Jon Olsson Pro Model 2008!

Perhaps the coolest and surely one of the classiest graphics for 2008- what they ski like we don't know yet- imagining they are the Pro Model of one of the Worlds top free skiers I'd expect them to ski pretty well. But with the Olsson Pro Model I am sure they will no doubt be bought for looks alone.

Keep checkin' out skireviews.co.uk for upcoming skis and more info on the 2008 models such as the JO Pro Model.

Head Raptor Race boots 2008!

Bold colour, bold design, 100% race-bred and 100% for the racer within you- the new Head raptors look amazing and felt stunningly snug upon the foot. Head only had one single boot at the test and it was a touch nippy to go skiing with only one boot so I can only talk of the design- this is a departure from the S-Line from this current season with a narrower but more ergonomic last which impresses with its accuracy. The buckles themselves have protectors over the ratchet to protect from opening due to impact with gates- this seems a great idea and I'm sure it works well but is a bit of "faff" when trying to clip up quickly and get skiing in a hurry.

There is also a well-thought-out double-strap that allows you to adjust the cuff depending upon the size of your calf muscle for a more accurate and comfortable fit. The very interesting triple bolts in the rear cuff will enable you to accurately tailor the flex and rebound of the boot for your method of skiing plus forward flex. All this combined with a new and improved liner will make the Raptors one of the most competitive boots on the market- certainly enough to battle with the likes of the Nordica Dobermann, Lange WC or Salomon LAB X2.

chris

Salomon Crystal Womens 2008

The Crystal is a great looking, ultra-light, nimble- and one of our testers favourites- piste carver skis. Developed from the successful Rush line from this year the new model is ideally suited to someone with a couple of holidays under their belts. The Crystal is very reassuring underfoot yet agile- this means that even in intermediates hands they become playful, grippy and reassuring. Vanessa, a blue to red run skier with about four weeks skiing to her name, found them very quick into the turn, easy to carve and she felt that they gave her lots of confidence for short carveir skis with more than adequate amounts of stability for an intermediate to advanced level of speed.

Light, sexy intermediate carvers for a sporty intermediate.

chris

Scott Neo

The Scott Neo was one of our favourites at the Meribel Ski tests. An addition rather than a replacement for the much vaunted Aztec Pro the Neo is a cruisy, fun and easy gripping ski for the advanced to expert skier. With a whole load of powder off the sides the Neo's just bounded through the stuff and are very palyful and easily tamed but great fun nontheless. On the hard pack they aren't as grippy or as explosive as a slalom ski but they do hold a surprisingly good edge, even on the hard-man-made snow that crept through on some of the Meribel pistes.

If you're looking for a ligh ( I think they would make great touring skis), versatile and entertaining ski the Scott Neo will definitely be one to try when you get the chance in 2008!

chris

A 2008 taster!

We're not even half way through Winter 2007 and already there are the Winter 2008 ski tests for the retailers and magazines who are all gearing up to let loose on you the most cutting edge, fashionable, fast and sometimes downright sexy ski kit- its just that all this gearing-up takes about nine months and most of this stuff won't be at a store near you until next November!

Happily here at Skireviews we are able to bring you a few samples of what is going to be hot for next season not only under your feet but some of them are very easy to please on the eye as well.

The test itself featured hundreds if not thousands of skis from well over twenty five manufacturers, it was especially good to see some of the smaller, bespoke traders there such as Line Skis which are now available in France for the first time, Armada, 3 G (Genuine Guide Gear), 4Front and Volant for the more executive amongst you.

Meribel was covered with a fresh layer of lovely powder and the sun was burning whilst the air was clear and sharp- so perfect skiing conditions and we were very lucky! Keep checking out those ski reviews and also there will be some snappy reports from ISPO next week to keep you in-tune and up-to-date with the latest in the ski world.

A plus

Ispo 2007!

What is ISPO 2007!?

ISPO is the worlds largest and most exciting wintersports trade and press show. For all the hottest trends and technologies, fashions and news from the smallest upstarts or large established companies Winter ISPO is the place. For over twenty years ISPO has been based in Munich southern Germany and is the ideal showcase for the majority of manufacturers, playing host to many of the major retailers and media interests. Whether from Europe or beyond those seeking the latest stories for the forthcoming winter season- 2008- will be at Winter ISPO 2007.

ISPO really is the place to witness the launch of new brands and innovations. 2005 saw the launch of POC, the cutting edge and innovation award-winning Swedish manufacturer of helmets, gloves, goggles and protection. 2006 saw the established ski manufacturer Elan win the award for technology and innovation with their Wave technology.

2007 should be great with the rumoured launch of a replacement for the Salomon X-Wave series of ski boots- for several years the X-Waves have been the worlds top sellers so the replacements are going to have to be good plus a ski developed alongside the aircraft and car manufacturer Saab! There is also talk of a new ski clothing brand from the UK! Designed to be "Engineered & Opulent" it could prove to be very popular!

ISPO is happening during the first week of February, hope to bring you fresh news and good stories to this blog soon!

Head S-Line

Heads new range, the S-line, features many models based around upon race boot design. You are greeted with a boot that is functional, clean looking, efficient and there are no annoying unnecessary add-ons. A major difference between how Head approach fit is the innovative FCS- Full Custom System. This latest second generation of the system features a plastic frame between the liner and shell. If fitted this takes the shell from stately-home sized 103mm across the forefoot to a more performance orientated 100mm. A secondary benefit of this system comes when you need to create space for lumps and bumps on your weathered feet. The FCS can be cut away so as to give space around pressure points- its quicker, easier and more cost effective than stretching the boot but you do loose a level of precision with this set-up.
Rarer and for the expert the RS series look fabulous and is bereft of anything other than bare essentials- think Pamela Anderson in a thong. Reserved for excellent skiers they are best suited to the expert skier with their firm flexes and precise liners. The range topping RS 96 is an anorexic 96mm across the forefoot so expect market leading performance and a firm ride from the race-bred “single-injection moulded” 130 flex.

Narrow to medium depending on model

Race bred design
Double-power Velcro strap.
FCS II (Full Custom System)

Flex-
90 (soft)
130 (stiff)

Freestylers rejoice!

For too long now you have suffered for your art. Even though there has been huge advances in ski design Freestyle specific boots have been somewhat stagnant. Salomon’s new SPK, Snow Park, boot is purpose designed for the job. With a host of features such as the “Highback” to save your calf from impaling itself on the cuff, a one-centimetre-deep shock absorber under heel to prevent bruising on hard landings and a simple yet innovative two clip design matched to a sumptuous liner everything is tailored to the dedicated jibber. Crammed with innovation and a heady level of comfort you will love this boot if you spend your days spinning off kickers or dreaming of doing so.

Medium last- versatile and permits most foot shapes.
Under-heel shock absorber
Lightweight
Fur trimmed liner
Slick Pad- easy foot entry
Oversized Velcro strap- extra comfort and support.

Flex 85

Salomon's new Falcon boots swoop to the fore.

Salomon’s new Falcon range heralds a revolution in ski boot design and the sexy new liners ooze class with their black leather and red cushioning.

The Falcon's are remarkably light- they are so light in comparison to an older expert model boot such as Salomon’s recently departed Course that at first they are almost disconcerting as you are used to feeling something solid at the end of your foot and not a boot that feels so integral to your own foot. The shell is a couple of millimetres narrower than the very popular X-Wave range but the liner is now so precise that they feel much snugger. In fact I think the liner is the star but more of that in a second as the shell highlights some new technology in ski boot manufacture. Instead of being constructed from one mass of equally thick plastic the new shell furthers the Salomon’s Spaceframe concept of only having enough material in place to achieve the job efficiently-all excess is trimmed away, so a boot for the Thatcherites, the Brown camp would never let you get away with such a design without a stealth tax! The end result is an incredibly simple appearance shrouding cutting edge technology. Refined carbon-fibre in the cuff amazes with its energy especially towards the end of the turn whilst the asymmetric design lowers weight and drives all your impulses through to the edge for astonishing mid-turn power.
New firmer foams in the “S&M” liner are more comfortable and precise than any I’ve yet tried this side of a World Cup boot. Fit is exceptional and the quality is great with taped seams and a rubberized toe-box for drier, warmer paws.
Downsides- Aesthetically the Falcon Race is incoherent yet the Scarlet and Falcon 10s look superb. For bona fide experts the lightness makes the boot lack feel at the beginning of the turn although this won’t affect advanced skiers. The Falcon liner is near faultless and marks a vast improvement- they are worth buying for the slinky “leatherette” alone!

Snowy Val d'Isere

Wow, from what I hear there isn't much skiing going on in Europe at the moment, the press has painted a mural of despair as global warming reaps its toll upon us poor skiers- but not here in Val d'Isere!! Having skied in perfect conditions yesterday it felt like a beautiful day anytime during the past few years. Crisp winter snow crackled beneath our feet, sharp air freshened and rouged our cheeks as we cruised around half-empty slopes high in the French Alps.

Another day and things have moved on considerably as it snows outside, this may not be the biggest snow year but we are skiing on vitually all the pistes, save for those reserved for the World Cup skiers in La Daille- things are looking good for the next few days as well, more snow is forecast and lets hope that we now start to settle into a true winter.

Keep you're fingers crossed and your ears open to news of fresh snow- there maybe a lot more skiing left in this season before heading for les plages!

Atomic 918 Ski Equipment Review

Entry level ski into the 918 range. This is perhaps one of the most legendary names in skiing and will be a welcome return for many a ski salesman eager to cash in on previously high sales of these all-rounders. A modern but forgiving sidecut that eases you round bends is matched to a light and forgiving chassis that is easy to control, relatively stable at speed and good fun for a competent red run skier. Good overall performance is assured on any colour piste but don't expect them to support strong, experienced skiers trying to hammer against the clock down a black. They are versatile but by no means are they aimed at the aggressive advanced or expert skier. Are the legends reborn?

Atomic Ski Equipment

Atomic are the worlds most successful producer of race skis, they have dominated the mens circuit for the last few years and their skis are renowned for their power, precision and liveliness. Atomic are part of the vast Finnish group Amer that now also owns Salomon, Wilson, Precor and Suunto.Although there is no range merge between the two manufacturers the likelyhood is that Salomon's Freeride knowhow will benefit Atomic, and the Austrian manufacturer will influence mens race skis at Salomon. Salomon already have the best womens race skis as per podium medals and it is doubtful they would wish to change that.New last season on the race line was the LT range. They have proved very popular and successful. They are lighter and feature larger side-cuts that are easier to use and will be loved by lighter advanced to expert skiers, expert women, and those of you who like shredding gates in your spare time.On the Freestyle front the "Triplets" are rad and come in batches of three, they also have "inner edges", all the better to grind with plus being much more durable for Park use. There are some great new Freeride models with funky graphics and names like the new Pimp, Punx and Deviant. They are also lighter and easier to use than many Atomic models of the past.There are also a couple of extra models in the Metron range they continue to be a very versatile ski, albeit it ones that require a throughly modern technique.For intermediate to expert skiers who like cruising the pistes the SX range offers a full range of models that go from green run cruiser to nail-biting high-speed bruiser, the new SX12 pb taking over from the legendary SX 11.The introduction of the Power Bridge on many of the newest models is the giant leap forwards at Atomic this yeargiving the skier lots of power and smoothness underfoot to drive their skis yet harder and faster. 2007 also sees huge improvement in the Atomic boot range, quite the fledgling for the last few years the Atomic line has finally caught up with some great products. Check out the new boot reviews for further info.