 Poster: A snowHead
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Ok, so I was a little disappointed in what they had to offer. I was hoping to try some mid-fat (approx 100 underfoot) all mountain/freestyle skis. All EB had to offer were mostly shaped piste skis or full on fat (110 + underfoot). It didn't help that we got there later than planned due to central London traffic and me being late for my lift by getting locked in the grounds of the Royal Hospital. Thanks for your patience Pedantica.
Also, a fridge is probably not the ideal testing ground for a pair of skis, but I think you do at leasat get a feel for something. Whilst it usually takes me at least a day to get the hang of how a pair of skis ride you do get an immediate impression. The day was more of a social thing than a serious testing of skis and it was certainly a good day out with with excellent company.
First off I tried some Atomic Blackeye - http://www.ellis-brigham.com/skis/atomic/700150/blackeye-ti-%2b-atomic-xto-12 They were good fun, pretty responsive. I tried some one legged drills and they were good for that. Only 82 underfoot and they felt like a shaped piste ski. Not what I was looking for but I enjoyed them none the less.
Next up were some K2 summat or others..... couldn't tell you what they were, nothing on the EB website and the graphics don't match anything on the K2 website, possibly something left over from last year. They were twin tips but not rockered, very stiff, about 89 underfoot. They were OK but felt as though they needed a service as they didn't feel as if they were gripping too well. Eventually got the hang of them but wasn't impressed.
Finally, some Line StepUp - http://www.ellis-brigham.com/skis/line/700148/stepup-%2b-tyrolia-peak-12 - http://lineskis.com/skis/stepup - really enjoyed these. 86 underfoot, plenty of pop (I got that off a website) and felt smooth and grippy on the ice when linking short turns. Tried some kickers and felt good and stable when landing...... really liked these, but still not what I'm looking for.
Hoping to test the Movement Mosquito & Source and WhiteDot 'The One' at some point in Hemel. Will keep you posted.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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So not a glowing endorsement of EB's demo fleet.
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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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Snakeskin Si,
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Hoping to test the Movement Mosquito & Source and WhiteDot 'The One' at some point in Hemel. Will keep you posted.
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let me know when your at HH I can arrange for you 
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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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livetoski, Superstar  Your really putting a shine on your halo at the moment. I'm planning on being there for the I/O party on the 24th, if not then some time in early October. Thanks in advance.
fatbob, It wasn't all that but then again it wasn't a specific event type arrangement. There were quite a few people out testing skis and the staff didn't seem to know what they had available. To give them the benefit of the doubt they may have had something I was after but other skiers were testing them. It was also a little frustrating when they gave out two different pairs of skis they'd promised to hold on to for me....moan, moan, moan. It was still an enjoyable day though.
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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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Snakeskin Si,  OK I am planning on being there for the 24th I/O bash, I will make sure I have a car full of Movement and Whitedots with me then.
I love all this width under foot v mid fat, fat, super fat etc etc I must start a seperate thread, its also interesting to compare against effective edge, for example the Mosquito is amazing when you put a measurement on the flat edge compared its 180 length
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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livetoski, Having had a long break from skiing, and with the last pair I owned being 205 straight skis, it's been hard work understanding what all the different terminology and specifications mean never mind how they relate to the actual skiing. I've tried a good range of skis over the past year and that's helped my understanding a little. I've found your reviews really helpful in getting my head around some of it, especially the effective edge comments. Your Mosquito review probably biased my opinions of anything I tested on saturday, I'm looking forward to trying them out. I'm now eagerly awaiting your new thread.
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Snakeskin Si, Always nice to hear that my ski tests are being read.
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I also tried out the Atomic Blackeye Ti, and Salomon Enduro XT800 models.
I'm looking for something which is a bit more all-mountain than the skis I've hired in the past, which have been pure piste skis which are stiff, heavy and stable at speed. At 5'6" and 90Kg, I need something robust  , and have previously been recommended Fischer Progressor 9/10 and RC4 and several Volkl models as ideal piste skis for me.
The Blackeyes were a revelation - they had all of the responsiveness, edge grip and stability I've come to expect, and the increase in waist to 82mm wasn't really noticable. At 167cm, they're very attractive for my needs.
After 80 minutes on the Blackeyes, I changed to the Salomon XT800, and immediately felt that something wasn't the same - they were stable, seemed adequate in the turn, and there was nothing about them I disliked, but there was definitely something missing. In the end I think it was a lack of zing, a feeling that they were a bit dull, and lacked the responsiveness that I'd so enjoyed in the Blackeyes.
With both offered by EB at over £520, neither is cheap, and if I'd spent that much on the Salomons I'd have been disappointed. The Blackeyes are on my shopping list, but hopefully for somewhat less via one of the Euro suppliers
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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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This is a bit of a split report as I tried a few skis at MK on Saturday and a few others at HH on Sunday.
As the others have commented MK was an "interesting" slope to ski on, which was good in some ways, but not in others. On Sunday I was mostly doing drills with rob@rar which was challenging in different ways. 
I'm not a very technical skier, so I tend to go by the "fun" factor. If a ski can't make me grin I ain't gonna' buy it...
So Saturday..
K2 SuperBurnin
I spent quite a lot of last season on the BurninLuvs and (apart from the jolly awful name) really enjoyed skiing on them. I was expecting good things, but I was bored. Bored is not good. A perfectly good ski on a very messy slope. They just lacked the fun factor. And they clashed horribly with the purple...
Scott Maya
I expected to hate these. I tried them because there weren't actually that many shorty skis and I don't enjoy skiing on anything taller than I am. Actually the best ski of the night. I was happily switching weight completely between them. Fantastically grippy and a lovely piste ski. I would have stayed on them all night but it seemed a shame not to try something else.
Volkl Kenja
By far the prettiest of the bunch (not that I *should* take that into consideration). I was perfectly comfortable on these, but again they didn't put a smile on my face. Perhaps a very obstacley, fairly busy slope wasn't the best environment to try them out.
and Sunday (HH - a bit cut up, but not too bad). Very bored and cold staff grateful for a bit of custom and enthusiasm.
Rossignol Attraxion 4
Another very attractive ski (am I sounding girly enough yet?). These had a lovely edge and almost had me carving properly (which is an achievement in itself). A very comfortable ride.
Atomic D2 73
Definitely my style visually. Minimalist & black. I did most of the EoSB on their predecessor (or so I remember). A little too piste-y for me (although see above on the Scott's).
Salomon BBRs, or possibly their sibling
Now these were (super)FUN!!!!!! Not only do they look totally different from everything else but they put an enormous grin on my face. They were stable and they handled (or rather helped me handle) the late-evening choppiness. I would have stayed on them longer but the S&R staff needed to pack up and I had embarrassing video feedback to watch.
Seriously though... If anyone has good advice on skis that might suit a halfway-decent intermediate skier who will ski mostly on piste but wants the option of going off-piste when conditions are good I'm open to suggestion.
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| fatbob wrote: |
| So not a glowing endorsement of EB's demo fleet. |
Hmm, that may be a little harsh - they had about 50 pairs of skis in the demo racks, so given that they have to cope with a wide range of requirements without burning the profits, I thought they had a reasonable range. Compared to the stock on display, it was probably about 75% of their current range, but the lengths might not have suited everyone (although Snakeskin Si tested a different length of Atomic Blackeyes than me, so they had those in at least 2 lengths).
I arrived 2 minutes late for my start time, and there was some confusion on the main cash desk over whether they had a demo session on or whether it was just their normal demo scheme. I was led to the demo rack, but they had maybe 6 people being fitted for boots and liners at the time and it was very busy, so I wasn't hopeful of a quick turnaround. However, one of the staff who was just leaving for a break jumped in and offered to get me sorted out, and I was out of there in 6 minutes with my desired model of skis.
The changeover halfway through was also quick, although the member of staff who handled it wasn't completely convincing in his product knowledge. Returning was also simple, but as 5 of us turned up at once the retrieval of the various plastic cards left as a deposit was a bit haphazard.
All in all, I got to try the skis I wanted, it was simple to arrange, and I had them for the best part of 3 hours at zero cost. That's pretty good, especially when S&R at Hemel normally charge almost as much for a demo pair as I'd have to pay for a slope pass to test them.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| JustJill wrote: |
| If anyone has good advice on skis that might suit a halfway-decent intermediate skier who will ski mostly on piste but wants the option of going off-piste when conditions are good I'm open to suggestion. |
I am rather emotionally attached to my Movement Spicys  - a good all-round ski.
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