For most of Salomon’s relatively brief lifespan as a ski maker their line has been noted for being light and agile.  They got away from this platform when they created the meaty Enduro family of Frontside skis, a deviation they corrected with the debut of the X-Drive series last season.

The X-Drive 8.0 FS is built from the same cloth as its All-Mountain East bro, the 8.8; it’s not a step down in quality but a step over in waist width.  Everything the 8.8 can do, the 8.0 can match, only quicker.  While not afraid of speed, it’s more amenable to low-speed turns and slips easily into a short-radius rhythm that helps maintain a comfortable, unhurried pace.

The X-Drive 8.0, like its intended owner, is most competent on groomed terrain, but it’s adequately equipped for forays into untreated terrain. Wherever its baseline is rockered the top sheet is reinforced (in an X-shape, hence the name), so the X-Drive 8.0 knows to keep its tips up in the trees and well connected on the trail.