by Jackson Hogen | Aug 31, 2018
The Sick Day 104 acts avant-garde and rebellious, but it’s actually a retro design that uses fiberglass to dictate flex pattern – soft tip, stiff tail – and rebound (4mm of camber). The energy the Sick Day 104 releases as it crosses the fall line lends the impression it’s quicker to the edge than most skis its size. As befits a ski with a name about slacking, the Sick Day would rather drift than carve, a skill that’s essential in the wildly variable conditions that prevail off trail. Short turns are okay, but they’re a lot like work, so the Sick Day 104 prefers a longer, lazier radius.
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 31, 2018
The original Soul 7 debuted to instant stardom and it’s only gotten better since. We should say “better and better,” because the Soul 7 HD of today is the product of more than one makeover. Last season Rossi reconfigured the forebody into a structure it christened Air Tip 2.0. Add Air Tip 2.0 to Rossi’s long history of eye-catching visuals tied to compelling technical stories. Air Tip 2.0 has the same hypnotic effect as the first Soul 7’s translucent Koroyd tip, but it’s different in a couple of important ways. The 2019 Soul 7 HD’s shorter front rocker lets it roll on edge so quickly there’s barely time to notice that Air Tip 2.0 is calmer than its predecessors. The elongated camber pocket underfoot puts more edge in the snow for greater security in all snow conditions.
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 31, 2018
A woman’s first turns on a Big Mountain model can feel like steering a tanker. Some have a way of swimming around when flat, others seem to wander all the time. Then there are skis like the Rossi Soul 7 HD W that provide all the benefits of extra buoyancy without feeling fat or sluggish. The reason the Rossi feels narrower than it measures is the energy housed in the glass and carbon that arches over the camber pocket underfoot. From a loaded position at the bottom of the turn, the Soul 7 HD W rebounds up and out of whatever off-piste porridge you’re in, ferrying the skier across the fall line and into another energized arc.
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 31, 2018
All the qualities that made the original QST 106 such a fabulous off-trail ski remain intact in the 2019 edition. It still has a smeary smoothness that makes skiing powder and crud idiot-proof. What changed for this year is the QST 106’s comportment on hard snow, which now has more bite and energy. The componentry that adds an aggressive side to the QST’s personality include a shock-dampening layer of basalt and a cross-weave of carbon and flax (C/FX) fibers that reinforce the original’s longitudinal C/FX. The latest improvements fill the only gaps in the QST 106’s resume. It was always better than expected on hard snow; now it’s just plain better. If you have any concerns about the new QST 106’s stability, try the 188cm out for size. It will change your mind about what skis without metal in their make-up can do.
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 31, 2018
The 2018 QST Stella 106 was already a superior women’s powder ski when Salomon sent it to the gym to lose weight and put on some muscle. The 2019 Stella shed 60g’s thanks to a two design modifications that made it more powerful and precise. A new base layer of basalt runs the full length of the ski, helping to maintain snow contact, while side-to-side strands of C/FX fiber magnify the effects of the longitudinal carbon/flax braids already in the core. The additions make the new Stella so strong it doesn’t need extra mass to calm it down.
