by Jackson Hogen | Aug 16, 2019
Overview Salomon was riding a string of ridiculously successful product introductions when the brand introduced its first ski in 1989. The monocoque shell was the big story, creating such a groundswell of demand that all the ski brands that came before had to re-tool...
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 16, 2019
It’s unusual for any brand to overhaul a product family’s design two years in a row, and the various modifications Salomon made to its QST series this year I would classify as major. For starters, it jiggered the deployment of carbon, flax and basalt as introduced in...
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 16, 2019
Overview Our spider sense tingles when we hear the term “handmade” applied to skis, as the implication is that such slats will receive extraordinary care in manufacture no mass-produced ski can hope to receive. One reason we look sideways at the “handmade” qualifier...
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 16, 2019
Overview Völkl didn’t actually invent the concept of quality control, but denizens of our little corner of the universe can be forgiven for thinking so. It set the standard for base finish for so long, if someone gave a trophy for the best QC they’d have to name it...
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 16, 2019
Last season Völkl unveiled the fifth generation of its legendary Mantra, the M5. The Mantra M5 was created to win back the experts who once formed the backbone of the brand’s market support. The key to its success was a new way of deploying Titanal, breaking the top...
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 16, 2019
It’s unlikely that Atomic management foresaw just how much its boot brand would come to depend on a modest line of recreational boots it launched twelve years ago. Called Hawx, its unique feature was vent-like creases on both sides of the forefoot, perceived as a fit...
