Salomon’s long history of making quality ski gear was given a boost in recent years when it became part of Amer, the Finnish sporting goods giant that also owns Atomic. Who knows if any cross-pollination occurred but we do know that Salomon skis have made huge improvements in the last few years.
ALL-MOUNTAIN
Every X-Wing all-mountain ski has been re-worked in some way, wider, different core, more metal etc. Top of the line Fury and Tornado Ti now sport two layers of Titanium. Tornado is slightly wider too which is a trend in all skis this year. Expect full wood cores in the top models for a solid ride and durability.
X-Wing Fury
85mm underfoot, 18 meter sidecut in 177cm length. Available in 163, 170, 177, 184cm.
Full wood core, double Titanium laminate.
X-Wing Tornado Ti
78mm underfoot, 16.3 meter sidecut in 173cm length. Available in 159, 166, 173, 180cm.
Full wood core and double Titanium laminate. Also, wider than last year.
X-Wing Tornado
78mm underfoot, 16.3 meter sidecut in 173cm length. Available in 159, 166, 173, 180cm.
Same dimensions as Ti version but full wood core only.
X-Wing Storm
74mm underfoot, 13.6 meter sidecut in 160cm length. Available in 144, 152, 160, 168, 176.
Wood and Titanium in core.
X-Wing 8
74mm underfoot, 13.6 meter sidecut in 160cm length. Available in 144, 152, 160, 168, 176cm.
Same dimensions as Storm but a different core.
X-Wing 6
72mm underfoot, 12.2 meter sidecut in 151cm length. Available 137, 144, 151, 158, 165, 172cm.
Composite core reinforced with Titanium.
X-Wing 4
72mm underfoot, 12.2 meter sidecut in 151cm length. Available 137, 144, 151, 158, 165, 172cm.
Same dimensions as XW 6 but without Titanium.
FREESKI
These are the Big Mountain skis that are most at home in powder snow. They are wide. Even the skinniest model, Lord, is a portly 88mm underfoot. The popular Gun has been replaced with Shogun that incorporates bamboo and basalt in the core. All four models feature some degree of “rocker” in their design. Rocker is described as how far back from tip and tail does the tip and tail start to curve upwards? Rocker has the most rocker (starts 720mm from the tip, Lord the least (20mm)).
When looking at the dimensions of these skis it’s worth noting that similar to X-Wing, each length has unique dimensions. In other words, waist measurement and sidecut changes with each length. Only one example is given with each ski.
Rocker, the ski not the technology
a huge 127 mm underfoot with virtually no sidecut (48.5 meters). Available in one length – 192cm.
Anyone who has ever skied wind slab in the high alpine will appreciate the beauty of fat and shapeless. The flat swallow tail is cool too.
Czar
114mm underfoot, 54.9 meters in 190cm length. Available in 166, 174, 182, 190cm.
Narrowest version is 105mm in the 166cm length.
Shogun
101mm underfoot, 25.9 meter sidecut in 182cm length. Available in 164, 173, 182, 191cm.
Salomon bills the all-new Shogun as the first 100 mm everyday freeride ski. That is partly due to Salomon’s approach to rocker shapes on all their freeskis. Basically their designs leave a bit of normal ski under foot with camber and sidecut. That adds a lot of skiablility for riding inbounds while the reverse camber rocker delivers sweet floatation in powder. Salomon has also raised the bar with a new core for Shogun that combines wood, a layer of bamboo and basalt. Also, a portion of sales will be dedicated to green initiatives.
Lord
88mm underfoot, 19.5 meter sidecut in 185cm length. Available in 161, 169, 177, 185cm.
Lord is back by popular demand but tougher than ever thanks to beefed up lacing inside (it’s actually a super-strong polyethylene cord) that binds the edges together.
PARK and PIPE
Dumont
86mm underfoot, 17.3 meter sidecut in 171cm length. Available in 151, 161, 171, 176, 181cm.
Super-duty construction and a surprising amount of shape. It could be called a race ski for the park.
Suspect
86mm underfoot, 17.3 meter sidecut in 171cm length. Available in 151, 161, 171, 176, 181cm.
Same shape as Dumont but slightly less beefy (edge armor instead of double edge armor).
Threat
85mm underfoot, 18.5 meter sidecut in 171cm length. Available in 151, 161, 171, 176cm.
Threat is aimed at younger jibbers but it’s still a strong ski with Titanium beef up.
HIGH PERFORMANCE / RACE
Every model in the line is listed as “New” due to changes and updates to shapes and construction. Probably most notable is Powerline, a World Cup technology that reduces internal shocks and vibration. This year it can be found on Equipe 2V and 3V Powerline. Race construction such as wood cores, sandwich sidewalls and exotic materials are found in most models.
Equip 2V Powerline
68mm underfoot, 18 meter sidecut in 178cm length. Available in 164, 171, 178, 185cm.
GS ski.
Equipe 3V Powerline
65mm underfoot, 12.5 meter sidecut in 165cm length. Available in 155, 160. 165, 170cm.
Slalom ski.
Equipe 24 Hours
72mm underfoot, 15.2 meters sidecut in 170cm length. Available in 154, 162, 170, 178cm.
Full wood core, double Titanium laminate and variable radius design. A less aggressive advanced GS ski.
Equipe 24 Series
70mm underfoot, 15.2 meter sidecut in 165cm length. Available in 151, 158, 165, 172cm.
Wood core, variable radius design.
Crossmax W12
72mm underfoot, 15.2 meters sidecut in 170cm length. Available in 154, 162, 170, 178cm.
Very similar to 24 Hours except no variable radius sidecut.
FOR WOMEN
Women will find many suitable skis in the main unisex lineup but Salomon also offers a collection tailored specifically for women. Specific modifications include a binding track and setup that is lighter as well as cores that are softer in flex. Another key feature is that the bindings are mounted 1 or 2 cm ahead of the position on unisex skis for better balance. Many manufacturers do this to counter what they say is different mass distribution in female bodies. Salomon’s all-round skis for women are found under the Origins banner. All are listed as new this year.
Origins Diamond
77mm underfoot, 12.9 meter sidecut in 159cm length. Available in 145, 152, 159, 166, 173cm.
Full wood core high performance all-mountain ski.
Origins Opal
74mm underfoot, 13.6 meter sidecut in 160cm length. Available in 144, 152, 160, 168cm.
Wood core beefed up with Titanium.
Origins Topaz
74mm underfoot, 13.6 meter sidecut in 160cm length. Available in 144, 152, 160, 168cm.
Composite core with Titanium beef up.
Origins Crystal
72mm underfoot, 12.2 meter sidecut in 151cm length. Available in 137, 144, 151, 158, 165cm.
Composite core with Titanium beef up.
Origins Amber
72mm underfoot, 12.2 meter sidecut in 151cm length. Available in 137, 144, 151, 158, 165cm.
Same dimensions as Crystal but no Titanium reinforcement.
WOMEN’S FREESKI
Geisha and Vamp are new models for this season. Geisha is a woman’s version of the all-new Shogun for men. It includes the unique wood, bamboo and basalt core. As usual Salomon is setting the pace in this segment. Vamp is billed as an all-mountain twin. It’s big enough at 85mm underfoot but also sports a sidecut in the mid teens so it will handle frontside skiing with ease.
Geisha
97mm underfoot, 20.6 meter sidecut in 164cm length. Available in 164, 173cm.
Women’s version of Shogun.
Lady
85mm underfoot, 13.6 meter sidecut in 161cm length. Available in 153, 161, 169cm.
Mai Tai
86mm underfoot, 15.1 meter sidecut in 161cm length. Available in 151, 161, 171cm.
Our tests of Mai Tai, a playful park and pipe model shows why it is back for another year. A great combination of lightness and stability.
Vamp
85mm underfoot, 16.3 meter sidecut in 161cm length. Available in 151, 161, 171cm.
Technology you should know about
Powerline
Powerline is based on World Cup racing research and was developed to increase ski/snow contact and stabilize the ski in extreme situations. It is a bar incorporated into the ski that absorbs vibration and dissipates that energy.
3D Stealth Tip
The Steath Tip is for all mountain skiing and is just a clever re-thinking of the tip profile. By making the upward curve of the ski more gradual, the ski will ride up and over terrain changes in such a way that it calms down the fore body of the ski. Low tech at its best.
V.R.M. – Variable Radius Management
VRM is Salomon’s description of multi-radius design. Several other brands offer multi-radius skis too but it’s worth noting because the design and manufacturing of these skis requires a certain sophistication both on the R&D slope and at the factory. The theory is that such a design marries the best of long and short sidecuts into one ski, making it that much more versatile. Our tests on the slope confirm that many of the most competent skis out there happen to have multi-radius sidecuts. The jury may still be out on this one but it’s technology you should know about. |
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