Gear Review: 2012 Salomon Twenty Twelve

Salomon Twenty Twelve

The Twenty Twelve from Salomon really caught me off guard. When they first revealed it, I was a total skeptic. Rockered park ski…what a joke! Well, after skiing it several times over the past couple of years I am beginning to think that I should buy myself a pair.

The Twenty Twelve comes with generous amounts of tip and tail rocker, but also a generous amount of camber underfoot. At 123-91-116 the Twenty Twelve is an all mountain jibbers dream ski. Salomon has branded it with their big mountain freeskis, but I would personally put it in with their park and pipe line-up.

Once you get these sticks on the snow they perform. The generous amount of camber underfoot really lets you lay over your turns and dig trenches on the hard pack. However, you are still gonna have to get used to the floppy tip and tail. It doesn’t affect the way it skis, but definitely takes some getting used to. The rocker in the tip and tail make for effortless buttering off of rollers or onto rails. It also comes in handy when you find yourself hunting out stashes in the trees on the backside of the mountain. At 91mm underfoot this ski is not going to be your best friend on the deep days, but anything less than 6 inches and you are stoked to have the Twenty Twelve out.

The Twenty Twelve is a ski that just about anyone can have fun on. It is easy to handle and won’t punish you for getting lazy on it, but you can also drive it hard and chances are you will not be able to overpower it if you are skiing it in the proper length. The Twenty Twelve is going to best suit the new school skier who spends time in the park, but also likes to venture around and treat the entire mountain as a playground.

Find it here:

http://shop.skibarndurango.com/salomon-twenty-twelve-ski-2012.html

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Discount Opportunity

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2010 Gear Preview: Volkl Gotama

What a sweet ride these were! Volkl outdid themselves and completely redesigned the Gotama this year. Everything about this ski changed except for how awesome it truly is. And changing such an iconic ski wouldn’t have been done unless they improved it.

The introduction of ELP (Elongated Low Profile) rocker design allows skiers easy maneuvering of reverse-camber ski design without sacrificing groomed-snow performance. Score! More versatile. The profile features a smooth gradual bend toward the nose and tail. It is high enough to float in powder, but when you tip the ski on edge, there is more consistent edge contact. This is a good thing.

It also now comes with 3 (count them 1, 2, 3) flex zones. The front of the ski is stiff- since the rocker design (which did not come in previous years) is pre-flexed, added stiffness in front provides stability. The flex in the mid-body of the ski is medium, providing a transition into the softer tail, which allows ease of turning on the groomed, and maneuverability in the powder. WOW!

The graphics this year are also oh so sweet. After several years of gaudy graphics(more specifically the gold of 07/08 and the black/neon of 08/09) the Gotama is back with a classy new suit. The wood grain really does it for me.

Wider this year(137-106-122) than last(133-105-124) you can bet that you float in the deep stuff.  It is also a very light ski that makes it favored by AT skiers.

Overall the ski really impressed me, and the fact that they built it for in-bounds skiing as well as out should make it a go to choice for anyone that spends time on the frontside, backside, in-bounds, or out-of-bounds. Learn it, live it, love it, SHRED IT!

OH YEAH…. they made it in a Junior modal as well. Gonna be some stoked mini-shredders out there!

Click Below to Buy

http://shop.skibarndurango.com/10-volkl-gotama.html

Dimensions: 137-106-122

Lengths: 178, 186, 194

Radius: 28.8m@186

Core: Sensorwood powered by Carbon

2010 Gear Preview: K2 Extreme

K2 Extreme

Well… My hats off to you K2. You have done it again and created another amazing park ski!

How do you make an already ripping ski rip even harder? You do several things. First, you change the graphics and give them a little face lift. Gotta stick with times and always have something new to compete with the rest of the market.(Even though last years graphics on the Extreme is one of the best ski graphics ever!) Second, you add a whole new binding system to the ski. The new Extreme comes with the new Schizofrantic system from Marker. (The ski is also sold flat if you want to choose the binding you put on.) But why is this system so sweet? Let me elaborate…The Schizofrantic system comes with inserts in the ski (like a snowboard) and allows for super fast mounting of the new K2/Marker Griffon binding without any drilling required in the ski. The Schizo binding itself uses the tested and proven Triple Pivot Elite toe and Inter Pivot Heel with an ultra lightweight, low stand height track and cable system that allows you to mount once and adjust a full 6cm along the ski. Pretty Sweet! The insert patterns allow you to ski at core center for optimal park and switch performance and move the whole binding back 6cm to a more traditional binding mount position for powder or softer snow performance. Park. Check. Powder. Check. Anywhere in between. Check. You now have the ultimate one ski quiver. It doesn’t stop there though. This is my favorite part! The increased surface area of the insert rings provide twice the pullout strength of standard binding screws. (I have ripped bindings off of the last 4 pairs of skis I have ridden, some even with helicoils, and will be making the switch this season to fully test this.) I have faith!

The Schizo technology will also be available on the Hellbent, obSETHed, and Kung Fujas. (Reviews on these skis coming soon.)

That is enough about the new bindings though…back to the ski.

K2 qoutes that “This Legendary ski is the most functional in-bounds twin tip we have ever built!” and they continue to go on and say “The Extreme has the confidence and stability to rip any terrain and it has the torsional strength and durability to handle the toughest of landings and the most punishing abuse in the park. Emulate PK Hunder’s double cork 1080 or just bust out some of the ol’ moves on the top-sheet. Either way, we’ll be proud. Keep it Extreme!

Click Below to Buy

http://shop.skibarndurango.com/2010-k2-extreme.html

Dimensions: 118-85-109.

Radius: 21m@ 179

Lengths: 159, 164, 169, 174, 179, 184 cm.

Construction: ABSorb Hybrid Sidewall- ABS/Urethane sidewalls: This horizontal diecut sidewall construction sandwiches a urethane layer in between ABS for shock ABSorption, lessening the impact of harsh landings on the rider. The urethane is only used under foot to maximize performance and control.

Core: Full Fir wood core.

Features: Stealth Black Rivets, Triaxial braiding, the most badass display of aerial trickery ever placed on a topsheet.

I know this has been more than just a preview, but for all you ski geeks out there. Get stoked on this! This ski is going to be very popular and with good reason. It will Rip! We will have full size run on demo this coming year, so come in try it and find out for yourself why this ski is getting all the hype!