One of my favorite excursions each ski season is a trip to take a look and test drive some of next year’s skis.

This year it was a drive over the “Kanc” (New Hampshire’s Kancamagus Highway) to Loon Mountain where the New England Ski Reps had set up their demo tents to offer ski shops a chance to ski the new lines of skis.

Loon has an ideal set up for trying out skis. A large tent between the Governor Adams Base Lodge and the Kancamagus Quad held boot displays and ski tent canopies were set up in front of the lodge. The high-speed quad travels a little more than half way up the mountain and accesses four or five intermediate runs, making it possible to try out a bunch of skis in short period of time.

For those wanting to explore more of the area, it’s easy to ski to the base of the gondola going out of the lodge at the other end of the parking lot. Having skied everything at Loon I knew I could find every kind of ski terrain by skiing off the gondola and up to North Peak. The newer terrain on South Peak is easily accessed from the top of the gondola as well, but I was there to test the new skis and time was short. Sunday River and Sugarloaf skiers with the New England pass can also ski Loon and I’ll make it again before the snow melts.

As I always like to try the snow on familiar skis before hitting the new stuff, I grabbed a pair of Volkl GS for the first run and got what I expected. This tip rocker GS with UVO in a 175 is easy into the turn and carves smoothly. The packed powder was ideal for testing. Next came the Code Speedwall in a 178, a little wider than the GS. This tip-and-tail rocker model is a good choice for a skier who wants a ski for both groomed and ungroomed skiing.

In recent seasons, the Volkl RTM series has been popular,  especially for off piste skiing, and I went out on the RTM 81 to find another ski suited for off trail conditions. I wrapped up my Volkl experience with a run on the Racetiger Slalom in a 165 and got no surprises. The ski is quick and lively with typical SL edge hold.

The next tent was filled with the new Elan models and I accepted the recommended Amphibio 16. This series has been around for a few years, but has gone through some changes this year. As in past models, this ski has a right and left with more camber on the inside edge to make it carve better while being more forgiving. In a 178, it worked nicely on the packed powder, and from the feel, it would work as well on hard stuff as previous models. The Amphibio’s come in widths from 73mm to 88mm and a range of prices. Elan’s value series is the Explore which comes in four 76 mm models and two at 70 with prices from $350 to $550 with bindings. These are good examples of how technology has made quality skis less expensive.

Atomic’s Nomad series is a good example. The Smoke Ti will be in most shops for around $600 with binding and would suit a wide range of skiers, intermediate to advanced. Race ski fans will find their skis in the Redster series, my favorite being the Doubledeck 3.0 XT.

Salomon’s X series cover the full range of all mountain models with percentage ratings for off piste to groomers and a range of prices as well.They start at the low end X-Drive 7.5 for $400 with binding and go up to the X-Race $800 w/o binding and the X-Max $800 with binding.

The strongest full race model I got on was the Head World Cup GS, a ski I recommend only for someone who wants to go fast and can handle the speed.  The Speed model gives race ski performance but is more forgiving than the World Cup and can be found for $900-950 with binding. The rest come in wider platforms, the Magnum 72 mm, Rally 76 and Titan 80 for skiers spending some time off the groomed runs or in the trees.

Obviously, it would be impossible to cover all the various models, but there are skis available for every skier and a lot of value at lower price points. Talk with your shop and arrange to demo skis they recommend.

Finally, Carrabassett Valley Academy announced that Sam Morse has been named to the Junior World Championship team, and as you read this, he is in Hafjell, Norway representing the U.S. in the Alpine events. The 18-year-old Morse, a Carrabassett Valley native and CVA grad, is skiing in his second Junior World Alpines. Last year, he finished 17th in the downhill and is looking for better results this year. Over the past several years, Morse has compiled an enviable record in junior competition and is expected to be in the National Alpine Championships taking place later this month on his home mountain. He joins a long list of CVA competitors to compete on the national and international stage. Hafjell was the site of the women’s Alpine events in the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics.

See you on the slopes.

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