Ski show standouts won't stay in Vegas
The gear to look forward to in 2005
CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING with Mitch Mode Las Vegas the epicenter of glitz, glitter and all things in bad taste once again hosted the annual ski show this past January.
There, amidst the clang, clamor and neon and as far from the Nordic ski experience as the planet Mars, ski buyers searched for the latest and the greatest.
While the city's slogan may be "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas," the theme of the show hardly fit. What happens in Vegas, at least with the ski show, does anything but stay there.
What did we all find in this city in the desert? In short, a whole lot of stuff. While it's impossible to cover it all, here's a
look at some of the highlights for next season.
First off, there's a lot going on for race gear. There are some new skate skis, some niche classic skis, a major new player, and an all-new, first-of-its kind, integrated boot/binding system.
Let's start with the last item.
New movable bindings
In the eyes of many observers the most important new product for Nordic skiers is the Nordic Integrated System (NIS), a project developed jointly by three major players in the
cross-country market: Rossignol, Madshus and Rottefella. In the tightly cloistered world of cross-country skiing, the idea of three different companies working together is unusual. Even more noteworthy is the impressive result of the collaboration.
The heart of the NIS is a synthetic plate, about one-fourth inch thick, bonded to the top of the ski. The plate is about the same overall length that you would expect with a conventional binding setup, from the forward end of the binding to
the rearmost part of the heel plate. The binding (built on the NNN design and compatible with existing NNN boots) slides onto the plate and clicks into place with no screws required. The binding can lock into any one of five different positions on the plate over a total range of 2.5 centimeters. The no-screw, slide-on mounting of the binding offers convenience beyond the normal drill-and-screw mounting.
What is most significant about this system is the capability it gives the skier to
easily move the binding to another position using a small tool. The skier can change the position of the binding on the ski to best fit their style, the flex of the ski or trail profile. A skier may find that the ski works best if the binding is moved slightly forward or backward from what might be recommended. Thus a skier can experiment with different positions to find the best for them. Until now this was impossible without drilling and remounting the binding.
All this is fine but
the true test is in better performance, and the new system promises to deliver that. The NIS provides better contact between boot and ski and delivers more efficient transfer of power to the ski. Early test results, while limited, seem to bear this out.
Look for the system to appear next season on Rossignol X-ium race skis and Madshus Hypersonic race models. The NIS will be available in both skate and classic race skis. In addition, Madshus will feature the system on a recreational ski
in their Nordic Exercise series.
New Salomon skis
Last season Salomon made their highly anticipated and oft-delayed move into the Nordic ski market with a tight but nicely featured handful of recreational no-wax skis. In a major move this year Salomon introduces a full line of skis, from high-end race to back-country and most everything in between. In terms of numbers, Salomon goes from five models to over 20.
Salomon gets serious about racing with a full lineup of
high-end skis. The Equipe 10 Skate and Equipe 10 Classic lead things off. The Equipe 10 Skate uses a javelin tip profile, a "Carbon Powered Camber" (featuring an integral carbon plate to better transfer energy to the ski edge) and an all-new Zeolit base material that promises exceptional glide. The Equipe 10 Classic is a full-fledged classic race ski using a parallel sidecut, a soft flexing but powerful gripping camber and the Zeolit base material. (Zeolit is actually a stone
additive for the carbon base. The resulting base will give, according to Salomon, superior glide over a wide range of temperatures. It is a Salomon exclusive.) Both skis are designed to hold their own with any other top-flight ski in the world.
Salomon's Equipe 9 Skate and Equipe 9 Classic are toned down variations on the Equipe 10 designs, dropping some features of the 10's to reach a lower price but still maintaining characteristics demanded of high performance race skis.
The
Active 7 Skate is a stable, fast, recreational skate ski and received great reviews in a Midwest introduction of the skis in January. And the Elite 9 Classic, in both waxable and no-wax bases, is a fine recreational light touring ski that drew raves in on-snow tests.
Several recreational skis and a threesome of back-country skis, the X-ADV 88, the X-ADV 70 (with the "88" and "70" being the width at the shovel) and the Escape 6, round out the ski lineup from Salomon.
The latter skis match up nicely with two new back-country boots, the X-Adventure 7 and X-Adventure 4, as Salomon returns once again to BC boots after a several season hiatus.
Fischer favors newer design
Fischer, a long-time power in cross-country racing, has revamped its popular RCS Skate. The '05 RCS Skating eschews the Skatecut design of the past several seasons in favor of their 610 Construction that has been the choice of their World Cup skiers.
The 610 is
essentially a javelin tip design (sidecut is 41-44-44) and has been running faster for their international skiers. The Skatecut design (which has won legions of fans in the U.S.) will remain in the line on several lower-priced skate skis including the new CS Skatecut.
Atomic debuts new models
Atomic has totally redesigned their Beta RS:11 skate ski for next season. The top surface profile has been changed and no longer needs the special binding mounting plate of earlier models.
The new ski is thicker forward of the binding to promote better performance. As has become typical of the Beta skis the new skis have some of the best-quality finishes in the industry.
Also new is a value-packed classic ski, the Vasa Race, marginally heavier than the popular RC:11 but with a top-quality base and design features similar to the high-end ski. Atomic also brings out 2 BC skis, the Chugach and the Selkirk, both shorter (190 cm is the longest) off-trail skis.
Affordable Rossignol options
Rossignol tweaks their X-ium skating skis (now the S1 and S2) and adds the Zynex Classic and Zynex Skating. The Zynex skis, with an Ultra Air wood core and race base, are priced to be an affordable option for high school racers or performance-minded recreational skiers. Look for that ski to make major inroads in those markets.
New classic race skis
For classic race skiers, Fall '05 will see several specialty stride skis. Fischer will bring in
two new classic skis, the RCS Classic Wet and the RCS Classic Zero. The former is a highly touted ski designed primarily for wet snow klister conditions. The latter ski is essentially a factory produced "hairy" for those oh-so-difficult days marked by wet falling snow at temperatures around zero degrees C.
Atomic unveils their Beta RC:11 Multi, a chemical base no-wax ski for temperatures that hover near zero degrees C. Chemical cases are not a new idea but Atomic's base
represents a new generation.
When the conditions are right, chemical-base skis have typically provided rock-solid grip and exceptional glide. And for '05, Rossignol will have their X-ium Classic AR, a patterned base no-wax ski that appeared in limited supply midseason this year and will be more widely available next year.
New ski boots
It would be easy to lose sight of boots in the influx of all the new skis. Yet expect some changes there as well.
Salomon has
revamped some of their recreational boots with an improved outsole, introduced a renamed women's line (the Siam), and will have the aforementioned BC boots.
Fischer expands their hot new Centrix design into several new models, the S 3000 skating boot; the Centrix Cruiser and Centrix Vitalis for recreational skiers; and the new Centrix 9000, a junior combi boot.
Atomic follows up on its major boot intro of last year with some refinements of their NNN system boots. Rossignol
fine-tunes the X-ium boots and adds the X6 Skate and Saphir 6 boot for recreational skaters. Alpina has the new CCS (carbon control skate) boot that is lightweight and has very good torsional rigidity. And Whitewoods brings in (from China) some nicely designed NNN and 75mm recreational boots.
New poles
Swix poles get a major overhaul with new and revised poles in the Star, Team, Carbon, Cross 4 and Comp CT5 models. The short story, other than the striking bright blue color of
the high-end shafts, can be stated simply: Stiffer. Stronger. The new poles look very, very good.
Leki expands their improved Power Race Trigger Strap down into some reasonably priced poles. Exel pretty much stays pat with its poles, and Toko, after establishing a foothold in the pole market, decided late season to drop their pole line completely.
Companies that traditionally have produced only skis or boots are now developing some pretty good poles. Rossignol's World Cup graphite
and Salomon's back country X-Adv both stand out as strong entries.
New wax, clothing, extras
What else in happening? Swix comes out with a new grip wax, the VR065 for moist, wet snow. Start Grip Tape is enjoying a cult-like status among classic skiers and will be complimented next season with Start Ultra, a "son of Grip Tape" liquid kick wax.
Craft makes subtle additions to their performance clothing line. Halti, a new player out of Finland, shows some of the
nicest looking cross-country clothing to come along in a while. And Vegard "The Viking" Ulvang, the legendary Norwegian race star, has introduced to the American market his long underwear line a wool-based lineup that is hugely popular in Scandinavia. Ulvang also shows some good-looking socks and hats.
Highgear lets you take your tunes with you in their TrailAudio, a digital audio player that comes complete with headphones and a carabiner clip. 180s combines ear warmers with
electronics as they incorporate JVC headphones in an ear muff. And Camelbak improves their cold weather system to prevent freeze up of their bite valve.
And was there more? Undeniably, yes. But that's enough for now. There's skiing to be had yet this year. The din of Las Vegas is behind us. As strange as it may seem to talk about all that's new while the current season winds down, a new season has begun.
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