So, had an epic ski weekend locally. Great conditions, 6-8" powder over skier packed each day, perfect consistency, hero snow. I sent out a demo ski with a customer (Head Kore 99) which has been a big hit for our shop this season. I was able to get out and enjoy the conditions and also took a pair of the same ski.
This is only the second Kore that I have skied, the first was the Kore 105 in 15" of wet, heavy, spring snow. The 105 crushed those conditions for me. By far the best ski that I have encountered for those conditions. The Kore 99 on Sunday was similar. Carve, crud, bumps, trees, whatever, it also killed it for me. Amazing performance for such a light ski without metal. I see why they are so popular.
My customer on the demo I sent out, hated them. Said that they deflected in the crud and were unstable, and he gave up on them after a few runs. My customer went back to his own skis (Rossi Bandit B4's) and had a much better day.
Wow, what a different experience we had and vastly different impressions of the same ski on the same day, in the same conditions. We are both bigger guys, over 200#, he has me by 6" and I have him by 30#. Boots are nearly identical. My style is that I try to carve through everything when possible, however, I fall back into "old school" techniques when it get's steep and bumpy. Try to ski powerfully, at speed. His style is also very aggressive, but not focused on classic carving turns, more slashy, upright, and "new school".
I also went back to my personal skis in that category (Fischer Motive 95ti), to compare them to the Kore 99's. Performance was similar, but the Kore's were much lighter and were easier to "throw around" in tight spots. I probably won't trade them out just yet as my Motives still have a lot of life left in them and they still ski very well relative to the newer skis in that category. But, if I was in the market, I'd buy the Kores in a second.
Long story... But the point is, the skier makes all the difference. "It's the Indian, not the arrow". Lots of factors contribute to a skier's experience with different equipment. Many times, it is just simple physics, height, weight, etc.,skier physiology, sometimes it is boots (balance and alignment), sometimes it's is the tune on the skis, and sometimes it's skiing style and preferences. It is cautionary in taking any single equipment review and coming to a definitive conclusion about a particular piece of equipment.
This is only the second Kore that I have skied, the first was the Kore 105 in 15" of wet, heavy, spring snow. The 105 crushed those conditions for me. By far the best ski that I have encountered for those conditions. The Kore 99 on Sunday was similar. Carve, crud, bumps, trees, whatever, it also killed it for me. Amazing performance for such a light ski without metal. I see why they are so popular.
My customer on the demo I sent out, hated them. Said that they deflected in the crud and were unstable, and he gave up on them after a few runs. My customer went back to his own skis (Rossi Bandit B4's) and had a much better day.
Wow, what a different experience we had and vastly different impressions of the same ski on the same day, in the same conditions. We are both bigger guys, over 200#, he has me by 6" and I have him by 30#. Boots are nearly identical. My style is that I try to carve through everything when possible, however, I fall back into "old school" techniques when it get's steep and bumpy. Try to ski powerfully, at speed. His style is also very aggressive, but not focused on classic carving turns, more slashy, upright, and "new school".
I also went back to my personal skis in that category (Fischer Motive 95ti), to compare them to the Kore 99's. Performance was similar, but the Kore's were much lighter and were easier to "throw around" in tight spots. I probably won't trade them out just yet as my Motives still have a lot of life left in them and they still ski very well relative to the newer skis in that category. But, if I was in the market, I'd buy the Kores in a second.
Long story... But the point is, the skier makes all the difference. "It's the Indian, not the arrow". Lots of factors contribute to a skier's experience with different equipment. Many times, it is just simple physics, height, weight, etc.,skier physiology, sometimes it is boots (balance and alignment), sometimes it's is the tune on the skis, and sometimes it's skiing style and preferences. It is cautionary in taking any single equipment review and coming to a definitive conclusion about a particular piece of equipment.