I first peeped these skis at SIA Vegas and amidst all the kabuffle of new gear I was seeing, I didn't think too much of them initially. A few weeks later I was in Japan with Mike Douglas and I was asking him about it and he said it was not only the best ski Salomon has ever made, it was the also the best ski he's ever skied. I took that statement to the bank because Mike is not only one of the best skiers in the world in my opinion, he's also been super open and honest with me about what product he does and doesn't like over the many years I've had the pleasure of being friends with him. I began to get more and more curious about the Czar after coming to the conclusion that I was tired of skiing on skis over 185cm and wanted something more in the 182cm range with a 100+ waist. Then, a day after mentioning this to Tyler Gigg and Bruno Bertrand from Salomon, I was presented a brand new pair, which were mounted and hand delivered to me on the hill...no big deal. Thanks gentlemen!

Although I haven't had too much chance to ski it in the deep stuff as I got them towards the end of the year, I've really, really enjoyed my time on them thus far. They mob through the crud, are super lofty in the pow and although they're not as turny of a ski as I'm use to, they ski pretty well on the groomed as well.

I love the fact that Salomon has started going to wood cores (particularly with this ski) and has figured out the weight issue that has given them some trouble with their wood core skis of the past. The ski is light and nimble but is definitely made for charging. A big plus is that it's reportedly the only rockered ski on the market that is pre-pressed with rocker (which adds to the durability and longevity of the rocker), as opposed to being rockered after the fact.

Graphically, it's subtle but with a bit of pop. The crowns and snowmobiles on the tip are cool because I like to think of myself as a bit of a king and I heart snowmobiles. I also dig the finger of God-type image in the middle of the ski.

I got them for free so I'm pretty stoked. But for those of you that have to mow lawns all summer or crunch numbers in the stock exchange tower, believe me...it'll be money well-spent.

After skiing on skis over 185 for many, many years and my knees getting worse and worse, I decided this season that I was over long skis and was becoming more of a 179-182 type of guy. Thus, the 182 length for me in this ski (at 111 in the waist) was a perfect fit for my desired all-around shred stick.

I love the flex, and it was one of the initial things that drew me to the ski. It feels a bit softer in the tip than in the tail (mainly because of the rocker) which is nice because I usually tend to land a bit backseat when I drop cliffs. Having this flex gives me a bit more confidence to stomp the piss out of drops which makes all the ladies waiting for me at the bottom extra turned on.

So far so good. These skis are monsters.