quick review: 2010 Salomon Shogun 182

me, 6ft, 165, ski at slower to moderate speeds, at squaw valley, ski groomers only to get to the lift after skiing natural snow, ski lots of squaw type bumps (large, rounded, not short, choppy), steeps, crud, whatever nature serves up w/ an order of wind, sun and precip...

level 8/9 skier (psia scale),

terrain, chute 75 squaw, a couple ice turns up top, wonderful wind deposited fluff in the middle, bigger bumps in the bottom, and  some leftover avalanche debris chunks in the center, rain layer ice on the flanks.

ski, 182, 131-101-118 or so, 3.5cm of slight rocker tip

So,

I haven't really been a salomon fan for quite awhile. liked the xscream, then didn't ski a salomon that worked well for me until 2 weeks ago, i took 2 runs on a  175 gun from a few years ago, (mounted 2cm back). I think i went away from salomon mainly because they were mounted too far forward since they became the company of spinsters.

I was skiing my watea 94, w/ EricD and the Solly Rep, Chris, and swithced out to the new shogun w/ the rep for a couple runs,

i wanted to buy it. i am tough on different skis and often take an adjustment period,

but this one felt good after a few turns and only got better.

turn shape was versatile, would ride the arc, or let you shape the turn into longer or shorter skids. was quite happy being pushed to a hard edgeset. had the light lively feel of the watea, but a bit more damp and nice flex in the forebody. held well on the icy flanks, and was quicker the most 101 skis I've skied.

i didn't notice the rocker tip, and it didn't flutter going fast on the way back to the lift on fast groomer access trails.

All in all, a new turn for salomon and I'd like to own one. but not avail until next fall... bummer.

cheers,

Holiday

i have to admit, beyond, I didn't think about materials too much, except that it isn't a foam/composite core salomon that we've learned to hate. it has a wood feel, although i don't know what bamboo should feel like. first impression was that is was solid for the feeling of lightness, like the watea. similiar construction idea, i hear, take a good wood core, add stringers (carbon i beam in fisher, basalt rock like but w/ some sort of resiliancy i hope) and give it that just right flex, an voila, a ski for real skiers, not guys dropping 50 feet and running it out at 50 plus all the time...

compared to watea, more damp, the way i have my wateas tuned at the moment, more playful and accepting of cheating turn shape.

I must admit, that as I skied this amazing windblown, winddeposit, windbuff day, w/ the squaw icons like Eric D, Sollie rep, Chris (who rips), Tom Day, and others (not to be a name dropper), the boys were flying. it was a day for covering ground quickly, like 4 turns total on the face of headwall since it was just freakin' smooth from the wind love, anyway. with my propensity not ski that fast, i was working to keep up and I was wishing my wateas were a big longer and a bit straighter that day, and the sollies were a bit longer and a bit straigher, so they fit the bill i had conjured up in my mind...

but i digress,

the rocker was minimal, to the point that I don't even know if I felt it, except for the feeling that the radius seems steeper then the dems led me to believe, so slightly shorter use of those dems...?

what also surprised me was how playful it was for a 101 waisted ski, that had a very racy tune on it (so said the rep, and so I felt on the really hard snow, and railing fast carves back to the lift. so many of these skis that do what we need them to do in tougher conditions, are just not playful, but a bit too tuetonic in their nature (i admit, i'm not sure what that means, but i'm thinking stauch non flexible germanic stock :) )

i like a little french flair, i guess...

Cheers,

holiday