It looks like you are using an ad blocker. That's okay. Who doesn't? But without advertising revenue, we can't keep making this site awesome. Click the link below for instructions on disabling adblock.
Featured Review bytomPietrowskionFeb 10, 2015 @ 3:25 PM
Review:
The Rocker 108 has been in the range for a few seasons now but this would be the first time I had skied them. I owned a pair of the Rocker 122 and really liked the way they skied so I was hopeful the 108 would be just as good.
Comparing the 122 and the 108 the skis are very similar. They both feature a large symmetrical rocker with a near symmetrical but still directional side cut. One thing I really liked about the 122 was the light weight achieved through the cap construction and the hollow tip and tail. In deep snow cap construction can work fine as the skis are not often being edged hard but would the cap construction of the 108 allow the skis to carve hard.
I headed to the top of Red Chair in whistler to find out. Straightaway the skis felt very similar to the 122. They were easy to pivot, light and you can scrub off speed very easily. The softer flex makes the tips and tails really playful and it was incredibly easy to butter the skis. The underfoot flex is firmer and the skis did carve ok. They are certainly not the best carving skis I tried all test, but they are some of the most playful and fun to mess around on.
They handled the deep snow outstandingly, I am a big fan of the symmetrical rocker as it gives a very stable mid point to the ski. Mounting wise I do think you can go pretty close to center with these skis. I would say -2 to -3cm from center is the sweet spot but some people I know center these skis.
They would suit a smaller skier for a powder ski or make a great all round ski for a more playful skier. You certainly can still get some good speeds on them and they do a great job of cutting through wet heavy snow, but if you like to edge hard and charge every where, you may prefer skis from Salomon's Q range such as the Q105.
I live in Colorado and the Salomon Rocker2 108 is a super fun every day all mountain ski. Fun in the park and in powder. Skied these in a foot of fresh and they floated fairly decently. Surprisingly good on hard snow carving and fun in the park. They did get some top sheet chipping on the first few days out though, but nothing major and they havent gotten any more since.
This review might be abit askew as I demoed these in less than favourable conditions, I was in a snowdome with about 110m of slope. Wasn't expecting much out of them but was pleasantly surprised!
My first thought when in picked them up was just how light they were compared to previous pow skis I've used. My 13/14 bacons feel considerably heavier than these do. This is thanks to the honeycomb tip and tail, it really is amazing how much this cuts weight. As a result the swing weight was super low and they felt incredibly manoeuvrable. Having a couple of rails and a small jump set up meant that I had the chance to test these as I would a park ski. and I have to say I was impressed at how easy they felt spinning on a off rails and on jumps.
The next thing I noticed was the flex. The considerable amount of rocker in the tip and tale combined with a relatively soft flex made these skis super easy to get into butters and generally jib around the place. On the flip-side, the flex is going to make medium to big jumps difficult. I feel like landing backseat in the slightest would cause you to wash out.
Considering the soft flex, they seemed to hold up alright on edge, with that being said I didn't have the opportunity to really drive them on such a short slope. I'd imagine that there'd be a fair amount of chatter if you really went for it with these.
There is a small amount of camber, it makes the skis more than just pow/jib skis, they have enough pop to do some olies/nolies. It also means that they have some life when you're carving, which is always a plus. Another thing to note is the considerable taper in the tip and tail. It brings the contact points right down the ski, as a result its going to ski shorter than even a pow ski with a similar amount of rocker would, just something to keep in mind.
Overall I'd say if you're looking for a soft, playful pow ski that you're going to be able to take into the park (assuming you're not hitting big jumps) this is the ski for you. The low sing weight combined with generous rocker and soft flex makes these ski one of the most playful set of skis I've ridden.
I tried out the 174cm and 182cm for a few runs on a stormy spring day on Whistler's Peak and Red chairs. Conditions were some pow,some tracked out snow, and icey groomers. I liked the 182 more for the added stability and grip.
This ski feels like the most playful member of the Rocker2 108/Soul 7/Automatic 109 threesome. It is poppier and easier to pivot than the other two, but that comes at the expense of some grip and dampness.
These had a good amount of float and stability in tracked out snow. They didn't feel too narrow while making turns in heavy pow and traversing across bowls. I had to ski slowly due to poor visibility. Even at 182cm I found them easy to pivot and move through bumps. The suggested mount is only 3cm behind core center, which gives them a huge tail. That comes in handy for shutting down speed, skiing switch, and makes spinning easier.
Edge grip on hard groomers was better than dull-edged park skis. Enough to keep me confident that I could handle anything that might come up.
Overall I was impressed with the versatility and how easy they are use in soft snow. I did not get the chance to go fast in tracked out conditions with them.
Comments