Talk about punching over your weight: the Cira isn’t even in the running for the most decked-out dame in her own clan of Salomon carvers, let alone a favorite to emerge as a top model in its class.  But the Cira continues in the tradition of the Lava, its precursor in the Salomon line, by showing the high-society ladies that a scrappy lightweight from the lower price tiers can compete with the best that Frontside society has to offer.

The Cira doesn’t have the advantages of chic new technology, but earns its admirers by sticking to the tried and true. Our testers, bless them, didn’t know they weren’t supposed to be impressed. They scored the Cira as if she were of royal lineage, earning perfect points for low-speed turning and copping nearly flawless averages for forgiveness, short-turns and Finesse/Power balance.

Its A+ grade for Power aside, the Cira isn’t meant for the super-charged gal who already has all the skills, but it’s a little slice of heaven for the woman who spends most of her ski time on groomers and wants to look good and feel good while she’s there.