This post comes from Colorado native Tiffany Hansen, a guest blogger (snowboardmountaineer.com) and Boulder, CO resident who recently relocated back from Southern California to be closer to the mountains, the snow and the great Colorado outdoors. When Tiffany isn’t working on behalf of her clients, she is finding new adventures in the backcountry and fine-tuning her collection of backcountry gear. Watch for more gear reviews and fun reading from Tiffany and other Ambassadors of Tahoe Mountain Sports.

Tiffany Hansen

Salomon Rocker 2 100 Skis

*What: Solomon Rocker2 100, 170cm

*Where: I have owned these skis since September 2014 and have put them to test on multiple varieties of Intermountain Colorado snow both on and off-piste ranging from the early season crust of Andrew’s Glacier, Dragontail and the Apron in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) to the fresh-dry powder of Terrain Park (RMNP Lake Haiyaha area), the packed and fresh powder of Breckenridge, and fresh powder on top of hard pack at the East Portal trail up to Forest Lakes. These skis have traversed the Colorado Front Range and have given me the confidence to take them into the backcountry of the San Juans for some serious spring backcountry adventures.

*Pros: The Rocker2 is a lightweight ride and an ideal all-mountain ski, having proven itself worthy of handling the gravely diverse snow conditions found throughout any given day in the Colorado backcountry. I love groomers and packed powder and prefer a ski that can effortlessly carve the hard snow. The Full Woodcore offers optimum stability and rebound, while maximizing ski to snow contact while filtering vibrations. The twin rocker tips and the loose camber underfoot glide through turns and don’t get grabby and allowed me to maintain control at higher speeds, even though technically this ski is built for lower speeds. The hook-free taper of the big rocker tip moves the skis widest point to the middle and performs well in dry powder, allowing me to keep the ski flat to easily float through pleasure turns. Conversely, I gain maximum control if I roll and apply power and engage a hard edge for sharper handling. The ski is immediately responsive delivering impressive terrain adaptation making it a blast to ride in the conditions I prefer the most.

Product Features:
Twin Rocker shape, full wood core and full sandwich construction, the Rocker 2 100 is equally at home in the park & pipe as it is off piste in powder. One-stop-shopping for both freeriders and the less acrobatic on and off piste adventures looking for an energetic, all-mountain ski that does it all.

Technologies include: 

- Full Woodcore: full-length wood laminates, from tip to tail, giving optimum stability and rebound, while maximizing ski to snow contact and filtering vibrations

- Full Sandwich Walls: laminate construction with fll length ABS sidewalls give extraordinary smooth ski/snow contact and a great terrain adaptation. Laminated construction enables us to combine optimum materials layers for targeted performance

- Pulse Pad: a layer of rubber all along the edges and in critical zones of the ski for smoother ride & improved ski-snow contact

- Hook Free Taper: the widest point in the sidecut tapers in toward the tip earlier for less drag and hooking in powder. Swing weight is also reduced making the ski even more maneuverable in difficult snow

- Wide Edges: thicker edges for increased durability and improved shock resistance

- Total Edge Reinforcement: fiber reinforcement directly on top of edges improves durability, edge grip, and shock resistance

- Twin Rocker: long, medium height rocker profile at the tip and tail enables easy pivoting with maximum flotation and maneuverability in powder. The ski retains a long contact zone on edge with camber in the middle of the ski for stability and edge grip

- Carve Zone: the traditionally cambered section of twin rocker skis where the sidecut is focused on more power, energy and edge grip

- Glossy

*Cons: These skis have proven to be more difficult in both resort and backcountry “mashed-potato” or soft powder due to the narrow waist. These conditions are more easily skiable with a fat ski. However, given all the other technology packed in to the Rocker 2 100 this is a minor grievance.

*Suggestions: It’s hard to say what modifications would improve this ski. Increasing the width to accommodate soft powder would have a negative influence on carving performance. Unless you’ve got quite the quiver, for an all-mountain ski that covers many conditions, I feel this ski has hit the target and I wouldn’t change a thing.

*Summary: Solomon Rocker 2 100 are worthy of their mid-range price tag. The twin rocker/camber combo delivers an impressive all-mountain performance on most every terrain that is difficult to come by in a single pair of skis, especially in this price point. The next offering in this profile is the K2 Annex 98 Freeride at a slightly higher price point. However, you don’t get the twin rocker which is attractive to the new-style skier. If you do not want to have to pack multiple pairs of skis, this is definitely your best bet for the money!

Salomon Rocker 2 100 Skis
Sale Price: $479.95

Dynafit TLT Radical ST 10 Ski Bindings
Sale Price: $399.96

Arva Neo Avalanche Beacon
Sale Price: $287.96

2013 is going to be another big year for skis – as we found out first hand at the annual demo day at Alpine Meadows last week. Testers Dave, Pam, Lis, Kevin and Greyson got on some of the better looking prospects for 2013 from K2 Skis, Black Diamond, Volkl, Moment Skis, Salomon and Dynastar.

Sure, the hardpack snow wasn’t the best for our focus on powder skis and backcountry skis, but as they say – any ski is fun in super hero snow; the true test is when the conditions are less than ideal.

Kevin and Lis ready to drop in to Alpine Bowl.

(more…)

Our Salomon Nordic gear has arrived! I can’t wait to test it all out, but for now I’ll write what I know, and that’s a review of the women’s Salomon Vitane boot.

I skate skied with this boot for two seasons now and love it. The Salomon Vitane is pure comfort. It’s cush yet stable, but if you like a super stiff boot, this is not the one for you. The interior padding not only adds comfort but warmth. My feet are never cold. I love the Kevlar Quicklace system because it’s secure and easy to tighten and take off. The red ankle strap/supporter adds even more stability. The narrow heel is perfect for my foot. I’ve never had a blister with the Salomon Vitane! Last season I completed all 30 kilometers of the Great Ski Race in these boots, and my feet felt great.

Me, left, in Salomon Vitane boots, and another pair far right

Though I have to admit, I have feet issues (like virtually every other skier out there). I am entirely flat footed, and prone to heel blisters. My flat feet don’t give me trouble in most sports, but the repetition of movement and outward stance of skate skiing was a huge problem for me. I tried everything, including every color of Superfeet, from blue to black. But what worked for me was an interior heel wedge, which I cut to fit on the inside edge of each insert (the Salomon ones that came with the boot). These gave me enough lift to relieve the underfoot pain and stress I was putting on my arch with each stride. Helped my knee alignment too!

If you have a Salomon Vitane review, submit one to our site on the Salomon Vitane product page.

I don’t know about you, but I’m always hunting for a good deal… I’ve bought a mountain bike in the dead of winter, a snowboard in summer. That’s why I’m particularly stoked for the upcoming Sales Rep Sample Sale in our back parking lot on Saturday July 17.

From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., some of our favorite sales reps are clearing out their inventories so you’ll not only find amazing prices on summer gear like camping equipment and clothing, but winter will be represented, too: Nordic gear from Salomon, merino wool layers from Icebreaker and more. Your deal of the summer awaits… don’t miss it! Stop by for some great deals on these other brands as well: Isis, Skirt Sports, Sherpani, Jetboil, Mountain Hardwear and Granite Gear.