Philpug's 2012 Steals & Deals Winners

So many times in the reviews, ads, tests and publications, great products fall through the cracks or do not get noted due to various reasons. As a gear tester I get to try hundreds of skis & boots and other gear and here is a few of the products that either performed well above their price point or brought some particularly special to the table be especially noted. Not to take anything away from any other product but here are winners of the...

 Philpug's 2012 Steals & Deals Award Winners

Skis:

Frontside:

Blizzard G-Force Ultrasonic & Viva Ultrasonic

122/73/105

Blizzard is offering this fantastic $799 frontside carver that has all the technology of Blizzard's suspension "S,G,R,M-Power" skis that sell for well over $1,100.  So, if you are looking for an instructing ski or just want to rip up some groomers, the Ultrasonics are cheap additions to your quiver. $799.00

All Mountain:

Blizzard Bushwacker & Black Pearl

123/88/110

While the Cochise and Bonafide are getting the bulls share of the press (see what I did there?), these twins could be the best $699 skis on the market today, the best part is it is, they are only $599. Yeah, the flip cores are that good. $599.00

Head iPeak 84 & iPeak 90

128/84/112      132/89/115

Two great skis that no one knows about. If you have to wait to the end of the season to save up your newspaper route money for a deal, when all the "popular" skis are sold out, these two skis will still be around for clearance pricing and quite frankly, they are worth the wait. $599.00/$649.00

Salomon BBR 7.9 & 8.9

 $599 and $699 (respectfully)  buys you what could be the closest skis ever to a one ski quiver. The BBR's are not great at annoy one thing but veeeery good a a LOT of things especially at putting a smile on your face because when it comes down to it, skiing is supposed to be FUN. 

Powder/Big mountain:

Atomic Access

128/100/120

The Atomic Access is a repeat contender from last season, a lot of ski for little forint (forint is Hungarian for peso), the 2012 Access with it's traditional camber underfoot and early rise gives the peso impaired a great ski to ski the whole mountain with and still have some change left to buy a Corona after a powder day. $599.00

Volkl Shiro JR

132/100/116

A powder ski for the little lady, seriously the Shiro Jr. is a great powder ski for petite women. Don't let the "Jr" fool you, this J.R. is as powerful as J.R. Ewing but as cheap as well some of the members here on Epic. So $369 buys you a REAL 100mm waisted full rocker ski up to a 163. So, here is your pow pow ski that will also give you r-e-s-p-e-c-t in the deep and the lift line. $369.00

Boots:

Tecnica Bushwacker

The BW is the 110 flex 98-100mm little brother to the Cochise side country boot. Airshell and a great walk/hike feature make this boot a steal. Although Tecnica is offering a woman's version in the Crossfire, the airshell allows the Bushwacker to slim down to a 98mm, it also goes down to a 22 shell for the ladies too! $549.00

Tecnica Inferno 90

Usually a product does not make this list for one specific reason, but the Inferno 90 does. The Inferno is the ONLY 21.5 boot in the market that goes down to a 21.5 WITH adult lugs. So the Ladies do you need a real 21.5 shell that fits in adult bindings? Here is the catch...there are less than 60 48 pair available..IN the country! $449.00

Fischer Trinity and Vacuum 110

A fully custom shell for $699? Need I say more? Ya know something, it is light too! Read about the game changing Fischer Vacuum boot technology HERE. $699.00

Bindings:

Look/Rossignol Pivot 140

The popular turntable gets a price drop from $329 to $299. You have a choice of traditional chrome on the Look version or the umm bolder neon orange of the Rossignol version. $299.00

Salomon Sth12 Oversized

The Sth12 is the least expensive way to get into Salomons laterally rigid "worm heel" for under 2 bills. $199.00