XDR 88 Ti

by | Aug 31, 2018

The Salomon XDR 88 Ti delivers what the All-Mountain East skier is looking for: easy navigation in any condition.   Its behavioral profile fits that of a full-figured Frontside ski with a penchant for medium to long turns. Its relatively deep sidecut and noticeable light weight contribute to an overall impression of agility. Because it feels at once snappy and secure, it embodies some of the best properties of both Power and Finesse skis. The XDR 88 Ti gets its even flex and damp suspension from a cross-hatch carbon/flax weave and the addition of basalt to the construction recipe. Alert readers of these pages may note that last season’s XDR 88 Ti didn’t rise to the ranks of the Recommended, but that was before Salomon doubled the dose of carbon and flax and folded basalt into the lay-up.

RTM 86

by | Aug 31, 2018

The Volkl RTM 86 is at heart an XL Frontside ski that outgrew the rest of its class, landing it in the All-Mountain East genre, where it’s a little out of place. It tries to fit in with the rest of the AME family, adopting the de rigeur tip and tail rocker that is deemed essential for off-trail skiing. But just as fat skis with floppy tips beg to be taken off-piste, the RTM 86 longs to gallop down groomers where it doesn’t have to worry about irregular terrain breaking up its beautiful carves. If we were to classify skis by their predilections instead of their dimensions, the RTM 86 would be a Luxury Carver, with the silky ride of a six-figure sedan. If it acts uninterested in slower speeds and shorter turns, it’s because it can’t wait to get up to speed and show off what it does best. After all, who buys a car with five forward gears based on how it performs in first?

Kendo

by | Aug 31, 2018

The Völkl Kendo has been around so long it should be considered the founding father of the All-Mountain East genre. True, it hasn’t always been the same ski, evolving over the years from a fully cambered, hard-snow centric model to a double rockered affair with a wider waist and tapered tip, all accommodations to improve its off-trail aptitude. The Kendo of today is indeed much more amenable to maneuvering in tracked-up powder than its ancestors of the same name. It’s become more than just a wide carving tool; it’s now the paradigm of the all-condition ski. The 2019 Kendo is a powerful ski, but not in a showy, take-no-prisoners style.