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Worst Skis Ever?

James

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I've alwaywanted to ski the 45 mm Elans!

There have been so many off skis, I'll toss out the circa 2005 Salomon w wider tail.
I skied the Salomon gs ski with tail wider than tip in summer 2001. So it would have been a 2001/2 season ski. It was a weird ski. That aluminum plate salomon was using at the time was amazing though. Maybe it was called Hangl? It was basically an aluminum platform suspended front and back by pivot points. Just blasted over bumpy slush. I suppose it inspired the Salomon Pivot skis like Volkl parlayed the original Energy Rail platform, fantastic, into the Motion system,(meh+).
I always found it interesting that Marker with it's 'Select' system was going in the exact opposite direction as ski manufacturers. Select had 3 positions. The stiffest essentially allowed no ski flex under foot and the others gave more space. Besides being an adjustable dead spot creator, maybe half the people often had each ski on a different setting. Meanwhile everyone else was looking to create flex underfoot.
 

cantunamunch

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I always found it interesting that Marker with it's 'Select' system was going in the exact opposite direction as ski manufacturers. Select had 3 positions. The stiffest essentially allowed no ski flex under foot and the others gave more space. Besides being an adjustable dead spot creator, maybe half the people often had each ski on a different setting. Meanwhile everyone else was looking to create flex underfoot.

Selects were popular in Yurp through 2005ish.
 

Brian Finch

Privateer Skier @ www.SkiWithaGrimRipper.com
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I'd offer to lend you my pair but I wouldn't feel right about it. The problem with the skis (in general, not just my pair) is that there is a very tall front and back riser with a recessed area in between. That mounting zone is so tiny that there is no room for binding mount error. And no room for remounts. And the riser plates are hollow ABS so you can't epoxy mistakes back in.

My current pair was originally drilled for a Solly 3-screw 325mm. I have found enough material around the existing holes for the current bindings. But I have to rebuild the riser entirely using PVC/metal sandwich before I would feel OK letting anyone else on them.


Many thanks! They come up on EBay new for ~$99 from time to time. Just never had the desire to put the time more than money into it.
 

crgildart

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Salamon Pilots were pretty lame, pun intended. I had the Scream 10 Pilots as the first shaped skis I really spent several days on. They were somewhat better than straight skis, but sucked compared to good modern skis. Pro Link gimmick + Pilot plate gimmick=zero substance. Gotta wonder how much worse the 8 Pilots were..

Was there ever a ski sooooo bad that it sent the whole vendor into total ruins and bankruptcy?
 

cantunamunch

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Salamon Pilots were pretty lame, pun intended. I had the Scream 10 Pilots as the first shaped skis I really spent several days on.

The Hangl plate was different from the Pilot axle/plate system, in that everything mounted to the top, and the toe and heel were linked.

LL


@telerod used to have a different version/pair on his SCXs:
f208cd74_DSC00110.JPG
 

crgildart

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The Hangl plate was different from the Pilot axle/plate system, in that everything mounted to the top, and the toe and heel were linked.

LL


@telerod used to have a different version/pair on his SCXs:
f208cd74_DSC00110.JPG

I know that. Not sure if you noticed but I was skiing Lab GS Saturday at Timberline for the NASTAR runs.. Same plate as that one.. Pilot, on the other hand, was horrible hahahaha

LAB GS sent to me by ScotsSkier..

13335758_1311467022202166_4410788766260572796_n.jpg
 
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ScotsSkier

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The Hangl plate was different from the Pilot axle/plate system, in that everything mounted to the top, and the toe and heel were linked.

LL


@telerod used to have a different version/pair on his SCXs:
f208cd74_DSC00110.JPG

yup similar in some ways to the pilots in that the spindle goes through the plate front and rear but the spindle is mounted on a bracket screwed to the top of the ski. I still have a couple of these (plus a couple of Deflex plates, Lab plates and some poweraxe plates) Not actually a bad plate, particularly as the salomon GS of the time was fairly soft. A complete PITA t drill though!! The poweraxe plates and Lab plates in particular are also decent plates and pretty under-rated
 

James

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The Hangl plate was different from the Pilot axle/plate system, in that everything mounted to the top, and the toe and heel were linked.
LL

Yes, that's the plate^^. It was nice. It did have a bit of a Franken Lab look to it but it worked. Morphed into the Pilot system without the platform it was terrible.

The other annoying thing about the Pilot system was sharpening the edge where the pivot bolt got in the way.
 

cantunamunch

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You mean toe piece connected to heel piece like Tyrolia?

Like PowerAxe :D

But seriously, just being to get a more solid sense of longitudinal pressure transfer would be a huge help - and a connected plate would do that because the GRF and associated moment wouldn't have to go through the FP spring.
 
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James

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Are those Hangl/Poweraxe plates in your collection?
Do you have the original Volkl Energy Rail plate? The one that was a platform like the Hangl. They use to sell those separately too at some shops. Heavy, but much better than the later versions.
 

Paul Frede

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Salomon X Scream Hot/Xtra Hot. I almost died skiing them down the Paranoids at Mammoth. The tip would hook and release about 3 times per turn. Probably a bad tune but scary nonetheless.
 

cantunamunch

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The Xtra Hot is the ski I most specifically had in mind wrt the Pilot hate above. I suspect you actually had a good tune b/c with a bad one I felt like the ski had no edges at all in front. All those lessons about pressuring the tips in turn start? Ha!
 

Chriscray

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I tried the Mutix, but the long arms didn't fit in the gondola. Wasn't a bad ski, but a gimmick I thought. As for the Pilots, they saved a day at WB years ago. But worst binding system.



Lucky you!!



I loved the Sugar Mama's, but Atomic did have a problem with anything Metron. Way too heavy to lift. We jokingly called them the Mega-trons.


I tried the Mutix and HATED it!. The arms would splay out to far and drag into the snow in a deep carve. I use to manage the Rossi Test Center at Deer Valley. The Z9 was much better but went completely flat after 5 days.
 

Philpug

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There was a company that was making all wooden skis about 10 years ago...@Cantunamunch might remember the name..I can't at the moment. They sent me a pair..the skis both broke on the FIRST run. The edges were a lingendood..or something and they could only make them so long and they put the edge seem right under the heel peice and neither ski made it a run before breaking at the seam.
 

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