Long Turns
Long Turns
Displaying 1 - 10 of 19
September 23, 2010
Gradual rocker from tip to tail is the Kiku’s secret to unsurpassed smoothness. It’s steady, damp and
humming with Völkl power. Testers scored it high in Flotation (No. 3), Crud Performance (No. 3) and Overall Impression (No. 2). It craves long turns and virgin powder the most, but when prodded, it’s not too stubborn to hustle through tight trees and bumps, too. You do have to steer it from exactly the right spot; but for those who find that spot, the rewards are rich. “A strong and powerful ski, it delivers performance in perfect fluff and the more-
challenging chop,” said Moscarella.
September 23, 2010
Interesting: Testers liked K2’s lower performing ski, the Free Luv (see left), better than the Burnin’, an expert ski layered with metal laminates. Perhaps with a waist of 70 mm—the narrowest in the test—it got penalized for not being as versatile as others. As you’d expect, though, it was one of the quickest sticks—its edge-to-edge rhythm is as automatic as a metronome’s. But it insisted on short turns, and some felt the new “speed rocker” tip—a slight rise to ease initiation and transition—took some getting used to. “Best suited for an Easterner who wants to carve, carve, carve,” said Wilde.
September 22, 2010
The Jet Fuel makes a lot of skis in the category feel like river barges. That’s how light, lively and quick it is. The layup is classic: wood core, vertical sidewalls, two sheets of metal. But this year Nordica lightens it up by using a less-dense wood core and replacing a section down the middle with foam. Nordica says it’s 20 percent lighter, and that weight savings is immediately apparent. Testers loved it in bumps and short-radius turns, especially, but they warned that it gets knocked around some in crud. “Slingshot turn finishes and nimble quickness; a high-energy ski,” said Gleason.
September 22, 2010
In a category where versatility is prized above all else, the Apex gets the job done with a pleasing blend of power and forgiveness. Testers gave it high marks for its hard-snow performance. Yet with plenty of taper (i.e., relatively narrow tail in relation to tip), it releases readily at the end of each arc, so you’ll never feel overmatched. It’s a no-gimmicks, unrockered, wood-core, vertical-sidewall, metal-reinforced construction with a smooth, supple feel—plenty of fun at speed. “Direction changes are quick, stability is super high—it does everything well,” said Preston.
September 22, 2010
At 96 mm, the Mantra was second-fattest in the category. That put it at a disadvantage in terms of quickness and all-mountain versatility, but it will rock those powder days. It’s a traditional-camber, wood-core, laminate construction—built for racy edge-grip that belies its girth; demanding, but also rewarding. It was No. 3 in Flotation, yet still in the middle of the pack for Hard-Snow Grip. It loves long arcs and high speeds, erring on the side of power over finesse. Among all the rockered skis, it feels especially long and burly, which skilled traditionalists will love. “A dynamic one-ski-quiver gem for experts,” said Malone.
Gear 101
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