 Poster: A snowHead
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Any one got any views on the suitability, or otherwise, of slalom skis for use off-piste. Also I would be interested in anyones opinion of Salomon's slalom offering. Thanks.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Offhand (apart from sno-blades) I can't think of a worse off-piste tool than a slalom ski!!!!!! Not at all suitable.
Not used Salomon's slalom skis (on- or off-piste) but I am sure somebody else will chip in with a comment....
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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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I agree with the ice perv, pretty well the opposite of what they are designed for. The 3vEquipe is very well respected in its field though. I've only used them very briefly but they seemed to do what they ought to.
WTFH should be able to tell U more about them, being the owner (still, just) of some : See here.
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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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My other half demo'd a pair of full-on slalom skis last season, Volkl P50SL I think. They were great on hard, icy steeps, but off-piste they were utterly hopeless.
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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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John Scott, You can use ANY ski, in ANY situation. You can ski 3V offpiste, you can ski Seth Pistols in a slalom course (eek !).
However, skis are getting much more specialised these days, and just because you can, doesn't mean you would want too. Skis that need to change direction quickly (slalom, GS, skiercross), are very narrow (down to 63mm) under your foot. This makes them very difficult (tiring) to balance on in soft snow. Off-piste (fat, phat) skis are much wider underfoot, which dosen't do much for the turning circle, but will allow the ski to float, making balance much easier.
Hope that helps !
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Just to be contrarian, my girlfriend bought a pair of the WC version Volkl P60 SL at Christmas. They're only a 150 but she loves them off piste - and that's never been her thing before.
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Thanks for the advice. When I used to ski on non-shaped skis I had a variety of slalom / Gs skis (Volkl P9 SL/RS and P10 Sl/SLC which I used off-piste. Will modern slalom skis be more difficult than these old fashioned skis or just more difficult than modern 'all mountain' skis? At the moment I've got some Salomon XScream 9s (a few years old so they are a sort of halfway house between old skis and todays carvers.
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Dear John Scott
I would suspect the XScream 9s would be better off-piste than a modern slalom ski, altho that opinion is not based on actual experience. As "ski" says, modern planks can be very specialised and slaloms would be hard work in the deep.
If you can afford several pairs of skis (and can be bothered to lug them all the way to the snow!) why not keep your slaloms for icey days and get a pair of freeride skis for post-dump powder shenanigans?
Try saying that after a few gluhweins!
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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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John Scott, The new skis are much more specialised than before...you Xscreams will be definitely be better than a slalom ski. I ski on Xmountain Tours (same shape as the Scream, just lighter and softer), they're fine offpiste...and less tiring than my 9s slalom skis.
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I have Salomon 10 3V slalom skis that I use on piste and Rossi Bc Scratch with touring bindings for off piste & touring. I occasionally end up 'off piste' on what I expected to be 'piste' days, and yes you can ski the 3v off piste but you have to work way harder to bring them back to the surface when they do their submarine impersonation! They just don't float like fatter skis do.
Certainly if the majority of your skiing is on piste they 10 3V are really great skis, the best of the curent slalom ski makes I believe. As a compromise we have been seeing many Atomic Metron skis out here in all conditions this year, they are a slalom ski sidecut with about an extra 1" width of ski added in the middle as it were. Dave Murray Race camps are demoing them here in Whistler and are sold out of this years stock. Aparently good carve and edge hold on the piste for short snappy turns yet wide enough to float off piste.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Only just noticed this thread.
Yes, any ski can be used in any situation, but some are more appropriate than others. I have used Seth Pistols on a slalom, and they were a lot of fun (hard work, but great fun)
If you have a longer length 3V, they will be OK for the ocassional foray into the soft stuff, but as colin says, it takes a lot more work. I wouldn't use them in Utah's champagne powder, as I'd need scuba gear 
If you really want to ski off piste a lot, but only want one ski to cover on piste as well, then the 3V is NOT the one to go for.
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