 Poster: A snowHead
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What do you guys reckon are good contenders for the best all round ski?
I'm hopefully going to be spending 3 or 4 months out in a resort somewhere next year, I'm an intermediate standard skier atm, can cope with black runs, although my favourites are the reds still. I haven't done much off piste but hope to have a good go next season, and I've never been in a snowpark, but again would like to give it a go next season. I'd also like to improve my carving on piste, so it looks like I'm gonna need an all round ski 
Cheers
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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schuey, welcome to snowheads!
The Rossignol B2 Bandit is a fantastic all round ski. I tested it out a week ago and it performed well wherever i took it (on piste, off piste, ice, slush, crud etc.)
It was also voted the "ski of the year" last season, due to it's all round excellence.
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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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I think that the shortlist would include the B5s, the B2s, and the K2 Apache Recon. I have some B2s and I love them, but I think that they may have been superceded now. Not sure what the new model B2 is like.
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I got the B2's last year as beginner, but reckon that if you are already getting up the scale then perhaps try a few others, but B2's forgive so many rider errors.
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Well, my new ski fave would be a Stockli Stormrider XL but I can't say I have tried them all.
You might have to consider that the best ski out there may not be the best ski for you.
For example Stockli's have a reputation for being a bit stiff and you need to be a powerful skier,
or you might find it a bit off a handful. I don't agree with this in as far as I don't think they are
a handful but don't know whether it is me
being a 'good enough skier' or what. You can only go so far with these types of questions
because what one person wants to do on a ski, another person can't/will not. Use the opinions
on this board as a good indicator of what a ski is likely to do in certain conditions and a lot of people
use these threads to get a shortlist of skis to demo but the only person who has to really rate that ski is you
so you will have to get out there and try it. I can't imagine anybody would buy a ski without trying it
first, at least I wouldn't.
The K2, Stromrider, Dynastar 8000 are skis that I have used or my friends have used and I would trust their opinion enough
to demo it myself. The b5 is another but it is hard to find in the alpes but the word is that the concept is good to such an extent that other manufactures will copy its dimensions next year.
Try a few skis and find out what you like about a ski. The ones that you don't want to give back are the best for you
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Another all round ski to think about is the Elan 666m. I skied the Stokli's for a week that JT recommends and I agree with him that they are good, but I feel the Elans are much better all round and very much better on ice! Oh almost forgot they are about 60% cheaper too. 
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Scarpa, I wouldn't say that the B2 is a beginners ski. That's more the B1 which is an on-piste ski.
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If you're going to be spending 3-4 months at a resort, you will very likely find yourself doing quite a bit of off-piste skiing. With this in mind, you might want to consider K2 Seth Pistols.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Dypcdiver,
The most impressive thing about the Stormrider was its edge hold which set it apart from the likes of the B2 and Monster 75
as an off-piste all-rounder IMO. Have only heard a few things about Elan 666 recently and if it out performs the Stockli that is some impressive ski in my book.
I really liked the Elan SX as a slalom type ski though
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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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Kramer - oh - I agree - but even as a beginner when I had the free use of a demo pair for a couple of days I just seemed to get on with them, depends how much you chuck yourself into things and start doing the off piste stuff. 
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JT,
Try a pair, and then try and wipe the grin off that comes with the Elans. As I said, a week on the Stormride XL's and I was well impressed, however although it was an off piste week in Obergurgl we had some very hard pistes in the mornings and on two occasions the XL's went into terminal judder! which resulted in a very sore elbow, I have skied similar conditions on the 666's and they are noticably better.
The XL's were 175's and the Elan's 176's (must try my wife's 168's) I am 75kg and have been skiing for 35 years, also have a piece of paper to say I can tell others how to. Down side of the Elan's is their weight which seems to be mainly in the bindings.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Dypcdiver wrote: |
JT,
Try a pair, and then try and wipe the grin off that comes with the Elans. As I said, a week on the Stormride XL's and I was well impressed, however although it was an off piste week in Obergurgl we had some very hard pistes in the mornings and on two occasions the XL's went into terminal judder! which resulted in a very sore elbow, I have skied similar conditions on the 666's and they are noticably better.
The XL's were 175's and the Elan's 176's (must try my wife's 168's) I am 75kg and have been skiing for 35 years, also have a piece of paper to say I can tell others how to. Down side of the Elan's is their weight which seems to be mainly in the bindings. |
There must have been something wrong with the tune or setup of the XL's, the edge hold on ice at speed is exceptional for the test pairs Stöckli handed me.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Is Elan a make of skis-it's just i've never heard of them.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Chris_5000,
Yes, and they have made some very good skis over the years. They aren't too well represented in the UK which is why they
have a low profile as far as we are concerned. I have skied on two or three pairs over the years and have always been impressed.
It just goes to show that Brits should be a bit more open as I was 'introduced' to Stockli's by a tech in the Alpes when I would looking for Extremes. He said they were better and he was right. Most people in the alpes know whats what so it is worth trying them if they recommend them enough. Or at least, I do. I didn't want to give the XL's back and I will be searching them out next year. Edge hold was not a problem for me on hard pack and I would say they were almost up there with the SX's in the admittedly limted exposure I gave them, which I thought was remarkable for an all-rounder versus a race ski, I think.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Has anyone tried out the Salomon 1080's?
My brother was instructing last week and said a lot of the other instructors were using them and recommended them. I've heard good reviews about them too. Also has anyone tried out next season's Rossignol B2 Bandits? I'm thinking of getting a pair and would appreciate any feedback. I assume their pretty similar to this years.
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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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Atomic Metron:b5, hands down. I have skied it in everything from icy hardpack to 24" of powder. Actually, this past weekend I skied them on icy hardpack on Saturday and 12"-18" on Sunday. They handled everything extremely well. Frankly, I have skied on almost 30 different skis (demos) over the past two years, and, IMHO, nothing I've skied comes close. I'll be on them again next year.
If you prefer something narrower, I'd suggest the Fischer RX8 or RX9 (depending on your preferred turn shape).
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The best all round ski is a disc.
sorry
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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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Just got back from my first ever race training session with the Lions Ski Club at Castleford on my Metron B5's. Superb fun although they are a bit fore/aft balance sensitive & they let you know if you're in the back seat at all.
They received a lot of interest as nobody there had seen a pair before. One guy before my first run "are you gonna ski the gates with those off-piste skis?" Same guy after my second run "they're pretty quick edge to edge aren't they?" A few runs later, "they can certainly carve can't they? Did you say 11m radius? A few more runs later, "what model are they again?".
All I need now is to get some shin guards as my legs are battered.
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So, spyderjon, did I lead you wrong? What did you think of them? They do have tail kick, but I think I warned you about that. They'll teach you to stand in pretty good balance, I bet.
Where did you put the bindings?
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ssh, No you were dead right oh wise one. I owe you a beer at the Epic Academy next year.
Bindings in the forward position of course, where else?
I was a bit apprehensive the first time I put them on in case they were too much ski for me, especially as I'd already sold my 5*'s, but after just the first run I knew I'd made the right decision.
I've only been on them for about six hours so far but I think that they're absolutely superb. Perhaps a tad slower edge to edge than my old 5*'s (but then they are a lot wider underfoot) but they are certainly awesome carvers. Those super tight carved turns are just soooooo much fun.
I know some guys said that they're not that easy to skid but I did not find that at all as long as you are smooth & progressive. I also found them very easy to braquage/pivot slip.
They're not as forgiving as my old 5*'s in that they don't like sudden jerky inputs - again smooth precise input is really rewarded. I've been initiating the turn by just rotating the inside thigh to edge the inside ski & then the outside ski just cranks over & follows. I've also been playing around with left/right ski weight distribution when carving & I've found that they're really smooth and stable with about 70/30 outside/inside weighting (on a gentle 15 degree slope), but then when you want some acceleration you just load up the outside ski & they really kick out of the turn.
Yes you do need to be well centred but they are also easy enough to recover if you do drop back a bit. I wanted a ski that requires me to have decent technique rather than be forgiving to bad habits (a la Rossi B2, IMO). However, they don't appear to be so demanding that you couldn't ski them all day.
I can also guarantee that once you put them on you certainly do not notice their extra weight, even when doing some jump turning drills etc.
At a sale price of under £360 I reckon I've got a bargain.
And they're a perfect match to my orange Technicas which of course was really the main reason I bought them 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Chris_5000, as far as I know, the general concensus on 1080's is "good" but not "incredible." Also, next year's B2's will be I believe 2mm wider at pretty much every point (tip/waist/tail all 2mm wider), so probably marginally better off piste, and marginally worse on piste. Since you can get pretty good deal's on this year's models, and, as you said, there will likely be little difference, I don't see why you would bother buying next year's instead of this year's.
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Cheers ponder,
Yeah, i would usually have bought this year's model but my brother gets Rossi and Salomon skis for under half price as he is a BASI instructor, and so i will be able to get next seasons B2's for around £200 which is pretty good. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Chris_5000 wrote: |
schuey, welcome to snowheads!
The Rossignol B2 Bandit is a fantastic all round ski. I tested it out a week ago and it performed well wherever i took it (on piste, off piste, ice, slush, crud etc.)
It was also voted the "ski of the year" last season, due to it's all round excellence. |
I'm a newbee here, but wold like to second Chris' recommendation. I work for a resort and spend about 100 days on snow each season. This past season I had a pair of B2's as my primary ski and found them to be a REALLY IMPRESSIVE, Go Anywhare / Anytime ski. Rossi will make slight changes in the Bandit line next year - adding the B4, and wideing the B2. The B2 will be 3 mm wider in the Tip and 2 mm wider at the waist & tail. There will also be some internal construction changes.
If you can find a closout pair of the 04-05 B2s you might be able to save some cash (if that is is issue).
Here is Rossi's recomended length based on your weight, SPECIFICALLY for the B2
110 - 129 lbs : 160 cm
130 - 149 lbs : 170 cm
150 - 169 lbs : 176 cm
170 - 189 lbs : 182 cm
190 + lbs : 190 cm
Think SN*W
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Tue 12-04-05 15:20; edited 2 times in total
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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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MountainGator, good to have you here. Welcome to snowHeads
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| MountainGator wrote: |
Here is Rossi's recomended length based on your weight, SPECIFICALLY for the B2
110 - 129 lbs : 160 cm
130 - 149 lbs : 170 cm
150 - 169 lbs : 176 cm
170 - 189 lbs : 182 cm
190 + lbs : 190 cm |
That seems long to me. Is that for the 2006 model?
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Poster: A snowHead
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| marc gledhill wrote: |
| MountainGator wrote: |
Here is Rossi's recomended length based on your weight, SPECIFICALLY for the B2
110 - 129 lbs : 160 cm
130 - 149 lbs : 170 cm
150 - 169 lbs : 176 cm
170 - 189 lbs : 182 cm
190 + lbs : 190 cm |
That seems long to me. Is that for the 2006 model? |
no, it is from the "Rossignol Alpine Size Selector 04/05", again specifically for the Bandit B2. I weigh A-Buck-65. I have skied (the B2) the 170, 176, and 182, and my Opinion is that Rossis recommendations are "Right On". The only thing that would cause me to recommend to anyone that they drastically deviate from this is if they were intendeding to ski a lot of bumps. That said, of course, it also has a lot to do with experience/ability of the skier.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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ssh, Thanks for your comments Steve. I thought I'd better write something a bit more descriptive & constructive than my normal bull$hit seeing that I was replying to the 'B5 meister'
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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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Good info there MountainGator, including your linked post. The B2s & B3s I saw certainly had new graphics so I assumed they were next year's model. Dimensions didn't match up with your info from Rossi though. Perhaps I misread it (and I didn't brush away the snow on someone else's skis to check the length either). Can't quite believe Rossignol would market different skis either side of the pond under the same name. All will become clear next year I'm sure.
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It's interesting that some companies (like Atomic) seem to be changing the described dimensions, but the measured dimensions haven't really changed (this is the case for the Metrons as noted over on EpicSki). I'm not sure if they are just measuring at different points or what, but I think it's weird. The b5 is unchanged next year, but the catalog dimensions are different (according to those who have measured and seen the catalog--I'm not one of them).
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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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Well, I have to agree with both of you (Pete & Steve) I doesn't surprise me that ANY manufacturer would use ANY technique to entice some people (those who simply have to have the latest and greatest) to buy more of their gear. As for me, I am very happy with my 04-05 B2s, and the only interest that I have in next years model is for my frau. Pete, I have a pix of the graphics pattern of the 05-06 B4, and the basic color is lime green shading to dark green on a white/grey ski. Does this match with what you saw, and most importantly (especially from my wife's perspective) what is the color scheme on the 05-06 B2s that you saw ???
I find it interesting that in reading many threads on this forum today, not once did I see the Rossi 9X Oversize mentioned. If you want to talk about a ski for a specific application... Large radius turns (19m) and ultra high speed (~ 100m kmph) on Hard Powder/HardPack surfaces, the 9XO is certainly a world class contender IM(HoN)O. The last time I jumped on a ski that game me that big of a ear-to-ear grin was back in the early '90s with a pair of Volkl P9 SLC (210 cm).
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MountainGator, i have seen the graphics on the new B2's and they are basically the same as the B4's except in blue...personally i quite like them and certainly think they are an improvement on this year's graphics (although it doesn't actually matter obviously) so your wife may(?) be pleased!
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Thanks for the info Chris_5000, it is much appreciated. Always inportant to keep one's spouse happy - especially if it's at such a little cost.
MG
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Hey guys, thanks for all the replies, i'll definitely make a note of the skis you suggested and try some of them out before I make a decision.
I was thinking it might be a good idea try some out then to wait till one of the ski shows, I remember some pretty good deals at the NEC when I went a couple of years back.
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Chris_5000, MountainGator, looky here
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FAQ
yes, of course, mm width ( now corrected). My data is based on info supplied by Rossi (not measured on side-by-side skis). It could be incorrect. Pleas see my post in this thread 
