Salomon's Lumen, a bright light

Took Salomon's Q-96 Lumen skis out for a day the other week. This is an all mountain ski that is currently in the Salomon line-up. They have given the ski a face-lift for the 2014/15 ski year. The ski is now a mainly blue ski with some detailing, that kind of looks like a forest to me. It's not a bad graphic, but I have to say that I prefer the old look of the ski. Oh well.

This ski comes in four lengths, of which I took the 162cm out for a spin. It's curves are as follows: 128 tip: 95 underfoot: 114 tail. At this length the ski has a 18.4m turn radius. This is a pretty big turn radius. And exactly what I found when riding this ski. It was at it's best when I was riding it in areas where I could do large, sweeping turns. In tighter areas, that required more manoeuvrability, this ski was a bit sluggish. But as soon as I let it run, in large sweeping turns, it became a smooth ski.

I did find that the Lumen cuts through choppy snow really well. It

has a wood core that gives it stability, but also some other technologies (honeycomb tip) that make it not a super heavy ski. But this construction also makes the Lumen a power house. It cuts through chop with no chatter and without bouncing you around a lot. That was a great feeling – I felt like I could charge through anything. Fun times.

The Lumen had none of that pop that I so love at the end of a turn, but I also think that this would be too much from this ski. This ski really just isn't a ski that you expect or want to pop once you get going on it. It's a beast that holds you in good stead, but not a heavy ski.

I would recommend this ski as your 3^rd or 4^th ski – unless you are lucky skier who hits open bowls weekly. When you have a good carving ski and a good all round, all mountain ski, than this is a great addition for days when you are skiing open bowls or fresh snow. As an addition to other skis, I think you would really like this ski. I might have to see if I can add it to my wall next year...

The Goods:

-big, sweeping turns

-cuts through chop

-a power house of a ski

-good as a 3^rd or 4^th ski

-intermediate or advanced skier

The Not-So-Goods:

-sluggish in slower speeds

-hard to do short radius turns with

-not a “poppy” ski

Super fast Salomon W-24

Can you believe I still have skis to talk about from my demo day? Well I do. I'm such a lucky girl to have skied so many skis that day.

I want to tell you about a Salomon ski to rode that day. It's the Salomon W-24. This is a new ski to the Salomon lineup for the 2014/15 year. This ski is listed as an All Mountain Front side ski. It has a carve rocker and a semi-twin tip on a wood core. The W-24 comes in a few lengths, I skied the 160cm ski. Its curves are 120.2 tip, 71 underfoot, and a 101 tail.

The graphics of this new ski are pretty basic – black background with just a hint of colour on the tip and tail.  Even though I love colour, the graphic somehow really work. It makes the ski look very sleek and sexy. Not a bad descriptive in my world.

I quiet enjoyed this ski – once I let it do its thing. When I first took it out, I tried to ski it slowly. Not a good idea. When moving at a slower speed I found the ski sluggish, hard to edge and turn. Needless to say I was a little unhappy. Then I stopped to considered the type of ski I was on and decided to let the ski run a bit and thus picked up some speed. When I did this the W-24 came alive! At a faster pace the ski carved wonderful turns. I simply had to put in a bit of effort and the ski carved a nicely shaped turn. It did medium sized turns with ease, as well as bigger radius turns. At these faster speeds the W-24 became very responsive. There really was not much effort needed to get the ski to make the turns I was asking of it.  Simply enjoyable and energizing.  

I only had the chance to ride the W-24 on groomers, so I'm not sure how it would react in the choppier stuff. With it's need for a faster pace it might be a tougher ski to ride in these areas.  But until I take it out again in these areas, I really can't say for sure.  And I will be taking this ski out again.  So, if you are a mainly groomer kinda girl that is looking for speed and responsiveness in a ski, than the W-24 might just be the perfect ski for you.

The Goods...

-sleek graphics

-fun, fast ski

-great turns at a fast pace

-responsive

-great on groomers

-intermediate to advanced skier who likes to go fast

The Not-So-Goods...

-sluggish at a slower speed

-not the best ski for a slower skier

Sweet buckles!

Check out the sweet buckles that Chris got today! They are for his Salomon X Max 130s. I'm a little jealous...                                                                                                                                                             

New boots! Salomon X MAX 110 W

Anyone who knows me, knows that I've been having boot issues for ages.  We've tried new boots and many different liners.  And while some have been a total loss, others have been a good band-aid.  I have had a few issues in my search for the right boot. First, I'm a total "princess and the pea" about my feet.  I want my boots to fit just right - tight in the heel, snug but not too snug, tight calf but also enough room for muscle movement, the right amount of flex, and the list goes on.  This is an issue when you have tiny feet (size 5ish).  This means I'm in a size 22 ski boot, when a size 21 would be better.  However, you wont find these easily.  Well you will, but in a junior boot.  But, I also have calfs like many women.  And these calfs are way to big for a junior boot.


 So it was with much excitement that I anticipated my new boots for this year.  The Salomon X MAX 110 W.  I picked this boot because of how customizable the shell is.  I'm still in a size 22, the smallest size we could get.  But so far so good.  We heat formed the shell and liner a few weeks back.  I like to do this tight.  I want to feel super secure in my boots, as in no foot movement when I'm powering a turn.  While this process can be less than fun, it sure pays off in foot stability.

These boots have a wide range of customizable areas on them. I'll start with the liner...  The liner has been created with women in mind.  It's has padding to help with that calf issue I mentioned.  Enough to help a leg/foot feel secure, but with enough shape to allow for proper flexion of the calf.  The liner itself has formable foam on the ankles, heels, and tongue.  This allows for a better fit, giving comfort but also allowing one to feel stable in the boot and able to power those turns.

The shell is the shining light in new boot technology though! Instead of just heating the foam liner, the whole shell goes into an oven.  This heats the whole upper, softening it to allow the entire top part of the boot to be custom fitted.  One of the reasons I went with this boot.  So the areas that usually cause me issues (width, instep, calf) actually stretch to the accommodate my specific foot.  This is amazing as all my past boots required so much extra work just to get to this point.  An added benefit to feeling secure in the boot and the liner, my feet are staying warmer - even without my boot heater (which I may still add).

I've only had the chance to ski these boots a few times.  Like all new boots, they are taking some time to break in, but I am also feeling very secure in them.  I have skied variable terrain (chop, groomers, etc) and have felt very good.  They have been very responsive.  My heels have stayed in place and I feel like I can really push and my feet don't move.  I haven't had to "crank" the boot on tightly.  I've been known to be one of those people that undo my boots on the lift, only to clip the buckles at the top again.  I'm not knocking this, I'm justing saying that these boots are fitting well enough that I feel secure without the discomfit of an overly tightened boot.  I've not had to undo these boots between runs.  In fact, the buckles over my upper foot have hardly been tightened - a positive for how these are fitting in the heel.  They have great room in the calf and have the perfect amount of flex.  I can apply pressure to the boots and they bend enough that I feel like they are doing what I want, but not so much that they feel squishy.

I'm starting to think I'm Goldilocks, this porridge is just right...

Overall, while still early I'm really enjoying these boots.  And trust me, I've skied boots once, to reach lunch time and never what to put them on my feet again.  So for me to feel happy and excited about my boots is truly a positive sign.  Give these boots a consideration for sure if you are in the market for new pair this year.   

The joys of a new coat

I had the luck of getting a new coat this year.  While I loved my old jacket, my husband felt it was time for me to have a change.  So enter my new Salomon Speed jacket.  I grabbed this jacket in the magenta colour, that has a great green detailing.  Very sharp!

I love the fit of this coat.  Being small, jackets can swim on me, but this has their "active cut", which I find to have the perfect curves.  Curvy enough to give you good shape, but relaxed enough to not feel constrained in any way.  Great to not look like a line-backer on the hill.  It also has a PRIMALOFT insulation ®  (100gr/m²).  This makes the jacket super warm, while at the same time keeping it slim.  Added to that is that it's water resistant.  All great features in a ski jacket.

The jacket has great sized and placed pockets, including a pass/key clip.  Can't lie, I use it to hold my hair elastics.  What girl can ski without a back up hair elastic?  There is also an attached goggle cloth.  Does anyone ever use these?  I know my husband would freak if he saw me using it. He's a bit persnickety about the cleaning of goggles and sunglasses.  But it's there if you want it.

Oh and it has wrist cuffs with the thumb loop!  I don't know what it is about this feature, but I really love my jackets having this.  I think it adds a little extra warmth, especially at those moments when you have to go gloveless for a minute or two.  It just seems to make it cozier.

There are a few tweaks I would make to this jacket.  The powder skirt is great, nice and tight, and snaps away if need be.  But is lacking that little snap on the back that attaches it to your ski pant belt loop.  Gotta keep one's back warm on the cold days or during big tumbles.  Also, the hood is on the small side for fitting a helmet under.  This is a hot look that I like to rock on the lift when the wind is hollowing.  Maybe not cute, but super warm.  Don't get me wrong, the hood will pull over a helmet, but it's tight.  Not a comfortable fit for sure and you wont forget to pull it off before you head down.

Overall, this is a great jacket!  I would recommend to any girl looking for a great ski jacket.  Oh, and how could I have forgotten to add that this jacket is casual enough that it can pull double duty and be worn around town as well.  My dog has gone for more than one walk with me in this coat this year.  If you're looking for a new jacket this year, you should go give this one a try.