Pros: Stability, Speed, Agility, Versatility and Power
Cons: Not suitable for novice or low-intermediate skiers
Several months ago I headed up to Mount Baker with the privilege of having a pair of Salomon Endurance XT800 all-mountain demo skis racked on my roof. For the past ten years I have skied on nothing but Salomon X-Screams. The first day I demo'd my X-Screams, I left the mountain that evening, went to the local ski store and bought four pairs, just in case they sold out or went off the market. Ten years later my X-Screams are now my rock skis and it was time for me to give in to a new pair. I am so stoked it did!
Salomon's 2012 Enduro XT800 are incredible! Mt. Baker was the perfect place to demo them; a perfect combination of groomed runs and off-piste terrain. The ski handled so well in all conditions. The Enduro's have so many unique qualities unique to Salomon: a full woodcore, one layer being of bamboo for excessive strength and flexibility, a double Titanium layer for amazing edge grip on ice (welcome to the Northwest!), an oversized pulsepad for for extra absorption and the Powerline system of an arm of stability running down each side of the ski. As Salomon claims, this is "A true-high performance high mountain ski".
There is one negative that I recognized with this ski however; it is most definitely intended for skiers considered advanced intermediate and above. The ski performs optimally at high speeds, on tough terrain. At higher speed the ski turns beautifully; I had no problem even with jump turns. However, my friend demo'd them as well. She is somewhat of a novice skier, and the skis got away from her. This is a man's ski, but because Iove high performance I tend to purchase men's skis instead of women's. I normally ski a 183cm ski, but demo'd the 170cm pair and loved them. Highly reccommend these planks!
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