Salomon as always had a soft spot for soft skis with a short turn radius. Some of its more popular series, like X-Scream and X-Wing, were sought out by skiers who liked their ability to maneuver in tight corners, like those found in the never-groomed moguls on High Rustler at Alta. Which brings us to the XDR 84 Ti, which depends on a weave of carbon and flax fibers (C/FX), square sidewalls and a patch of Titanal underfoot to provide enough substance to handle firm, Frontside conditions, with an emphasis on ease over aggression. Pat Parraguirre from Bobo’s, who might know more people in Reno on a first-name basis than any public official, is a lightweight expert who prefers skis that have a high response to low-pressure input. “Very predictable and smooth feeling on snow. It’s like putting on an old pair of leather gloves: damp and smooth,” says the de facto Mayor of Reno.
The V76 imparts a thrilling cocktail of sensations that don’t normally mix. It’s inherently both lively and damp, urgently on and off a steeply angled edge or content to ride a relaxed, languid arc. Best of all, it’s instantly accessible; you don’t need to adapt to it because it’s already one move ahead, adapting to you. For this reason it’s a brilliant re-entry vehicle for skiers who have been out of the sport for over a decade and want to try something that is both new and yet familiar.
The unique construction that allows the V76 to simultaneously maintain world-class snow contact and sensuous snow feel is Vertical Metal Technology (VMT). VMT consists of vertical aluminum struts that run tip to tail. When it was introduced last season, the V76 had two such struts; for 20/20, Liberty has added a third to boost its effectiveness on hard snow. As you might imagine, a longitudinal vertical strut will resist any force that tries to bend it, which is how the V76 is able to achieve such unshakeable edge grip.
At 82mm underfoot, Elan’s new Interra 82 seems to occupy a no-man’s land between traditional carving skis, such as sister ski Insomnia, and the current focus of the women’s market, All-Mountain East models with a midriff between 88mm and 93mm. No doubt about it, the All-Mountain East genre, with its promise of all-terrain mastery, has charmed the market into believing that it’s the Promised Land of women-specific skis.
But as I argue in “82 is the new 88”, the gradual shift to narrower footprints has inspired several suppliers, including Elan, to lay a new stepping-stone in the path back to more realistic sidecuts. The reason the Women’s All-Mountain East genre assumed a dominant position in the U.S. market was its presumed superiority in off-trail conditions. But there are several reasons why many women would be even better off on a ski like the Interra 82.
Last year 3 brands introduced high-end models with vertical laminates made from metal or carbon. Liberty’s version, with two aluminum ribs trisecting the bamboo/poplar core, earned the highest scores from our panelists. This season, Liberty added a third metal strut to the men’s V-series models it introduced last year. Liberty’s Vertical Metal Technology (VMT) is as effective a system for maintaining snow contact as any extant, short of loading the ski up with every dampening agent known to man. Theron Lee of Bobo’s succinctly describes how it feels: “damp but not dead.”
One reason the V82 skis so well is that the metal ribs don’t work alone. Two 1cm-wide swathes of carbon straddle the center strut, poured PU sidewalls have a calming effect on the edges they rest on and a carbon base layer adds bonus buffering. The result is very close to race-ski grip without having each run feel like a workout. If one word could characterize what it feels like to take a spin on the V82 it would be “natural.” There’s nothing to adapt to, nothing to figure out.
Because all the Monsters, and especially the 83, were constructed like elite carving skis (or detuned race skis, take your pick), the 83 Ti is still a great fit for its category while its wider kin – always anachronisms in their respective genres – are extinct. In recent years, Head has tinkered with the 83 Ti’s tip shape and contact point, but it didn’t change its attitude or aptitude one bit. It still skis unmistakably like a wood-and-metal ski, even if Graphene is part of its formula. In this lay-up, the Graphene isn’t used as much for its infinitesimal mass as for its ability to soften the flex at tip and tail relative to the middle.
Once upon a time, all Monsters had the same MSRP, which made some sense as all were made from the same recipe. Now that the aging Monsters have lost most of their sales mojo to the ascendant Kore series, Head has ratcheted up the 83 Ti’s cost/value relationship by lowering its price. No other ski with this rich a construction sells for so few simoleans.
