Rossignol Scratch Pro/ FS- The Rossignol Scratch Pro and FS are a similar ski. I own the Scratch Pro, and I love it. The main difference between the Scratch Pro and FS, is the FS in longer, and has a stiffer tail. I found that at my weight and height, (5’1, 125lbs) that they were “ok”. I liked the satiability on jumps. If you landed backseat, these skis wouldn’t wash out. Also, they are light. The versatility on these skis is amazing. They can handle it all. If you want versatility, a solid ski, check out the scratches.
Armada Tanner Hall Pro Model- After demoing these skis, I have just bought them this year. When I demoed them, the bindings were mounted at core centre. I plan to mount mine at true, but the core centre only looks about 1 cm back. These skis are very park specific- soft flex, stable underfoot, and a good height on the tail. They pop so easily, and like the Ar5, the edges are thick. Buttering was, well, buttery smooth. I ski about 95% park, so I saw these fitting for my next ski. In conclusion, the T-halls are my number one pick for a park ski, however, do not be afraid to take them out. They do just dandy all over the mountain. Don’t keep them boxed up in the park all the time!
Salomon Foils.- The Salomon foils are a great ski. They are a bit wider in the tip, and preformed well in the park, and on rails and jumps. The foam core allowed the ski to be light, and very predictable when jumping. they weren’t too stiff, and not to soft, right in a happy medium. I am a fairly lightweight skier (125lbs), and I found little if any difficulty handling these skis. After a while in the park, I took them on some of our longer groomed runs, and just did fakie carves. Fakie carves were super easy on the foils, and I spent about 20 minutes doing just that. Later, I took them off the groomers and into some deeper powder and they did great. they floated nicely. My only complaint was I found them to be a little bit bulkier than my scratches, however, I have never ridden a ski this wide. If you want a ski that can go all over the mountain, the foil is an excellent choice.
Salomon Thrusters- The Salomon thrusters are the same basis as the original 1080's. When I rode this ski, I was surprised with how light it was. First run with the thrusters, I went down our main hill, just buttering and what not. I like the flex pattern, softer nose, and stiffer tail, with a rigid midsection. You can really load up the tails on these, and ollie extremely high- higher than I thought I ever could. Next stop was the park. The edges were still very sharp, so rails weren’t as enjoyable as with the foils, but still fun. After the rails, I did some jumping. This was the best part of the thrusters. The pop I mentioned with the ollieing came in handy- extremely floaty 180 grabs were made easy. Just popping of the lip was fun on these. I only did one powder run on the thrusters, and they did as well as I expected. They did fine, but not as well as the foils. I think the thrusters are a great, light, and snappy ski for those who want a reliable park ski, and something to play around with on the groomers and the occasional powder.
Line Invader- Okay, this was the most anticipated ski I demoed. Now there has been talk on NS that "the invaders rock" and "the invaders suck". well, I don’t have invaders, so my opinion is not biased in any way. Asides from having a wicked cool top sheet, the invaders are a great ski. Now, it is known the invaders have some problems with delaminations and edges coming out, but the pair I tested were fine. These skis are quite easy to maneuver. I spent most of the day with them in the park, only two groomer runs, and one powder run, which I somewhat regret. They were stable on rails, and boxes as well. Jumping was moderate, they just felt a little floppy, but not to a point where it bad, if that’s a good way of putting it. I was buttering onto out box like I was asleep. The Butter Zone made butters easy, and barely compromised the over all flex. Speaking of flex, the invaders are soft.....really soft! So if you are really heavy, I don’t think they will perform well. Yet at my weight and height (5'1", 125 lbs), they were perfect. the one powder run I took was fun, but they did not float, and it was a struggle to keep the tips up. If you are lighter weight, (let’s say 130-155), and want a park ski that can go on groomers, and powder if you want to push it, the invaders are a good choice.
Elan Mo2- These skis, to the contrary of what many say, are very nice. I own the 05 version, and demoed the 06 version, and little has changed. Not too stiff, the Mo2 is excellent everywhere. The graphics are down to personal taste, to be honest, I didn’t like the graphic. The “third rail” in my mind is a gimmick. I noticed no difference in my rails. They slid the same as the other skis. Perhaps it will make the ski more durable in the long run, but you cant tell in the 1 hour I was riding them. I really rode these for the majority of time on the main hill. Powder was experienced for one run, which was moderate. Overall, a good ski. Get them if you can get a deal, other wise, I would say look at the thrusters, or Ar5 for a all mountain ski substitution.
Armada Ar5- These skis made me buy the T-halls. The Ar5 is not too stiff, but not soft by any means. It’s a little stiffer than the 1080 Foils. I really liked the dimensions, and it was super fun switch skiing. The edges were very thick, and it handled well all over. You name it, powder (only about 10cm) groomed, park, bumps. Excellent. You cant beat the graphics either. Asymmetric is so hot right now. Conclusion? If you need an all mountain twin, look into these. A very solid ski, from a super chill company.
Atomic Urban Triplets- I hated this ski. The flex did not fit my taste. I found them to be bulky, and the foam core was weird. The binding matte was raised, and it felt as if I was on lifters. The skis were too stiff for me to handle, so that’s why I disliked the flex. I would recommend you be above 130 lbs to fully appreciate these skis. I would assume that they use Atomic’s bases from the race skis, because they were fast. I don’t know how well the edges and bases would hold up, because I didn’t have a lot of time in the park. These are a great ski, just not my favourite.