 Poster: A snowHead
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With apologies to those who have read this in the "Events" section, and using the golorious power of copy and paste, we bring you possibly the most dubious ski test of the season.
At the Castleford meet, I had a go on (testing makes it sound like I know what I'm doing) the following ski's in this order;
Fisher RX8 (165cm) What a good ski this is, possibly the best set I stood on in terms of easy but quality performance. Great turn initiation, good grip and a super solid feel. Never been on a pair before, but for piste skiing these should take some beating. They also have a decent sized shovel so should be OK in a bit of powder too. Very impressed.
Elan SLx (155cm) An absolute scream at this length, this is a full blown slalom ski but at 155cm it's like ski boards with attitude. Again an quick initiation, good grip and my second ever turn on them kicked me off the snow and into a new turn as if telepathic. Great fun, but I wish they'd had a pair of 165's there.
Head iSL World Cup (165cm) I put these on full of anticipation, but felt sadly let down. Everything was OK, but I really expected a lot more. However I found out through spiderjon that they hadn't bothered to tune them for the demo. Bases were dry as a bone and I'd presume the edges would need work too. Can't judge a ski in that condition, so the jury's still out.
Salomon Foil 1080 (No idea what size) These were about the only ski's around to demo at this time, and I wasn't keen to try. But, bless them, they were alright. Very soft and probably very forgiving. I'd imagine that for an off-piste first timer in good snow they'd be a pretty good ski to have under the boots. In anything else they'd struggle a fair bit, especially if you were trying to crank out quick turns.
Nordica Dobermann SL WC -or called something like that-(165cm) A very impressive slalom ski. Good initiation, rock solid grip and a decent zing out of the turn. Not sure if the tune was 100%, or the speeds were too low or that my technique isn't quite up to it, but I was left feeling there should be a little more from them. Not something I could put my finger on, but I felt I really had to work them harder than expected to get them going.
Dynastar Legend 8800 (179cm)The indoor piste at Castleford is probably not the best place for me to try these off piste specialists. They were possibly too much ski for me, I don't know, but they were barges. Hated having them on my feet, did two runs and went back in for the next pair.
K2 Apache Recon (er, I'd guess 175cm'ish) Was told to expect a decent, but dull ski. That's possibly a little harsh on them as words like solid, dependable and confidence building were more my thoughts. I found them very similar to Rossi B2's, in that they'd be good skis to learn to ski new types of terrain on. Your first forages into the deeper or cruddier stuff for example. A nice easy ride, but with the capability to handle itself.
Volkl 5* (165cm) Good fun and easy to ski. Does everything well so it's very similar to the RX8 in that respect, but the Fishers were probably a little better in every department.
Head iGS World Cup (er, 175cm+ perhaps) He he he! World cup GS beasts on a 175yard run - yeah right. There was no way I was going to be able to see what these could do, but there was little else to choose on the racks, so what the hell. These are awsome (did someone already use that word? ). Ok, at this slow speed they were a little hard to set on an edge - but when you got them there, Wow! You felt like you could text yer Mum while the ski's just kept carving away on whatever line you asked. "Did you feel that icey bit?" - err, no. I could only put in about three turns per run, but at least I was grinning.
Ok I'm no great shakes as a tester, but it was great fun. Of them all, they RX8's were top dog as allrounders, but I'd love to try those GS fellas on a decent run, just for the hell of it. And the Elan in a 165, and the Dynastar in good stuff. Ah well, maybe one day.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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marc gledhill, Do you know the price range for the Elan SLX.
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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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davidb, being new to the testing game, I forgot to ask about any prices 
They are pretty expensive in the USA
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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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davidb, I was told at MK that they were on-line only through EB site and I think about £465.00 incl. Marc, any update on that, 'cos they are a compete hoot even for a planker like me.
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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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marc gledhill, I've seen them quite cheap last year in Germany around 400 euros including ELD 12 bindings.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Masque, no, and they're not on there site at the moment - in fact no new gear is yet.
davidb, was that in the sales, these were the 05/06 version and I have no idea what their earlier skis were like.
By the way, if you like the Elan SLX, then also try to demo the Dynamic VR27. I ski on those for training with the Lions Ski Club at Castleford and, in that enviroment (and I haven't had them on proper hills yet), they are as good as anything else I've tried and only cost £350. I'd guess the Elan may be slightly stiffer, but they feel very similar.
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marc gledhill, They're on a couple of US retail sites $685.00 bare  I know my compatriots are seen to get a bit dim when offered shiny new kit but that's expensive. . . and the usual rule of thumb when comparing US and UK prices is to just change $s for £s may put them off the 'I want list'
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marc gledhill, I saw them Jan this year 04/05 version not sure if the shop had a sale on the Elan SLX, but they were much cheaper than the equivalent Atomic SL11 which had a similar price in all the shops.
I wish I brought them now!
Maybe they are cheaper on the continent (Austria/Germany) than other manufacturers?
I've also seen them sold new on ebay during the ski season from German/Austrian sports shops (rather than individuals sellers), which are also much cheaper than the equivalent Atomic, Head, Fischer, Salomon slalom skis that they sold.
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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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I tried the SLX in Engelberg last year - recommended instead of the Solomon and rated very highly by the shop,
I liked the 9s better in a previous outing but that may have been the conditions.. SLX in 6-8 inches of new snow and I was on slalom skis..!! They did well enough in the deep snow but I couldn't compare them to the 9 s' as regards conditions. Very forthright ski though, it knew exactly what is wanted to do...!!
March prices were discounted by about 25% although I can't remember the retail price, I'm afraid.
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| marc gledhill wrote: |
K2 Apache Recon (174cm) Was told to expect a decent, but dull ski... That's possibly a little harsh on them as words like solid, dependable and confidence building were more my thoughts. I found them very similar to Rossi B2's |
Exactly, dull. 
I'll must get you on my b5's next week.
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FAQ
