by Jackson Hogen | Aug 29, 2020
Tester: Kaylin Richardson
The Secret 92 is the single ski quiver for the powerful female skier. Its versatility continues to blow me away. It is the first ski I’ve had the pleasure of owning that I can pull out on any given day, with any given conditions, and never have any regrets.
As a former ski racer, and 5’10” woman, I can overpower many women’s skis when I really go for it. The Secrets are slightly stiffer than some of their contemporaries and I love that. Their multilayer woodcore and full sidewall design make for a ski that holds an incredible amount of energy without requiring a herculean effort. This is what initially impressed me most and keeps me coming back to the Secret day in and day out: the magical combination of power, versatility, and ease.
Since riding these boards I haven’t had to hang my head because I accidentally grabbed my powder pontoons on a bluebird groomer day or held back my cursing when I’m stuck with carving skis as a surprise blizzard arrives.. The Titanal Frame creates a stability I can trust at speed on any surface, yet I still get the dynamic feedback of acceleration, arguably the most fun part of skiing. They are playful without being squirrely, cutting through virtually any snow condition like butter.
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 29, 2020
If you digest all the brochure copy expended on All-Mountain East models, you’ll find somewhere in every model description that it’s a “50/50” model, meaning it’s equally suited to skiing on-trail or off. What this seemingly innocuous shorthand term for a versatile ski masks is that no ski can ever truly be half-and-half, for every model is part of a design family that ‘s inherently biased to one side of the mountain or the other.
This prelude explains why Salomon felt compelled to create a second off-trail line, named Stance, when they already had a successful freeride series in the QST’s. The latter are unmistakably meant for the off-piste, while the Stance 90 tilts the 50/50 equation in favor of Frontside features, beginning with two sheets of Titanal and a shallower sidecut with a more slender silhouette that’s quicker edge to edge. Its square tail in particular is appreciably narrower than the norm in the AME genre, which keeps its orientation down the fall line. The impression of quickness off the edge is enhanced by its lightweight design that in fact weighs less than the QST 92 and far less than Salomon’s Frontside flagship, the S/Force Bold. Its lightweight structure certainly contributed to our testers giving it higher aggregate scores for Finesse properties versus Power attributes, the only one of our top eight Recommended models to do so.
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 29, 2020
Tester: Brooke Froelich
First day I skied the Santa Ana 88 was for a photo/video shoot on a spring storm day with heavy snow. I was hesitant to ski with a new pair of skis under those conditions. However, the SA 88’s were super intuitive to ski. By my second turn, I forgot I was on a new model. They were stiff enough to cut through crud, and playful enough to quickly respond in powder or variable terrain. Just a SUPER all-around fun ski! For only being 88mm underfoot, I thought I might have to work a little harder in powder. Not much! I still bring this ski on powder days, and always have fun on them.
Now, is it a true powder ski? No – you’re going to get more face shots with the 88s than you will on the 110s. You’ll work a little harder in deep powder, but it will stand up to anything you encounter.
Additionally, this is HANDS DOWN my favorite pair of skis for the backcountry. The SA 88 is relatively lightweight for how responsive and solid it skis. I like a ski in the backcountry that will let me confidently hop turn in a chute, that will solidly bust through sun crust, and will be a PLEASURE to ski for the patches of powder we find along the way. If you want a one-ski quiver, the Santa Ana 88 will do ANYTHING you want her to.
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 29, 2020
Tester: Madeline Dunn
The entire Santa Ana collection this year blew me away. Growing up as a Junior Olympic and NorAm level ski racer, I expect excellence when it comes to big mountain skis. I need a ski that can turn on a dime, float in the powder and rip the groomers, often on the same run.
This Santa Ana 93 does just that for me, day after day. It’s my go-to ski for any day that I plan to take at least a few groomer laps, knowing I’ll be off-piste on every other run. Being a racer, I never gave up that desire for the best and most responsive equipment. I grew up racing on Nordica and still ski their entire quiver to this day.
This year’s collection of Santa Ana skis dials down the dosage of metal to a single sheet of Titanal that varies in dimension by model and size. As a female who has skied both the Enforcer and Santa Ana collection, this shift to one piece of metal instead of two in the women’s line has been a game changer for the brand. One piece of metal delivers just the right amount of sturdiness while also keeping the ski lighter for a lady that likes to ski bell-to-bell.
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 29, 2020
To grok the essence of the Fischer RC One 86 GT, think of it as a carving ski with wanderlust. As an Austrian brand, Fischer’s collective mind rarely meanders far from the racecourse, so it’s natural that the RC One 86 GT is a carving machine first and an off-trail implement second. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. All a ski this wide really needs to navigate most off-trail conditions is a dash of tip rocker, aka, early rise.
The tip-off that Fischer envisions the RC One 86 GT in frontside environs is that it’s the head of a mostly Frontside (75mm-84mm underfoot) family. Furthermore, its construction is all about maintaining snow connection, a classic Frontside obsession. The tip and tail are outfitted with Bafatex®, a synthetic compound meant to muffle shock and keep every cm of the 86 GT’s fully cambered baseline plastered on the snow. Not to mention .8mm’s of shaped Titanal to further cow hard snow into silence.
For a ski with all-terrain dimensions, the RC One 86 GT showed a decided preference for carving over drifting and hard snow, technical skiing versus flotation. If your everyday snow surface is groomed, but when powder appears you want to pounce on it without restraint, Fischer’s latest spin on a Frontside ski with off-trail pursuits deserves your attention.
