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

K2 Magical Fun

During my demo day the K2 rep and I had some fun with ski selections. I tested three skis and fell in love with one of them. Two of the skis I tested were new to K2 – the Potion line. It's a great new line with a wide variety of skis.

The first ski I tested was the K2 Potion 84. This is a new ski for the 2014/15 ski year which K2 has classified as an All Terrain Rocker ski that is meant for all mountain and free ride skiing. The Potion 84, as with all the Potion skis, get their Potion number from the width underfoot. You guessed it, this ski is 84 underfoot. It had a tip width of 128, and a tail width of 112. I rode the 160cm length, which had a 14m turn radius.

I liked the graphics of this ski. Dark, simple colours, but the swirling adds a nice depth to the visual appeal. I think they have done a good job in designing the visuals of this new line-up.

The Potion 84 is a responsive ski, fairly easy to turn when put on edge. There were times that I felt I had to work the ski a bit to get it to bite, this was mainly on the icier sections of the hill. But I liked the turns the ski made and felt that it was a good intermediate ski. The ski flexed well and the rocker allowed the ski to react like it was shorter ski.

I didn't get to take this ski into more choppy terrain, but from what I experienced I think that it would be fun in these conditions. The Potion 84 is light weight enough that it would make some good turns in choppy snow, but has the width underfoot to allow it to float.

The Goods:

All terrain

Responsive

Intermediate ski

Good graphics

The “Not-So-Goods”:

Hard to edge on some terrain – icier areas

Not overwhelmed by the ski – maybe a bit boring

The other ski I rode in the Potion line up was the Potion 90. The ski is again listed as an all mountain ski, but also comes touring ready – for those added parts you need to tour. I rode the 163cm ski, that has a turning radius of 15m. It had measurements of 132 tip, 90 underfoot (had you already guessed that one?), 115 tail.

The graphics of this ski are much brighter than the Potion 84 – which I really liked. They have a darker background, but lots of colour on top. Green, purple, and a few shades of blue all swirled together. In the end it creates an eye-catching look.

Now that I've laid out the details of this ski, I can let you know how much I loved the Potion 90! I ended my time on this ski grinning from ear to ear. It was a super fun to ski to ride. It was responsive and turned really well. I only had to slightly edge the ski for it to react with gusto. By no means did it over-turn, it just responded really well and quickly. I rode the Potion 90 fast and it gripped the snow really well, giving me total control.

I would love to get my hands on this ski again to take it into powder and loser snow. I imagine that it's light weight and ability to react will make it very fun and versatile in these snow conditions.

The Goods:

I loved this ski!

All terrain – it would be super fun in the choppier terrain

Responsive and agile

Intermediate/advanced ski that will have you smiling

Great graphics and colours

The “Not-So-Goods”:

huuummmmm, can't really think of one...

The final K2 ski I had the luck to ride on demo day was the K2 Remedy 102. This is a ski in the current K2 line-up that has received some tweaks for the 2014/15 ski year. One of note is the tapered tip that still allows for float, but also allows the ski to cut nicely through deeper snow and chop. They have also changed the graphics for this year. The ski is now mainly a green colour with some blue on a darker background. Not sure that I love the new colouring, but there are more important things to a ski than colour, right?

I skied a long ski (170cm), but it is available in a size that I would be better suited for (163cm). At the 163cm length the ski has a turning radius of 16m. The Remedy has the following dimensions: 131 tip, 102 underfoot, 125 tail.

I found the Remedy to be a large ski, good for big sweeping turns – remember that it has a 16m turn radius. While the Remedy was great for big turns, it took some work to do shorter radius turns. Not surprising when you consider the turn radius and the length of ski I was riding. I also found that when I tried to power the Remedy 102, I didn't get a great ride on the ski, physically draining and unresponsive. As soon as I relaxed and let the ski do the work I found it much more fun and it carved enjoyable turns.

I think that this would be an enjoyable ski to get into an open bowl, but sadly I only tested it on groomers. This ski is considered an all terrain ski, but I think that it's strength lies in deeper snow and chop.

The Goods:

All terrain

Tapered tip update

deep snow and chop

good for big sweeping turns

The “Not-So-Goods”:

Not in love with the new graphics

sluggish at quicker turns

Rocking it on Rossignol

Another ski brand that I had the chance to test the other week during my demo day was Rossignol. I found two skis that I think some might enjoy.

The first ski I want to tell you about is the Rossignol Temptation 88. This ski was in my top three from the day. Let me give you the specifics before I get into what I loved. I skied a long ski, 170cm, and still had a great ride. The dimensions of this ski are 135 tip, 88 underfoot, and 124 tail. Take a look at my blog on these numbers if you need a refresher on what they mean.

The Temptation 88 is a current ski in the Rossi lineup that they have slightly updated the look of for the 2014/15 ski year. It still has a black background with a beige graphic. So super basic, but it works. Especially when you consider how well this ski performs. The biggest update is the addition of Air Tip. This is a technology that uses hexagonal hollow pockets in the tip of the ski that reduces weight without compromising strength. The bonus of this is that it helps lighten the swing weight of the ski; very helpful in trees or tight turn situations.

What I loved about this ski... pretty much everything. It was a super responsive ski. It was easy to ski, but far from being boring. It had a lot of pep, so that when I went to turn it it really popped. All this while I was skiing a long ski. The longer the ski the harder it can be to get it to respond, and I found it responsive at the long length. So I can imagine how much better the ski would be in a size I would more likely buy, (162cm).

I would really like to get this ski out into choppier terrain, because as I mentioned, I only skied groomers the day of the demo. While I think this ski has strength in groomers, it's always fun to get a ski onto variable terrain where it belongs to push its limits.

So, if you are an intermediate to advanced skier, and looking for a ski that's great on groomers, but can be taken off into choppier terrain, consider this ski. The Temptation 88 is a great option that you'll have lots of fun on.

The Goods:
Responsive
Easy to ski - yeah for saving the legs for lots of runs
Light weight
Fun on groomers - a good groomer day can be so fun
Simple Graphics
Good ski to grow into ability wise

The "Not-So-Goods":
Stronger skiers should only apply
Simple graphics - I'm a girl that likes a little colour

The other Rossignol ski that I had the chance to ride on demo day was the new Saffron 7. This is a ski that was added to the Rossi line up for the 2013/14 ski season. While it's a newer ski, they have still updated the look for the 2014/15 season, and for the better in my opinion. I really like the new colouring with pink details. But it's not an overpowering amount of colour, just enough to make the ski visually enjoyable. This ski also gets the Air Tip treatment for 2014/15 model.  Bonus.

I had the chance to ski the 162 cm length ski, that had the dimensions of 128 tip, 98 underfoot, 118 tail. The Saffron 7 was a good, solid ski. It made good turns that were very smooth. I found the ski to be responsive and it edged well when I went to make my turns. I have to admit I wasn't overwhelmed by this ski, but that can also be a really good thing for some. I think the word that comes to mind is predictable. What I mean by this is that the ski did exactly what I asked of it. I knew what it was going to give me and it didn't surprise me. Again, this is not necessarily a bad thing. This quality in a ski can make it the perfect ski for many and I can see that there are many that will love this ski. I can even think of a friend that I would recommend this ski for. I think she would fully love it.

So if you are an intermediate/ advanced skier looking for a solid all mountain ski, give the Saffron 7 a test drive. It could be exactly the ski for you that will allow you to make great turns, while building your technique.

The Goods: 
Predictable - this is good and bad all at the same time.                                            
Easy to turn                                                

All mountain

Intermediate/ advanced ski

Graphics

The "Not-So-Goods":

Predictable   

I just didn't love this ski...

Atomic Affection

We got out for a little demo action this week. Best part, many of the skis were the 2014/15 models! I got to try out a number of skis and look forward to giving you my insights into them.

One of the skis that I had the chance to ride and loved was the Atomic Affinity Pure. What a great ski! First a few of the specifics – I rode the 154cm ski, with the dimensions of 122 tip, 79 underfoot, and 101 tail. While this ski is in the Atomic lineup currently, they have updated the graphics of the ski for the 2014/15 ski year. I really enjoy the new colouring and details. I like the multiple colours, they were bright without being overwhelming.

This ski was great in so many ways. The first word the comes to mind in describing this ski as that it was “fun”. I fully enjoyed riding this ski. It was super responsive, I only had to put minimal effort into the turn to have it quickly respond and carve a wonderful turn. I was skiing mainly groomers that day and the ski held its edge really well on all snow - corduroy, ice, hard pack. I never hesitated for a moment on this ski. A great endorsement.

While I didn't have the chance to take the ski into choppier snow, I would have loved the opportunity to see how it responded. But based on its light weight and it's overall abilities I'm sure it would stand up well.

I would fully recommend this ski to anyone looking for a good all mountain ski. The Pure is a ski that could easily be skied by an intermediate skier, but an advanced skier would also enjoy it. Check it out for sure if you are looking for something new at the start of next season.

I also took the Atomic Elysian out for a spin even if the conditions were not optimal for this ski. The details: 159cm length; 126tip, 95 underfoot, 115 tail. The graphics are good, colourful with all the basic colours to make it work well with most bindings, boots, jackets, etc.

The Elysian was a light weight ski that handled well considering the snow conditions – as I said I was on groomers that day. This ski is really meant to be skied in more fluffier areas. The Elysian handled well on the run considering where its strength lie - powder. It was responsive if I took it for long wide turns, allowing the ski to do nice gentle turns. The Elysian has a turn radius of 17.1m, so its meant to do nice sweeping turns. I would love to get this ski out into a wide open bowl or onto a run with fresh powder. I can only imagine how much fun this ski would be when taken into its optimal terrain. Something I plan to do if Mother Nature agrees and I can get my hands on this ski again.

You should consider this ski if you already have a good all mountain ski and are looking to add a all-mountain powder ski to your options. It would be a very fun ski to have as an option.

Demo day!!

Demo day at the ski hill. All the major brands are here and I've tested a lot of next year's skis. Stay tuned for my thoughts and feedback. Awesome day so far!