Skis of the year 2010-2011Here at Fall-Line we've always maintained that you can't really find a bad set of skis, just a set that are 'bad' for you. Budget, experience and physique are all factors that determine what skis are going to give you the best ride. But that said, every year there are certain skis that seem to blow the competition out of the water. Whether it is the incorporation of innovative technology, or an incredible price point, or using earth-friendly materials or plain simple just great artwork. Here are our pick of the bunch for 2010.
Fischer Watea 84
RRP: £529
Last year, everyone raved about the Watea 84 to the extent that we made it our All-Mountain Ski of the Year. It's just so damn useable without losing an iota of entertainment. Sure, we really love fatter skis and we think they're as versatile as most people will ever want, but the Watea does all this and still skis like a piste ski, like a touring ski, like a freeride ski... It's the proof that if you make a ski just right it will, truly, do everything. You know we said everyone raved about it last year? This year was the same, but more so. It's got to be the Fall Line Ski of the Year for 2010/11.
Check the stats and write a review
Scott Mission
£500
A previous winner of the prestigious Fall-Line 'Ski of the year' title, the Mission has a lot to live up to, and this year, like the previous years, it easily deserves that reputation. A little wider than both the Neo and Aztec, this ski definitely prefers the powder, yet somehow the extra width doesn't seem to stop it on the piste either. Where the other skis excel either off the piste or the on-piste, it seems that the Mission simply excels as an all-mountain ski. This is one of the smoothest rides out there.
Check the stats and write a review
Head Supershape Titan
£570
Here's an interesting concept: let's make an excellent piste ski a bit fatter and see what happens. Head's Supershape Magnum Titan is a blistering piste ski with extra stability and the sneaky ability to bounce around in the slush. Testers rapidly assessed the Supershape Titan as one of the more interesting ideas at the test. After a day or two, it became clear that the ease of turn, huge stability at speed and fierce grip was making this a winner. It's not one of the more expensive performance piste skis around, either, including the KERS concept. Why pick it over the regular Magnum? Because you want Fall Line's Piste Ski of the Year.
Check the stats or write a review
Atomic Nomad Blackeye Ti
£500
Atomic have tweaked the Nomad range to make it more skiable than last year - we've always liked the Crimson, but now our attention zooms in on the slightly narrower Blackeye (£430) and Blackeye Ti. The new layup won over a couple of Fischer Watea fans. Sally Bartlett: "Livelier and more forgiving for more people in our opinion." Could we go that far? Grip and turn initiation were up with the best and a typically rapid Atomic base gives fantastic fast cruising. We probably wouldn't need to stretch to the slightly wider Nomad Crimson... Especially since the Blackeye Ti is our All-Mountain Ski of the Year.
Check the stats and write a review
Atomic Access
£450
The Access is one of the new breed that looks a bit fat and powdery, feels relatively soft (best for skiers under 95kg) and yet skis hugely confidently. The test team found the Access worked all over the hill, with an enjoyably lively feel. It is quite soft, but as the pressure builds in a turn, it starts to work hard and drives you out. This means you can ski it relaxed when you want to and crank it up as your legs or the situation demands. That flex and a touch of nose rocker means it eats powder for breakfast. It's a great, interesting accessible freeride ski and takes our Freeride gong for 2010/11.
Check the stats and write a review
Voelkl Kenja
£435
All that stuff we love about the Kendo and Mantra, but brought into a women's freeride ski. This is a proper one ski to do it all for a decent female skier. It is so fantastically rewarding that we had to plead with testers to let others have a go. For grip, turn initiation, high speed and stability it has few equals. The Völkl Kenja is a blinding ski and it utterly deserves its position as Fall-Line Women's Ski of the Year.
Check the stats and write a review
Rossignol S7.117 Open Freeride
£525
We Brits are finally looking at sticking something mad into the bag to make sure no powder is left unslashed. What we like about the S7 is its use of camber underfoot and rocker at the tips to make a big ski work and a controlled flex to keep it together as the speed goes up. It changes shape dependng on length - Big Mountain riders will opt for the 195 with straighter sidecut and a 120mm waist, and the shorter lengths get the 110mm waist and harder-turning shape. We tested both shapes and it was the big guy that impressed most, simply because it still feels so chuckable.
Check the stats and write a review
K2 Silencer
£200
This is a new model with an old name to keep jibbers jibbing by making it easy not to spend lots of money. Comments like, "makes switch easy" or "good pop off the step up" and "light ends keeps rotation speed high" will mean plenty to the people this ski is designed for, and they figured it would be great for beginner all-mountain skiers too. You don't want to be over 13 stone to get the best out of it because it's a lightish ski. You have to try hard to spend less, and significantly over £200, to find more ability. This was an easy shoe-in when selecting the K2 Silencer as our Fall-Line Freestyle Ski of the Year.
Posted by Online Editor - Thu, 02/12/2010 - 2:51pm
Here at Fall-Line we've always maintained that you can't really find a bad set of skis, just a set that are 'bad' for you. Budget, experience and physique are all factors that determine what skis are going to give you the best ride. But that said, every year there are certain skis that seem to blow the competition out of the water. Whether it is the incorporation of innovative technology, or an incredible price point, or using earth-friendly materials or plain simple just great artwork. Here are our pick of the bunch for 2010.
Fischer Watea 84
RRP: £529
Last year, everyone raved about the Watea 84 to the extent that we made it our All-Mountain Ski of the Year. It's just so damn useable without losing an iota of entertainment. Sure, we really love fatter skis and we think they're as versatile as most people will ever want, but the Watea does all this and still skis like a piste ski, like a touring ski, like a freeride ski... It's the proof that if you make a ski just right it will, truly, do everything. You know we said everyone raved about it last year? This year was the same, but more so. It's got to be the Fall Line Ski of the Year for 2010/11.
Check the stats and write a review
Scott Mission
£500
A previous winner of the prestigious Fall-Line 'Ski of the year' title, the Mission has a lot to live up to, and this year, like the previous years, it easily deserves that reputation. A little wider than both the Neo and Aztec, this ski definitely prefers the powder, yet somehow the extra width doesn't seem to stop it on the piste either. Where the other skis excel either off the piste or the on-piste, it seems that the Mission simply excels as an all-mountain ski. This is one of the smoothest rides out there.
Check the stats and write a review
Head Supershape Titan
£570
Here's an interesting concept: let's make an excellent piste ski a bit fatter and see what happens. Head's Supershape Magnum Titan is a blistering piste ski with extra stability and the sneaky ability to bounce around in the slush. Testers rapidly assessed the Supershape Titan as one of the more interesting ideas at the test. After a day or two, it became clear that the ease of turn, huge stability at speed and fierce grip was making this a winner. It's not one of the more expensive performance piste skis around, either, including the KERS concept. Why pick it over the regular Magnum? Because you want Fall Line's Piste Ski of the Year.
Check the stats or write a review
Atomic Nomad Blackeye Ti
£500
Atomic have tweaked the Nomad range to make it more skiable than last year - we've always liked the Crimson, but now our attention zooms in on the slightly narrower Blackeye (£430) and Blackeye Ti. The new layup won over a couple of Fischer Watea fans. Sally Bartlett: "Livelier and more forgiving for more people in our opinion." Could we go that far? Grip and turn initiation were up with the best and a typically rapid Atomic base gives fantastic fast cruising. We probably wouldn't need to stretch to the slightly wider Nomad Crimson... Especially since the Blackeye Ti is our All-Mountain Ski of the Year.
Check the stats and write a review
Atomic Access
£450
The Access is one of the new breed that looks a bit fat and powdery, feels relatively soft (best for skiers under 95kg) and yet skis hugely confidently. The test team found the Access worked all over the hill, with an enjoyably lively feel. It is quite soft, but as the pressure builds in a turn, it starts to work hard and drives you out. This means you can ski it relaxed when you want to and crank it up as your legs or the situation demands. That flex and a touch of nose rocker means it eats powder for breakfast. It's a great, interesting accessible freeride ski and takes our Freeride gong for 2010/11.
Check the stats and write a review
Voelkl Kenja
£435
All that stuff we love about the Kendo and Mantra, but brought into a women's freeride ski. This is a proper one ski to do it all for a decent female skier. It is so fantastically rewarding that we had to plead with testers to let others have a go. For grip, turn initiation, high speed and stability it has few equals. The Völkl Kenja is a blinding ski and it utterly deserves its position as Fall-Line Women's Ski of the Year.
Check the stats and write a review
Rossignol S7.117 Open Freeride
£525
We Brits are finally looking at sticking something mad into the bag to make sure no powder is left unslashed. What we like about the S7 is its use of camber underfoot and rocker at the tips to make a big ski work and a controlled flex to keep it together as the speed goes up. It changes shape dependng on length - Big Mountain riders will opt for the 195 with straighter sidecut and a 120mm waist, and the shorter lengths get the 110mm waist and harder-turning shape. We tested both shapes and it was the big guy that impressed most, simply because it still feels so chuckable.
Check the stats and write a review
K2 Silencer
£200
This is a new model with an old name to keep jibbers jibbing by making it easy not to spend lots of money. Comments like, "makes switch easy" or "good pop off the step up" and "light ends keeps rotation speed high" will mean plenty to the people this ski is designed for, and they figured it would be great for beginner all-mountain skiers too. You don't want to be over 13 stone to get the best out of it because it's a lightish ski. You have to try hard to spend less, and significantly over £200, to find more ability. This was an easy shoe-in when selecting the K2 Silencer as our Fall-Line Freestyle Ski of the Year.