, and it is gloriously in its element.
“Defi nitely an expert, big-mountain rocket,” wrote one tester of a ski
unmatched for stability at high speed. Snort, snort! Bring on the attitude.
OPEN UP THE THROTTLE – GO BIG AND GO FAST.
STEERING average to strong • WEIGHT medium • FLEX medium to stiff
TESTED LENGTH 186 • DIMENSIONS 124-97-116 • RADIUS 29
ELAN • M 999 Wood
PRICE: $1,000 WITH ELD 14.0 WB • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 163, 174, 185, 193
Visualize: The back bowls at Vail... Harmony Bowl at Whistler after a
storm... some dreamy face in AK... We’re talking 999 Wood country, where
there’s room to roam and soft snow to fl oat on. There’s just enough narrowness
and sidecut to be effective for on-piste skiing, but it’s in wide-open
spaces where the Wood really struts its stuff.
ANOTHER HANDSOME, RETRO LOOK FROM ELAN.
STEERING average • WEIGHT medium • FLEX medium
TESTED LENGTH 185 • DIMENSIONS 129-99-119 • RADIUS 31.3
K2 • Coomba
PRICE: $800 • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 167, 174, 181, 188
What a difference a few silly millimeters can make. The Coomba is the widest
ski underfoot in this category. The result? Sensational fl otation. This is the
closest thing in the category to a pure powder board. Several testers thought
it would make a great backcountry-touring ski — “89 percent off-piste” by
the calculation of one tester. Big turns in big powder — sweet as, bro!
FLOATS LIKE A RAFT ON A SMOOTH OCEAN.
STEERING average • WEIGHT medium • FLEX medium
TESTED LENGTH 188 • DIMENSIONS 135-102-121 • RADIUS 22 (174)
HEAD • Monster iM 88
PRICE: $1,170 WITH LD 12 WIDE • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 164, 175, 186
The Monster iM 88 is fat on a diet. The relatively svelte shape — 88 millimeters
underfoot — means great on-piste performance, especially for big turns
— “like a fat GS race ski,” according to one tester. While, as another tester
wrote, “it may struggle on the deep, deep days,” it’s still an effective tool in
most powder. In other words, just fat enough for Eastern powder days.
A SMOOTH OPERATOR WHEN THE ON-PISTE GOING GETS CRUDDY AND ROUGH.
STEERING average to strong • WEIGHT medium to heavy • FLEX medium to stiff
TESTED LENGTH 186 • DIMENSIONS 127-89-113 • RADIUS 21.7
BLIZZARD • Titan Argos IQ
PRICE: $1,150 WITH IQ 5.14 • LENGTHS AVAILABLE: 173, 180, 187
Freeride FAT (W/B)
No one likes waiting on a powder day, and with the Titan Argos IQ, there’s
no need to. This ripper powers through powder and crud to get you to the
bottom faster than your buddies, so that you’re back to the top fi rst for a
second run. “Stable to the max!” wrote one tester. “Straightliners are no
problem!” Go deep and go fast — and get there fi rst.
NOTHING BEATS THE STABLE FEEL OF TRADITIONAL WOODCORE CONSTRUCTION.
STEERING average to strong • WEIGHT medium • FLEX medium to stiff
TESTED LENGTH 187 • DIMENSIONS 132-101-118 • RADIUS 26.5
BUYER’S GUIDE 2008 67