2012 skis and gear.....a (pre) preview.

Just attended my first show of the year and saw a smattering of 2012 hardgoods. This is not a review but rather, just a quick and very incomplete overview of a few things.

Brands previewed either in full or in sprinkles.

K2

Line

Volkl

Salomon

Nordica

Rossi

K2: For a brand that did a major flip last year, there are some pretty good refinements.

System skis for men and women have reworked topdeck geographies, slimmed down mod configurations, and some superbly executed color ways. There is a totally new Pon2oon with a very much toned down amount of rocker and a much longer conventional section. The "Side" skis are revamped graphically and have a new 90mm model. Some typical idiotic graphics in a few models.

Line: Some small changes but with (IMO) some nice refinements. P-90 and 100 are remodeled with some minimalist tip rocker, new flatter tails with longer rear running surfaces and a new metal matrix. The former P-100 is now a 98 and should be a worthy Enforcer competitor. There is a new 105 and the returning 115 both with very good graphics, and similar rise to the current 115. Pandora remains the same. Nice new graphic stories with no monsters, blood, or corpses.

Volkl: Some fairly substantial redesigns including an all new Gotama/Kiku with drastically minimized rocker, a real tip, and long flat underfoot. Mantra and Aura get minimal tip rocker and straighter sidecuts but are still very stiff in the back half. AC series are gone and replaced with RTM (Ride The Mountain) ski that incorporate minimalist tip rise and barely visible tail rise along with (important!!) a softer flex on the 84mm version. The 80mm is stiffer and may be a lost soldier. Another new series called "Code" is ~~ 75mm on trail skis using some minimal rocker and "Speedwall" like the race skis. (These were not shown except in pics) There is a narrower version of Kuro.

Salomon: Enduro series is expanded to several widths, constructions and price points. Some good stuff here. Shogun, Sentinel, Geisha, Lady etc.....get new (better graphics) The BBR is............uhhhhhhh..........different, unique and will likely be a complete hit or a complete miss but I can't say which. I'm trying to buy a couple of demos for spring consumer testing in Tahoe. There is a new Rocker2 that should be a spectacular powder ski in the 113mm range. Nothing really notable in boots here.

Nordica: This line shows an expansion of the Firearrow group including a new 74mm EDT on trail model that should be stellar. The Hotrod group is still around but is slimmed/toned down. The Conquer and Infinite are really superb graphically and I'm sure will remain among the very best womens skis available anywhere at any price. There is a whole new collection of new non metal 84-113mm models all with varying degrees of tip rise that are spinoffs of the "I-Core HR Burner models. I think the 90 and 98mm versions should be absolute standouts for western skiers. The Enforcer and Girish have new graphics. The Big news in boot collection is that the conventional 100mm Speedmachine models are totally replaced by 3 piece shells in various flexes and models. There are cuff hinge versions of these as well. No opinions yet on these as the samples are too small for me to even try on let alone ski in. The HR series freeride boots are revamped into a collection built around this year's "Enforcer" shell.

Rossi: I only saw a few random samples and can only say that the Avenger 82 (carbon) is a very classy looking ski for the conservative skier and the new S7 looks to have a metal layer on the bottom in 188 cm. I speculated on this about 6-8 months ago but was thinking that maybe for 2012-13. Apparently it's now. I have some 2012 S7's on the way so I'll confirm when I get them.

In general....Rocker seems to be spreading somewhat but it also seems to be getting drastically toned down. All of the new offerings in 110+ have some rocker but in moderate amounts and most that I've seen so far are pretty soft in flex and are certainly consumer powder skis rather than "Superhero" skis.

If I didn't mention it.....I haven't seen it yet.

SJ

Quote:

Originally Posted by ecimmortal 

The new 105 prophet with a little tip rise, and a flatter tail sounds amazing. To bad I already own that ski in the ON3P Vicik. Actually prior to the Vicik I was dreaming of a P100 with and early rise tip. Nice to see it materialize. Should be a solid western daily driver.

Not quite right. The 98 (former 100) has the very low rise tip and the longer, flatter tail. The 105 has more rise (similar to the current 115) and is a twin. I think the 98 will be a great DD for the west. The 105 will be OK too but certainly more soft snow orientation.

BTW......reflecting on the Volkl RTM skis causes me to think that they have been paying attention to Blizzard.

SJ

Quote:

Originally Posted by squawbomber 

What I hear in this is that the rocker designs are still being sorted out, and it may not be a bad thing to wait a year or two and see what design consensus emerges (if you're someone like me who can't buy skis frequently). Industry experts opinion?

The consensus (this week) is that less rocker is better in many cases. The amounts of early taper are also being reduced and there is very little in full reverse with most skis having cambered sections. OTH....if you find something you like, who cares what the industry thinks? If it works for you then.....it works.

SJ

Quote:

Originally Posted by eastskier44 

Idk about you guys, but I'm pretty surprised abou Volkl.  For an Austrian "hard-snow" oriented brand for the most part, I'm really surprised to see them throwing rocker in pretty much all of their skis.  Think it's not a bad idea for the Mantra and maybe even Kendo, but I'd like to know if the Core series will be replacing the Tigersharks.  If they are, I'd be really disappointed.  Also, I think the AMR series makes a bit of sense, as I think they missed the target a bit with the AC series, especially the AC50, as they were supposed to be for the whole mountain, but really just excelled on hard snow and could do ok in powder (due to their stiffness and camber).  

Somebody named nobody.................did pretty well with this but here is the spin that Volkl gave these questions. First, "rocker" is the new talking point. Basically you have to have it in most categories in order to be considered relevant. It is not a bad thing to have some non rockered skis available as a counterpoint. Re: the Grizz and the TS series, those models have not been huge hits in the market with the Grizz being an especially slow seller. I did mean "Code" when I typed "Core" and I haven't seen one yet so I can't say much except that their story is that the amount of rocker is very minimal and hence not a big disadvantage. Volkl absolutely understands that the AC-50 is no great shakes for mixed snow use and I suspect that the new RTM will be more useful  as much b/c of better flex than the rocker which is pretty small. The Gotama in current form was a bit of a miss as well but by knocking down much of the rocker and putting more platform under the foot, I think it will be better also.

SJ

A little of both. It's called "capwall" and is a sidewall with a rolled over topsheet.

SJ

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockSlide 

Quote:

Originally Posted by SierraJim There is a totally new Pon2oon with a very much toned down amount of rocker and a much longer conventional section.

Did they change the overall shape of the ski or did the just make the tapered shape less drastic. Also, why do you think they reduced the rocker? It is a powder specific ski after all.

The 2oon looks from a distance much like a Kuro but with (I think) an even longer straight section. As to the why...........while it is a powder specific ski, pushback from consumers was indicating that perhaps it was too much. This impression is permeating the entire industry to some level or other. Hence you are seeing rocker toned down in rise and run, big tapers going away, tip rocker only far outweighing tip and tail rocker and full reverse skis are almost completely moribund. The industry is not doing this blindly. The consumer feedback over the last few years and particularly the last year was indicating that rocker is most acceptable in smaller doses, carefully applied. At this point there is absolutely zero trend toward full house rocker/reverse applications in mainstream or even semi-mainstream models.

This deal is nowhere near sorted out yet.

SJ