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Volkl Bridge or Salomon Lord?

post #1 of 37
12/27/09 at 11:35am
Thread Starter 
Hi I am looking for twin tips and am deciding between the Volkl Bridge and the Salomon Lord. I am an all mountain skier, groomers, powder, trees, etc. and I also like to hit up the park occasionally - boxes, small to medium jumps. I've been told that the skis I'm looking at will suit my needs nicely. Which will be better, Bridge or Lord?


Thanks
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post #2 of 37
12/27/09 at 11:58am
Haven't skied either one.

But I've read mostly postive reviews on the Bridge and the Lord's have really been a mix bag of reviews if that helps you out at all.

I'm sure someone will come along and give you much more insight.
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post #3 of 37
1/2/10 at 6:55pm
I picked up the Salomon Lords 169, and put Marker Griffon Schizo bindings on them...the best set up you can get.

I got the 169 because I like quick short turns in the trees and they do the job in the powder and hard packs. Im about 5'9 140lbs and they float, carve, and feel great.

I did my research and all reviews pointed to YES, so I got them, even though no one answered some of my questions.

I have them, skied them about 3 times at Blue Mountain, 5 days in Tremblant.

If you are still wondering which ones to go with, let me make the decision...Buy.
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post #4 of 37
1/2/10 at 11:28pm
 I have the 185 Bridge and have put 15 days on them so far. Decided to go with them basically because it suited what I wanted and every single review raved about them. So far I'm fairly pleased, I have skied lots of powder and although obviously not it's strong suit it does ok. They rail groomers very nicely and with its stiffer flex bust through crud quite well. Very stable at speed, have yet to find a speed limit. Wish I could go into greater depth but my ability to discern subtle differences between skis is limited.

Mounted all the way back.
5'11, 185lbs
level 7 skier
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post #5 of 37
1/3/10 at 9:03am
I have a pair of Volkl Bridges and I really like them, they are fairly quick, do well in the trees, seem to be good on the groomers (for all I know) and do very well in the powder for their waist width because they have a wide shovel. The two things that aren't so good about the ski is that they are fairly heavy and are mainly a one direction ski (not so good for going backwards).

Bridge: better off trail (crud, powder, chowder)

Lord: better on groomers, better at park

It would help if you gave us more information such as: What is you height/weight? Where do you spend most of your time skiing? What is your skiing level? What are previous skis you've skied on? What did you like/dislike about your previous skis?
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post #6 of 37
1/3/10 at 9:24am
I really don't like Salomon too much- Volkl is the way to go.
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post #7 of 37
1/3/10 at 11:29am
I'm guessing this kind of question will be thrown over to perceptions of Volkl and Salomon as being more or less cool, over the characteristics of the individual models.

Salomon is back, with wood cores, many designs that are very diverse in performance, and European place of origin.

Volkl still makes some awesome skis, but has shifted the manufacturing of many models to China, without really highlighting the fact. Skis made in Germany say it in large letters printed into the top sheet.  Models made in China have a little, tiny gold sticker stating the fact, and it usually falls off at some point on the shop wall.

We should approach evaluations objectively, based on performance and durability, not fashion and what's in. More fun and more value.

That said, haven't skied either, so won't blab what I don't know about their specific performance characteristics.
And I could care less what models are cool.


PS. remember when we actually debated on this forum whether skis sent to China for manufacture would be cheaper to purchase? Ha!
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post #8 of 37
1/3/10 at 4:45pm
Hi, I cannot tell you about the Salomon Lord,but I sure can attest for the Bridge. If you are looking for an all mountain twin tip(not park specific) than the Bridge is perfect. I have read reviews about this ski not being too good for hard pack and heavy and demanding. I am only 5'7 and 160 lbs and I had no problem with it at all. I skied it for the first time the other night and fell in love with it. I might not be using my Tigersharks too often noiw. As far as hardpack goes,  rock solid, carved like crazy.  Super stable at higher speeds as well,felt very confident especially since this is my first twin tip also.I hope that someone else can chime in on the Lord for you but I thought I would share my thoughts on the Bridge.  Good luck
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post #9 of 37
1/5/10 at 2:06pm
Thread Starter 
hey guys,

i decided to go with the Volkl Bridge. I ordered them about 3 days ago so I wasn't able to read all of these replies before that. From the responses and reviews and research, I think i will be happy with my choice as everyone says it is a great all mountain ski that does well in the powder and trees and is decent enough in park and that is exactly what i am looking for.

One of these responses though slightly unnerved me:

Quote:
 The two things that aren't so good about the ski is that they are fairly heavy and are mainly a one direction ski (not so good for going backwards).

I do ski switch a decent amount, whether it be in park or just messing around on groomers, so I hope this statement isn't true, for me at least.


I will let you guys know when they arrive and when I have been out to the slopes.

Thanks
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post #10 of 37
1/5/10 at 2:15pm
Thread Starter 
And to reply to Downhillin99's questions, I am 5' 6" 120 lbs. I ski on the east (really want to go west but never get the chance) - upstate new york and vermont.

Can't tell you much about previous skis, I'm 16 so I used to rent every season. I had some rossi twin tips last year, but I realized last year that rentals are really crappy quality and finally convinced the folks to buy me some skis.

I ski pretty much anything powder, trees, groomers, park, moguls, w/e.

I am a level 8/9 skier.
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post #11 of 37
1/5/10 at 5:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by owned View Post

I am a level 8/9 skier.

 

When I was 16 I said I was a level 8/9
When I was 17 I said I was a level 8
I'm 19 now and would say i'm a level 7.

My skiing has improved greatly during this time.  

My definition of "level 8"-  You can ski all types of terrain with reasonable skill and finesse at a reasonable speed. "all types of terrain includes - Moguls, Steeps, Trees, Powder, Hard pack. 

I don't even honestly know if you could get to "level 8" as an east coast skier. You simply don't get enough experience skiing steeps/pow.

Not trying to be a Dick, if you want to get good advice you have to be honest about your abilities. 
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post #12 of 37
1/5/10 at 5:48pm
Thread Starter 
@tmay11

not trying to be a dick but thanks for your advice...not. i made this thread to get advice on what the better ski is not to get criticized about what i think my ability is..lol

i didn't know what the levels meant so i looked it up.

from about.com:

Level 8:
Level Eight skiers ski with good technique on all terrain and snow conditions. Level Eight skiers can ski moguls and are able to ski black diamond trails with confidence using carved turns.

That's me ^^

Level 9:
Level Nine skiers enjoy the challenge of difficult ski trails and ski moguls, steeps, and other black diamond terrain.

from amenta.com:

Level 9:
You can ski black diamond bumps, steeps and varied snow conditions comfortably

That's sorta me ^^.

maybe i'm not a 8/9 skier out west but out here east im pretty sure i am.

anyway i never claimed to ski out west or even be as good as people who do, so its clear that im rating myself based on what i can ski out east and out east i am 8/9.

I am honest about my abilities and if you don't have any good insight don't waste your time posting a useless comment
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post #13 of 37
1/5/10 at 7:14pm
The point of my comment was to hopefully prompt you to re-evaluate your skill level. Why?
 
You are going to get different advice from myself and other members of the forum depending on whether you are an intermediate, advanced, or expert skier. Especially when it comes to discussion on gear, i.e, ski length, ski choice, boot stiffness etc. 
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post #14 of 37
1/5/10 at 7:29pm
Thread Starter 
fine. there was no need for you to be snide and accuse me of raising my skill level and not being honest about it.

and there is no need for me to re-evaluate my skill level because on the east i am an 8/9 and can pretty much ski anything here as its not nearly as intense as it is out west im sure.
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post #15 of 37
1/6/10 at 4:01am
Congrats, you will be pleased with your choice. As for mounting advice,on the ski will be a boot center and a true center.The boot center line is Volkls all mountain position,and true center is the park and pipe position. What I did was split the difference on the mounting point to accomodate all terrain.Someone else comment if they have a different opinion please.However, I did this and it has worked out well so far for me. Also, I got the Marker Griffon Binding as it is strongly suggested for wider skis. Hope this helps and hope you like your purchase. 
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post #16 of 37
1/8/10 at 3:15pm
Congrats.  Bridge sounds like a nice ski.

I skiied the Lord recently for a day, after getting <12" in Taos.  It was a fun ski and I thought it excelled at almost everything.  I was on a 169, which for my height/weight (6'0", 185) was probably a little short.  However, it was fun as promised by the shop.

The conditions weren't icy, but there were a few hidden ice spots, and the Lord didn't fare too well on that.  However, I wouldn't expect it or any of it's counterparts to do well on icy conditions.  Not the purpose of the ski.
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post #17 of 37
1/8/10 at 10:00pm
Thread Starter 
My skis just arrived today! I am so excited. Can't wait to mount these babies. The skis look incredible. Im amazed at how freaking wide the front is.

Where should i mount them? there are two markings in the center of the skis, one for boot center and one for true center. What is the difference?
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post #18 of 37
1/9/10 at 12:05am
I used to like the old karmas 50/50 boot center vs true center, but on my bridges it just doesn't feel right to me. i am re-mounting a little further back maybe like 1cm forward of rear. I have my 190 goats mounted this way and they feel light and manueverable so I think it may work for the bridge as well.
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post #19 of 37
1/9/10 at 4:49am
I mentioned to you in a previous post that boot center is Volkls all mountain setting.If you do any park and or pipe you may want to split the difference between the two.I did this and it has worked out very well so far. If you just ski all mountain, than the latter may work for you.Hope this helps,ENJOY!!!!!!!
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post #20 of 37
1/9/10 at 10:33am
Thread Starter 
sorry daveski7! forgot you mentioned that. Thanks. BTW it doesn't seem like there is that big of a difference between true center and boot center. Does it really make a difference?
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post #21 of 37
1/9/10 at 10:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by owned View Post

sorry daveski7! forgot you mentioned that. Thanks. BTW it doesn't seem like there is that big of a difference between true center and boot center. Does it really make a difference?
 

My 2cents- Mine are mounted all the way back over the "boot center" mark. I'm using this ski strictly as an all mountain ski and the this mounting posistion has worked well for me. If you want to use it in the park I would reccomend splitting the difference as Daveski suggested.

Most skis have a mounting zone of around 4-6 cm.The ski will most definitely have a different feel and different performance characteristics depending on where you mount it. Ie- as you go forward with the mount you will lose some float in powder and maybe some carvability on the hardpack but spinning in the park you will have better balance and a nicer feel. Ideally you have a park specific ski mounted center and a all mtn ski mounted back or you could look into the Marker Schizo binding which can move back and forth.
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post #22 of 37
1/9/10 at 11:07am
I split the difference with my Bridges and they seem to ski very nice. That's my advice.
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post #23 of 37
1/9/10 at 1:36pm
Thread Starter 
hey guys, just got back from the ski shop. I got the marker griffon bindings and i told them to split the difference between the two markings like you guys said. Can't wait to hit the slopes and see how they ride.

I'm just curious, how can i check that they mounted them correctly. not that i think they didn't because ski barn is a pretty respected store around here. I'm just curious to know
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post #24 of 37
1/9/10 at 2:13pm
There is a small line on the bottom of your boot. Put the boots into the bindings and check that the line on the boot falls over the same part of each ski. You could also use a tape and measure off one of the mounting lines to some part on the biinding, check to see that your measured distance is the same on both skis. 
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post #25 of 37
1/9/10 at 2:35pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks tmay11, I will be sure to do that. What I meant though was i want to check if they actually mounted them by splitting the difference between the two lines.
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post #26 of 37
1/9/10 at 3:25pm
Hey, great choice on the Griffons,you won't be dissapointed. As Tmay11 said, snap your boots in the bindings and see if the little slash mark(boot center) on the lower part of your boot lines up with what should be a reference line halfway between boot center and true center.The shop should have made a small mark on the ski as a reference point.If you have any other Q's feel free to ask, if not go ski them and give some feedback. Enjoy the ride
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post #27 of 37
1/13/10 at 9:24pm
Haven't heard back yet, just wondering if you have had a chance to ski your new sticks. Interested in feedback.Talk to you soon.
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post #28 of 37
1/14/10 at 11:12am
Volkl!!!!
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post #29 of 37
1/14/10 at 6:23pm
Thread Starter 
@Daveski7, I didn't get a chance to go last weekend. However, I already made plans to go skiing this sunday. hopefully conditions and weather will be adequate and i will get back to you all with feedback!
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post #30 of 37
1/15/10 at 4:27am
Have a good time,you will love them. Since I got mine, my Tigersharks have seen limited time(even though I love them too)just because the Bridge works so well on all conditions except boilerplate.
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