 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi
Currently skiing Salomon Xwing Tornado TI skis (173cm length).
Love these skis but am considering changing to a more up to date version with rocker. Have been eying up the Salomon Xdrive 8.0 TI. Would this ski be similar? Seems to be aimed at intermediate to early advanced level skiers. As I am getting older I would consider taking things down a notch so a ski that carves well and is responsive without having to work it hard would be good.
Alternatively do I stay with the trusty Xwings for another season?!
Any views welcome !
Griggs
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Griggs, I had a pair in 180 a few years back.
you could try the Sally X-Kart or 24 Hour, but..... silly as it sounds the X-Race with the race-carve tip is a decent newer generation Salomon piste ski not too different from the Tornado Ti
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Griggs, get the Dynastar Powertrack 89 from Sinkrate, it's in classified section!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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If you have the odd foray away from the groomed stuff, you could look at the Salomon X-Drive 8.8FS....it's supposed to be light, easy to use and have strong edge grip.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Many thanks for the advice. Sounds as though even though my Tornados are a 2011 ski the way the newer breed of ski perform is not hugely different. I don't want to go too hardcore here but it sounds as though the Xdrive 8.0 TI may be a step backwards from the performance of the Tornados.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Griggs wrote: |
| ... the Xdrive 8.0 TI may be a step backwards from the performance of the Tornados. |
That's why I suggest the X Race, or the 24 Hours. Alternatively I'm going to suggest Blizzard Brahmas, or the skinnier Blizzard Latigos. But don't ski these short! Both have 2 Titanal layers, snappy out of turns like the Tornados, but have a smoother initiation due to the front rocker, hold their edges firmly due to the camber underfoot, and are forgivingly versatile without sacrificing performance when demanded. The Latigos are very much the more piste orientated, the Brahmas offer more polyvalence.
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Other one I was looking at is the Salomon Xmax although this is quite narrow underfoot at 73. Ski gets very good write ups.
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I had both versions of the Xwing Tornado and Mrs SL had the earlier version. We both changed (at different times) to the Rossignol 83 (now the 84 I think). Great all around performance, including better off-piste performance than the Tornado. Mrs SL wishes she had gone a little longer for off-piste purposes, but there is (was) quite a gap in sizes. So if you consider and are between sizes I would go longer rather than shorter, despite your thoughts on stepping down in length and bearing in mind the impact of the rocker.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Well research has continued and a decision has been made to purchase a set of Salomon XDrive 8.0 FS skis. I wanted a pair of skis that handle like the Xwing Tornado TI's but with the new rocker technology. Xdrive 8.0 FS fit the bill perfectly and having skied some similar skis in January during an afternoon of playing around with a ski shops collection of shiny new demo skis I think I have made the right choice. Bring on next season and we shall see !!
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| Griggs wrote: |
| Other one I was looking at is the Salomon Xmax although this is quite narrow underfoot at 73. Ski gets very good write ups. |
Very timely thread, as I tried both X-Max and X-race yesterday at the Salomon demo centre in Sunshine Village, Banff. Piste day, as whilst there had been fresh powder, a thaw/freeze a couple of days ago left a rock hard surface under a couple of inches of powder. I had mistakenly started the day with Salomon Rocker 2 108s which weren't great in such conditions...
The X-Max in 165cm was a big disappointment. Poor turn initiation, locking itself into rigid turn shapes, and over-damped/dull. Frankly dreadful - felt like an old school, over-stiff GS ski, like the original pre-KERS Head Supershape Magnum. Required an exaggerated style to get the best out of it, and just wasn't much fun. Would carve a clean line, but lacked the versatility to skid in an agile and controllable fashion when needed (e.g. moguls). Great at long carves, pretty average at fast, regular short carved turns down the fall line.
I went onto the X-Race in the same length, expecting it to be even worse - stiffer, less manoeuvrable etc. I have tried this ski before in a 170 length and loved it, so was genuinely wondering if my skiing had been the problem with the X-Max. Which it may have been - more on this later. I did exactly the same circuit I had done just before on the X-Max. This involved cruising blues, bumps in the trees, steep fast blacks and ended with the World Cup run with its rises and jumps, taking me back to the door of the demo centre.
The X-Race was an utter delight - super-responsive, poppy, great at short and long turns and a joy in everything from moguls to the short, steepish black diamond speed run Afterburner, which I could carve short and long the entire way down easily on this ski. It even handled unpisted stuff, although you need to be on top of it in the 165 length. The best thing though was that the ski really worked with varied skiing styles. Relax, and it is relaxed. Get aggressive, and it fires you out of turns. The X-Max was an effort when relaxed, and untrustworthy when you got aggressive with it.
For info I am an early expert with about 200 days' skiing experience, 80kgs, and a love for race skis when on piste, which may give a bit of bias. My great love is off-piste though. I ski pretty aggressively when safe to do so - and I think that the X-Max was overwhelmed by being banged into turns and expected to snap out of them and into the next turn very quickly. A more race orientated ski is of course designed for this sort of behaviour.
Moral of the story - demo them! Expectations can be very different to reality. This skis look so similar and the X-Max is marketed as the softer and easier version of the X-Race. Seems the wrong way round to me.
Try an X-Race. The "race" bit does a disservice to one of the best piste skis I have ever tried. My personal favourite of the breed is the Head Worldcup Rebel iSL, but it is more race orientated and aggressive than the X-Race.
PS I also tried their LAB park skis, which are hilarious. Make landing tricks backwards easier than I had imagined possible, and a doddle in moguls despite lack of edge grip: so manoeuvrable! I recommend everyone to try a pair and understand why all those kids in the park are having so much fun...!
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads  on Fri 25-03-16 13:47; edited 1 time in total
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@Harry F
Your findings are similar to those of the Ski Club....They loved the X-Race, but found the X-Max, while good for Long Turns, were less grippy on Short Turns on hard piste.
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