I'm a 51 year old strong and aggressive skier and I weigh about 175. My Falcon 110 ripped last year and I want to replace with the Salomon X3, but I'm having a bit of trouble deciding which one. The X3 boot fits like a glove, like my old Falcons, perfect toe room, a little movement possible in the ankles, and very snug everywhere else. The Falcon never needed any adjustment or boot fitting, but I found it to be a little soft when skiing GS or SL. They were great for free skiing, bumps, powder, etc.
My dilemma is between the X3 10 CS, which has a flex of 120 or X3 RC CS, which has a flex of 130. In the store, I don’t have difficulty flexing the XC RC.
In terms of skiing, I do about 30 % (or less) of the time on hard pack, and this is usually with my 184 Rossi Worldcup GS ski or a 165 Atomic SL 12 Race. (usually when stuck at a hill where my kids are race training w/ manmade snow).
The other 70% of the time, I ski bumps, trees, steeps, or whatever I find off groomed. I tend to ski fast and aggressively and the skis I use include Movement Thunders, Volkl Mantra and Movement Sluff – all fairly stiff skis.
If I was just skiing hard pack, the decision would be easy – the XC RC, but with the areas that I prefer, I’m wondering if the XC 10 would be a better compromise.
Your thoughts would be most appreciated.
