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Saas-fee skitests, October 2013
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There is something magic in Saastal. Imagine a valley where the Romans left for the Franks, and in 939 AD the Franks pacefully left a band of Saracens to live in, granted that they were able to protect the boarders from those crazy Italians. Nobody now can just imagine how some Saracens made it to the alps, but that Saracen squad named some of the most beautiful local 4k peaks with evocative names such as the Allah-lin and the Mischabel.
A paved road and the first car arrived in Saas-Fee in 1951, and the locals immediately decided that they did not want the cars to circulate in the village. Nowadays Saas-Fee is the kingdom of silence, and when the full moon lights the crown of neverending peaks surrounding the valley you feel the magic exactly like Saracen did dome thousand and more years ago.
*
A breed of good skis
The glacier surrounded by the Allalin, the Alphubel and the Dom is a pretty nice spot to test some from the 2014 breed of new skis, and Laura and I followed the forecasts for a several weeks to get the most sunny October days for this ski demo report. You reach the bottom of the Allalin by means of two bubbles and a subterranean metro, and the first time you get out of the metro station and see the magnificent crown of 4000 peaks you’re most likely go get breathless. And not only because you’re at some 3600 altitude.
Here are the 7 skis tested, I used them on a smooth combo of groomed, chalk and windblown on a perfect sunny day. Not enough to grab a definitive opinion, enough to begin to understand the personality of each of them.
*
Scott Punisher 183
I demoed the Punisher last april in 189, and immediately liked them as a do-it-all for an alpine resort like Verbier or Cham or St.Anton. Though, a 189 might sometimes be a big ski for me (180x80, 52, lazy, big arc lover). As my legs were not very well tempered after the summer, I decided to begin the test days with a short ski. Scott maybe an underdog in the Americas and in the southern alps, but has a very strong reputation in the French-speaking alps for the silk feeling of their Fischer-made skis. I have tried several Scotts over the year, and now am pretty sure that the Punisher is by far the best one I’ve skied. It has a very intelligent, drop-shaped shovel that inspire a powerful forward drive, and a tail that is very forgiving. As I was skiing after a 5-month stop, the tails saved me twice from danger when I was over my limits. Said that, I felt the 183 Punisher a bit short. Pretty good for trees and small arc, directional skiing, but then I understood I should have been more confident with the…
*
Scott Punisher 189
… which is not a demanding ski, has the same (forgiving!) tail of the 183 and takes advantage of the longer and more stable front shovel. Open the throttle and go, you’ll never feel unsafe. If your resort has less trees and more open bowls, then consider the 189 over the 183, and vice-versa.
*
Rossignol Squad 7, 192
I’ve been looking for a pair of Squad 7 to test for all the past winter. The more I read about it (named ski of the 2013 by many…), the more I was frustrated for the lack of a demo pair in Verbier. However, when finally in Saas I was able to test them… I immediately realized that I’m not a Squad 7 skier. I still have my very old pair of green 100-something Bandit Squad from the pre-rocker era, and usually ski them in November on artificial snow as a paradigm of demanding skis to test new boots. Well, the new Squads are sort of the same ski. I call them over-ruler. They drive you over you, so you take care, well, a lot of care. Looking at how much positive camber they still have, it easier to understand why such a bombproof construction works again today as in the old bandits. So, happy to give you a try, mr. Squads, but now it’s time to demo what so many have already defined as “the ski of the 2014”, the black and yellow…
*
Rossignol Soul 7, 188
When flexed them and looked at the abundant positive camber, I was scared that the soul 7 were not likely my cup of tea, as I like a lot negative cambered stuff like Cochise, Katana and Renegades. I was sort of wrong. At variance with the heavy and burly Squad, when skiing the Soul I was immediately able to feel the quickness advantage given by the new honeycomb tips & tails. The Soul are very, very fast edge to edge and very easy to toss around. Even though I was skiing a 188, the feeling was some 180ish… well even at speed. It has some advantages (they’re a lot of fun!), but also a drawback: they do not inspire fully confidence when at mach 3. Overall, one of the most nimble skis of its generation, with a feeling pretty similar to an hybrid DPS w99 (for a fraction of that cost…). If you want a one ski quiver for intensive AT and resort skiing, likely a very good option. Well if you otherwise want a one ski quiver for resort and AT.. then consider a Punisher. When returning the Soul, my eyes fell on a black beauty, the mighty…
*
Nordica Helldorado 193
I have never skied a Nordica ski in years, and was pretty tempted by this long black metallic tool. They seem to have never-ending long tails (which I usually never like), but as soon as you begin to ski them, you forgive how long they are, because of their huge and long tail rocker. I usually like long skis and usually like skis with a lot of metal, but very rarely like long skis with a lot of metal… The helldorado were a notable exception. They ski fun and smooooth, are not demanding and the more you ski them the more you like their directional and Cadillac feeling. Notably, Saas had perfect snow during the demo days so I can not say anything about the trouble in uneven snow that some others have reported about the helldorado. Certainly I’d love to ski them much more.
At this time of the test days, I wanted to compare the new breed with my reference ski from the past winter. I’ve defined the Sideseth 188 as the ski I liked most in a resort like Verbier, so I went to the K2 stand to grab it again and to compare its feeling with what I’ve just skied. Hey wait a moment, there is no more Sideserth, now it’s called Annex, and most of all it was available in Saas only in size…
*
Annex 118, 181
In spite of a pretty funny camber profile (a few mm positive which suddenly ends just in front of the boot toe to give birth to a loooong, rockered shovel), the Annex/Sideseth has astonished me last winter with a perfect blend of stability and nimble feeling on steep faces. I was scared that the 181 was too short for me, but I was sort of wrong. Sure, at high speed on long arcs I would have preferred my 188, but the magic feeling of the confidence-inspiring tail was still the same. In other words, if you are addicted to steep, narrow couloir skiing (or to tree skiing), then you would likely prefer the 181 over the 188.
Speaking about steep and couloir skiing, I was tempted to give a try to a tool which has an increasing reputation for this kind of stuff, the
*
Blizzard Brahma, 180
I rarely use skis below 100, but many friends who love ice and steep skiing have asked me to try something that can work at best in those conditions. Well the 88-wide Brahma is literally married to its edge, so I guess it’s a perfect ski for steep lovers who do not care about powder floatation and stuff like that… I also was unprepared for its directional, nervous feeling, so found myself indulging in old style short turns much more than I could anticipate. But if I had one Gervasutti in mind, then a Brahma would be my choice.
Saas-fee skitests, October 2013
*
There is something magic in Saastal. Imagine a valley where the Romans left for the Franks, and in 939 AD the Franks pacefully left a band of Saracens to live in, granted that they were able to protect the boarders from those crazy Italians. Nobody now can just imagine how some Saracens made it to the alps, but that Saracen squad named some of the most beautiful local 4k peaks with evocative names such as the Allah-lin and the Mischabel.
A paved road and the first car arrived in Saas-Fee in 1951, and the locals immediately decided that they did not want the cars to circulate in the village. Nowadays Saas-Fee is the kingdom of silence, and when the full moon lights the crown of neverending peaks surrounding the valley you feel the magic exactly like Saracen did dome thousand and more years ago.
*
A breed of good skis
The glacier surrounded by the Allalin, the Alphubel and the Dom is a pretty nice spot to test some from the 2014 breed of new skis, and Laura and I followed the forecasts for a several weeks to get the most sunny October days for this ski demo report. You reach the bottom of the Allalin by means of two bubbles and a subterranean metro, and the first time you get out of the metro station and see the magnificent crown of 4000 peaks you’re most likely go get breathless. And not only because you’re at some 3600 altitude.
Here are the 7 skis tested, I used them on a smooth combo of groomed, chalk and windblown on a perfect sunny day. Not enough to grab a definitive opinion, enough to begin to understand the personality of each of them.
*
Scott Punisher 183
I demoed the Punisher last april in 189, and immediately liked them as a do-it-all for an alpine resort like Verbier or Cham or St.Anton. Though, a 189 might sometimes be a big ski for me (180x80, 52, lazy, big arc lover). As my legs were not very well tempered after the summer, I decided to begin the test days with a short ski. Scott maybe an underdog in the Americas and in the southern alps, but has a very strong reputation in the French-speaking alps for the silk feeling of their Fischer-made skis. I have tried several Scotts over the year, and now am pretty sure that the Punisher is by far the best one I’ve skied. It has a very intelligent, drop-shaped shovel that inspire a powerful forward drive, and a tail that is very forgiving. As I was skiing after a 5-month stop, the tails saved me twice from danger when I was over my limits. Said that, I felt the 183 Punisher a bit short. Pretty good for trees and small arc, directional skiing, but then I understood I should have been more confident with the…
*
Scott Punisher 189
… which is not a demanding ski, has the same (forgiving!) tail of the 183 and takes advantage of the longer and more stable front shovel. Open the throttle and go, you’ll never feel unsafe. If your resort has less trees and more open bowls, then consider the 189 over the 183, and vice-versa.
*
Rossignol Squad 7, 192
I’ve been looking for a pair of Squad 7 to test for all the past winter. The more I read about it (named ski of the 2013 by many…), the more I was frustrated for the lack of a demo pair in Verbier. However, when finally in Saas I was able to test them… I immediately realized that I’m not a Squad 7 skier. I still have my very old pair of green 100-something Bandit Squad from the pre-rocker era, and usually ski them in November on artificial snow as a paradigm of demanding skis to test new boots. Well, the new Squads are sort of the same ski. I call them over-ruler. They drive you over you, so you take care, well, a lot of care. Looking at how much positive camber they still have, it easier to understand why such a bombproof construction works again today as in the old bandits. So, happy to give you a try, mr. Squads, but now it’s time to demo what so many have already defined as “the ski of the 2014”, the black and yellow…
*
Rossignol Soul 7, 188
When flexed them and looked at the abundant positive camber, I was scared that the soul 7 were not likely my cup of tea, as I like a lot negative cambered stuff like Cochise, Katana and Renegades. I was sort of wrong. At variance with the heavy and burly Squad, when skiing the Soul I was immediately able to feel the quickness advantage given by the new honeycomb tips & tails. The Soul are very, very fast edge to edge and very easy to toss around. Even though I was skiing a 188, the feeling was some 180ish… well even at speed. It has some advantages (they’re a lot of fun!), but also a drawback: they do not inspire fully confidence when at mach 3. Overall, one of the most nimble skis of its generation, with a feeling pretty similar to an hybrid DPS w99 (for a fraction of that cost…). If you want a one ski quiver for intensive AT and resort skiing, likely a very good option. Well if you otherwise want a one ski quiver for resort and AT.. then consider a Punisher. When returning the Soul, my eyes fell on a black beauty, the mighty…
*
Nordica Helldorado 193
I have never skied a Nordica ski in years, and was pretty tempted by this long black metallic tool. They seem to have never-ending long tails (which I usually never like), but as soon as you begin to ski them, you forgive how long they are, because of their huge and long tail rocker. I usually like long skis and usually like skis with a lot of metal, but very rarely like long skis with a lot of metal… The helldorado were a notable exception. They ski fun and smooooth, are not demanding and the more you ski them the more you like their directional and Cadillac feeling. Notably, Saas had perfect snow during the demo days so I can not say anything about the trouble in uneven snow that some others have reported about the helldorado. Certainly I’d love to ski them much more.
At this time of the test days, I wanted to compare the new breed with my reference ski from the past winter. I’ve defined the Sideseth 188 as the ski I liked most in a resort like Verbier, so I went to the K2 stand to grab it again and to compare its feeling with what I’ve just skied. Hey wait a moment, there is no more Sideserth, now it’s called Annex, and most of all it was available in Saas only in size…
*
Annex 118, 181
In spite of a pretty funny camber profile (a few mm positive which suddenly ends just in front of the boot toe to give birth to a loooong, rockered shovel), the Annex/Sideseth has astonished me last winter with a perfect blend of stability and nimble feeling on steep faces. I was scared that the 181 was too short for me, but I was sort of wrong. Sure, at high speed on long arcs I would have preferred my 188, but the magic feeling of the confidence-inspiring tail was still the same. In other words, if you are addicted to steep, narrow couloir skiing (or to tree skiing), then you would likely prefer the 181 over the 188.
Speaking about steep and couloir skiing, I was tempted to give a try to a tool which has an increasing reputation for this kind of stuff, the
*
Blizzard Brahma, 180
I rarely use skis below 100, but many friends who love ice and steep skiing have asked me to try something that can work at best in those conditions. Well the 88-wide Brahma is literally married to its edge, so I guess it’s a perfect ski for steep lovers who do not care about powder floatation and stuff like that… I also was unprepared for its directional, nervous feeling, so found myself indulging in old style short turns much more than I could anticipate. But if I had one Gervasutti in mind, then a Brahma would be my choice.
)]