Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2014 14:37:23 GMT -7
This past weekend at Ellicottville I had the chance to click into a few pairs of skis owned by some of the guys. I did about 3 to 5 runs on each, so enough to get a basic feel, but not enough for any in-depth reviews.
So here are my impressions...
Fischer Progressor 800, 175 cm
-- light feel on the snow; very agile and quick; excellent edge grip on refrozen corduroy, crusty snow, and ice.
-- very stable at speed; gets calmer the faster you go, which is typical Fischer Progressor
-- short turns were a cinch, and didn't need too much pressure on the shovels to accomplish
-- long turns were no problem; very stable and calm
-- flex pattern was even, with nice pop out of the tails; not aggressive, just fun and spritely;
-- lively feel; the opposite of Head/Dynastar/Rossi dampness.
I really liked these. They were a lot of fun, and made me wish that Fischer made them in a longer length (175 is the longest), as I would be tempted to buy a pair. I was reminded of how fun a lively ski like this can be. The magic of these is that, despite the light and lively feel, they were very calm when pushed to higher speeds. Versatile. A real blast to ski on. I used to own the Progressor 9+, and these felt like a lighter, friendlier version of those. Definitely not the top end speed and stability of the P-9's, but no slouch, and way higher fun factor.
Head Rev 85, 184 cm
-- light feel on snow; I was expecting them to be heavier, damper, having skied their predecessor, the Peak 84, a year ago, so I was pleasantly surprised at the feel
-- quite agile for a longer, wider ski; hooked up into each turn easily and readily
-- short turns took a slight bit of effort, but no real problem; med. to long turns are their forte
-- excellent edge grip on warm spring-type groomers (temps were just above freezing) and icy patches
-- flex pattern very smooth and even; tails released nicely with good energy, but not aggressive
-- very calm and damp at higher speed
-- took a bit of work to get them on edge, but that is probably just me not being used to them (I hadn't skied anything wider than 72 mm since last March)
Bottom line: a fun ski, with more agility and lighter feel than I anticipated. They absorbed rough terrain very well, and I could see these being great in crud and broken snow. I would need more time on these to really get dialed in, but I could see why so many people like them. A home run for Head. (Thanks to Perry for letting me ski these as long as I wanted)
Rossi Experience 88, 178 cm
-- also a light feel on snow; but damper than the Head and Fischer, but not dead feeling; absorbed a lot of vibration and chatter, which was impressive as conditions were refrozen corduroy with some icy patches, which gave my Nordica's the fits
-- hooked up into turns very quickly and easily, giving them quite an agile feel, which was a pleasant surprise
-- short turns were a breeze; effortless; which was another surprise; medium to long turns were nice round arcs...sweet
-- very calm and quiet at speed; they kind of reminded me of my Dynastar Sultan 94's; they just sucked up all the trail noise and made me want to go faster
-- edge grip was really excellent; I intentionally went looking for ice patches to see how they would hold, and had no skidding or sliding...wow...pretty darn good for an 88 mm ski
-- easy to get up on edge; felt much narrower than 88 mm; not sure why they were easier in this way than the narrower Rev's....shorter length? higher binding stand height?
-- even flex pattern; good energy in the tails; smooth supple release out of turns....all good
I admit to having had a bias against Rossi before skiing these, as all the Rossi's that I have tried in the past were dull and lifeless...competent, but boring. But these were totally different, and I really liked them a lot. They were effortless to ski, very forgiving, but obviously had a high performance ceiling in that I could push them to higher speeds and they just stayed completely calm and quiet. As said, they reminded me of my Sultans, so it seems the relationship with Dynastar is rubbing off on Rossignol in a good way. These hit all my criteria, and I would seriously consider buying a pair. I will look for a demo in a longer length and see how I feel about them after a full day. The 178 felt a wee bit short to me, but a 186 might be just the ticket.
************
I have been ruminating on getting a replacement for my aging Nordica's, and would like something versatile and good in most eastern conditions -- hardpack, ice, crud and broken snow, soft snow. I need to decide on the type of ski that will work best, and haven't ruled out something in the mid- to high-70's. Like a Head SS Magnum, or the like. But skiing the Rossi's was a revelation, as they handled and felt like an 80 mm ski, and made me ask the question "Why not those?"
Any feedback from the gang here is most welcome.
Hope you enjoy the reviews. Cheers!
So here are my impressions...
Fischer Progressor 800, 175 cm
-- light feel on the snow; very agile and quick; excellent edge grip on refrozen corduroy, crusty snow, and ice.
-- very stable at speed; gets calmer the faster you go, which is typical Fischer Progressor
-- short turns were a cinch, and didn't need too much pressure on the shovels to accomplish
-- long turns were no problem; very stable and calm
-- flex pattern was even, with nice pop out of the tails; not aggressive, just fun and spritely;
-- lively feel; the opposite of Head/Dynastar/Rossi dampness.
I really liked these. They were a lot of fun, and made me wish that Fischer made them in a longer length (175 is the longest), as I would be tempted to buy a pair. I was reminded of how fun a lively ski like this can be. The magic of these is that, despite the light and lively feel, they were very calm when pushed to higher speeds. Versatile. A real blast to ski on. I used to own the Progressor 9+, and these felt like a lighter, friendlier version of those. Definitely not the top end speed and stability of the P-9's, but no slouch, and way higher fun factor.
Head Rev 85, 184 cm
-- light feel on snow; I was expecting them to be heavier, damper, having skied their predecessor, the Peak 84, a year ago, so I was pleasantly surprised at the feel
-- quite agile for a longer, wider ski; hooked up into each turn easily and readily
-- short turns took a slight bit of effort, but no real problem; med. to long turns are their forte
-- excellent edge grip on warm spring-type groomers (temps were just above freezing) and icy patches
-- flex pattern very smooth and even; tails released nicely with good energy, but not aggressive
-- very calm and damp at higher speed
-- took a bit of work to get them on edge, but that is probably just me not being used to them (I hadn't skied anything wider than 72 mm since last March)
Bottom line: a fun ski, with more agility and lighter feel than I anticipated. They absorbed rough terrain very well, and I could see these being great in crud and broken snow. I would need more time on these to really get dialed in, but I could see why so many people like them. A home run for Head. (Thanks to Perry for letting me ski these as long as I wanted)
Rossi Experience 88, 178 cm
-- also a light feel on snow; but damper than the Head and Fischer, but not dead feeling; absorbed a lot of vibration and chatter, which was impressive as conditions were refrozen corduroy with some icy patches, which gave my Nordica's the fits
-- hooked up into turns very quickly and easily, giving them quite an agile feel, which was a pleasant surprise
-- short turns were a breeze; effortless; which was another surprise; medium to long turns were nice round arcs...sweet
-- very calm and quiet at speed; they kind of reminded me of my Dynastar Sultan 94's; they just sucked up all the trail noise and made me want to go faster
-- edge grip was really excellent; I intentionally went looking for ice patches to see how they would hold, and had no skidding or sliding...wow...pretty darn good for an 88 mm ski
-- easy to get up on edge; felt much narrower than 88 mm; not sure why they were easier in this way than the narrower Rev's....shorter length? higher binding stand height?
-- even flex pattern; good energy in the tails; smooth supple release out of turns....all good
I admit to having had a bias against Rossi before skiing these, as all the Rossi's that I have tried in the past were dull and lifeless...competent, but boring. But these were totally different, and I really liked them a lot. They were effortless to ski, very forgiving, but obviously had a high performance ceiling in that I could push them to higher speeds and they just stayed completely calm and quiet. As said, they reminded me of my Sultans, so it seems the relationship with Dynastar is rubbing off on Rossignol in a good way. These hit all my criteria, and I would seriously consider buying a pair. I will look for a demo in a longer length and see how I feel about them after a full day. The 178 felt a wee bit short to me, but a 186 might be just the ticket.
************
I have been ruminating on getting a replacement for my aging Nordica's, and would like something versatile and good in most eastern conditions -- hardpack, ice, crud and broken snow, soft snow. I need to decide on the type of ski that will work best, and haven't ruled out something in the mid- to high-70's. Like a Head SS Magnum, or the like. But skiing the Rossi's was a revelation, as they handled and felt like an 80 mm ski, and made me ask the question "Why not those?"
Any feedback from the gang here is most welcome.
Hope you enjoy the reviews. Cheers!