 Poster: A snowHead
|
Anyone who has spent any time on the equipment forum here knows my bias in skis this year. I purchased a new pair of Fischer RX8 RailFlex in 165 after skiing the non-RailFlex RX8 in 170 last year. I also have a pair of Atomic Metron:b5s as a complement to the RX8s.
My stats:
Height: 6'
Weight: 185lbs
Other equipment: Tecnica XT17 boots
Skiing skills: 34th season skiing, ski most of the mountain, but prefer powder, and smooth steeps. New skis have me loving groomed terrain, again, even the very gentle.
Conditions:
I skied today at Copper Mountain, CO, USA after a reported 3" of new snow on top of 24" in the past week (48" base). Conditions ranged from a few powder shots to soft bumps to occasional Rocky Mountain hardpack (not to be confused with Eastern hardpack!). I skied about 25,000 vertical feet total today.
Ski: Fischer RX8 RailFlex2, 165cm
Review: There is one word that I use for these skis: Fun. They are so full of energy, so responsive, and so predictable that it seems to me that I can go anywhere and do anything on these skis. A simple tip from one edge to the other gets you a nice snaky turn series (like a flush in a slalom course). Or, you can arc them as far over as you're willing to commit, ripping carved arcs in any anow. Bumps, groomed, steep, powder, trees, all were controlled and enjoyable. Specific details below.
Groomed blue, new snow: By simply varying the edge angle, these skis will carve a turn of virtually any shape that you'd like. The 165s are officially a 13m radius ski, but they seem able to carve long turns and short turns with equal aplomb. More than anything, though, they seemed like generators on my feet! They were so full of energy. Like a thoroughbred ready to run. I actually dropped these over far enough to hit my boot on the snow (although I didn't "boot out") and they just arced back under me. If I tightned the arc, I could get them to just rocket back across.
Bumps: I skied them on bumps fairly frequently throughout the day. I skied them in gentle, medium, and large bumps on all kinds of terrain (up to black). They are very accurate and effective in all of these conditions, including those bumps where the troughs were filling in with new snow. I skied them zipper line and felt like Superman. Then, I skied them gently and just savored the environment.
Steep: The skis are light, and respond well to different steep techniques, including hop turns, pivot turns, and tight carves. I was able to control them easily, avoid thin spots, and stay on top of them even at high speeds.
Icy chunks: There were a few times when I found myself on terrain with icy chunks. While the skis made it through, their high "feel" made those chunks evident to my feet. Unlike some other skis that just motor over such irregularities, I could definitely feel the characteristics of the snow under-foot. Some may consider this unnerving or "squirrely".
Flat running: As with a number of other skis, these definitely prefer to be on edge. I did run them flat a few times, but I prefered to tip them very gently instead to keep them from grabbing the edges and throwing the tips around.
Overall impression: Fun, high-energy, all-mountain carving ski. Race bred, it works well for those of us who have skied race skis but prefer something more versatile. It doesn't seem to me to give up much in the process.
Highly recommended 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Nice review as usual, but as they asked on Epic - if you had to choose between the RX8 and the B5, which one would you go for?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
marc gledhill, as I answered on Epic: Hmmmm... Let me think on that a bit. It may actually take me through the ESA to give you my thoughts on that. While they are very different from each other, they are both exceptionally excellent and versatile skis. Are you willing to give me a couple of weeks, please?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
ssh,
Hurry back with the reviews, they are always good reading and I aim to find a B5
to demo, mainly because you rave about them tho' I am not sure I want yet another ski in the equation..!!
As you may know from our chats I am after a do-it-all ski. If the B5 does everything you said that the
RX8 does but maybe slightly less specific then I will not change my choice - assuming I can find Atomics b5's
in Belleplagne.
Does anyone know of a shop in La Palgne that hires/demo's B5's...?
On another tack I have been trying to get to the bottom of current teaching vogues, for want of a better word.
I suspect Europe doesn't advocate a full-on carve technique as you may do. Do you think this is why
the B5, for example, is not universally regarded as the 'hot' ski of the year..??
I say this because the reviews that have rated it, have really rated it, but there are some that dismiss it as a
good idea that doen't really come off.
It doesn't much matter to me because I want to try it and then I will know if it is the ski for me.
It just struck me that normally a ski of the year is universally reagrded, thats all, and the B5, maybe, isn't over here. I get the impression that Americans like it but I think the reviews I have read have been the ones you pointed me to.
Anyway, look forward to your updates..
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
JT, in my experience, Atomics are really a carving ski. They have designed skis specifically to get and hold their edges. I was frightened on the Atomics I skied a few years ago (before knowing that there was a technique change!) because I couldn't seem to get them to skid at all! I couldn't slow down (not enough run width), and it really freaked me out! I think that they have continued down this path.
However, the b5 does seem willing to skarve and skid, too. And the swing weight is pretty light for pivoting...
The RX8 is a different ski. I think if I was skiing mostly groomed terrain, hard snow, with occasional snow days (east coast US and most Colorado winters), the RX8 would be my choice. If I was skied areas where large dumps are followed by a week or two of no snow thus groomers and bumps, I'd likely go for the b5. Fortunately for me, I don't have to choose! I decided to ski the RX8 yesterday because we hadn't had a deep dump, but we had had consistent snow for a while. I think the conditions were ideal for the RX8. They are a really great ski, too!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
ssh,
Thanks for that. All I need to do is find a shop that hires them in the resort. Not been able to find one on the web so if anyone out there knows a shop in La Plagne for B5's hire, let me know please. As close to Belle plagne as pos'.....
In a week here you will get ice unless it snows thoughout so a ski that can edge hold that and take charge in a snowfall is a god-send. If the snow is fresh then any ski with a shovel will do (almost) if not too deep. But in between all this is crud or wind-blown. Hopefully the B5 can cope with that as well!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
JT, those sound like ideal conditions for the b5. I hope you find them.
BTW, stick with the Metron:b5, not the SX:b5. According to those I've consulted, the latter are a bit less ski than the M:b5.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
ssh,
Thanks for the pointer but I can't request the B5 online specifically so I will
trawl around all the ski racks until I find one. Which is what I always have to do anyway to get the ski
I want. But at least those two places are very near to each other.
I'll let you know ho I get on...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Quote: |
| Flat running: As with a number of other skis, these definitely prefer to be on edge. I did run them flat a few times, but I prefered to tip them very gently instead to keep them from grabbing the edges and throwing the tips around. |
ssh, what's your recommended tip when you've got to straight-line schuss in skis like these and want to keep your speed on? . My Scratch BC's are the same in not at all liking to run flat. That's fine on the hill, just keep turning, but fast schussing on tracks has turned from being enjoyable point-tuck-and-GO to a really twitchy and nervous experience - the Scratchs haven't dumped me hard after an edge grab - yet - but I know it's going to happen sooner or later. Is the answer just to run them on the edge-to-edge all the time like you say there, just very very gently (means more work, less speed and more poling though  ) I'm starting to understand what boarders go through on schuss tracks....
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
johnnyrotten, if all you do is slightly tip your skis, you should bleed exactly no speed. A pure carved turn is just as fast as skiing a flat ski on the same line. Just little tips. You'll make very long slightly back-and-forth turns with just the edges doing the work.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
JT, call 'em on the phone? 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
johnnyrotten, when flatlining, drive them like a board. Keep your weight into the nose and let the tails 'flutter or hunt'. It feels unstable but as long as your weight is at the front they will NOT catch an edge.
Lean back and you're just roadkill.
Boards (and I assume skis) with the same nose and tail widths track 'true' on the flat. The narower the tail in relation to the nose, the more unstable it feels. Anyone who's ridden a Burton Fish in the piste, hates it!
That's why they all feel so much better and stable when on their edges and also in part to the multiple tracks that different parts of the effective edges take when carving. It's more pronounced in a board where for/aft weight transition is part of the carve control.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
When a ski demands to be put on an edge I find it better to do just that, so a long gentle and very slight arch should keep them interested. You will not lose anything that skating the last few metres will not cope with..!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
Perhaps you, too, could ski like this on nice, steep wind-groomed snow on the RX8: Check out this 35-40 degree slope skied on RX8s. Any issues are the skier's (yours truly!).
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Sat 5-02-05 22:44; edited 2 times in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
ssh,
Ahhh....forbidden by proxy..can't see it...!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Johnny,
I found that the RX8 would track straight when I took my weight off the tips, i.e. just a little bit back of balanced on centre. Be careful though; get too far back and you will be tail-steering. A sudden unexpected steering input from the tail is not something you want to experience at speed. Unless your very confident in your technique your better off carving turns down the hill. If you are really into the speed thing, try an RX9 and work a little harder for the tight turns.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
JT, go smack the proxy around a bit, then!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
Just updated the link in the post 4 above this one...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
