Nordica Navigator 85 | £440 
ALL MOUNTAIN
BEST FOR The intermediate who wants a ski that goes all the way, or the lighter weight expert who is looking for a great all mountain ski.
Nordica’s Navigator 85 are all mountain skis aimed at the advanced skier, but we discover that they were a lot more than that, and a lot less too. Intrigued? Read on to get the full picture.
From the very first turn, our initial indication is that the Navigator 85 are stunningly easy ride. They handle short turns, long turns, moguls and variables so well, you wonder whether the all mountain category was invented just for them.
The extremely lightweight tips just work and they work very well indeed. Slightly rockered tips enter the turns with such ease and then absorb cut up snow, bumps and pretty much anything in their way. They do what you want without asking and somehow turn on a dime.
At the other end of the scale, the Navigator 85 perform at a surprisingly high level for skis that are aimed at the intermediate - advanced skier.
VERDICT - 9/10
Light in the turns, poppy and fun - when pushed hard, they respond with the performance you’d expect from skis that are marketed more towards the advanced - expert. They’re exceptionally stable at higher speed, considering their lightweight construction - incredibly versatile skis, Nordica’s Navigator 85 does not miss a beat at any point of the turn.
Rightly so, they are an all mountain machine and pretty much nails the ‘All Skier’ category too. Great fun, great looking and the lovely round flex would make a superb touring or Telemark ski option. They are sold flat so choose your binding options and head off into the hills. One thing we’re sure about is that you won’t get lost.
Salomon Lumen 99 | £430 
FREERIDE
BEST FOR An expert skier who likes to charge both on and off piste, capable of working the ski to get the best out of it.
Salomon has absolutely packed these skis with technology and it shows in abundance. The Koroyd Honeycomb Tip, CFX Superfibre Construction, Spaceframe 3.0 AMB…the list goes on. But trust us, each bit influences the performance, with our testers even heading for a cheeky extra lap as they are really responsive and playful, with a stability that encourages you to crank up the speed.
Increased dampening and reduced swing weight comes from that Koroyd Honeycomb Tip making the skis even more manoeuvrable in difficult snow, allowing for those quick line changes that you need to make when heading down variable terrain. The 5-Point sidecut and a Hook Free Taper means the widest point in the sidecut tapers in toward the tips earlier for less drag in powder and prevents the tips and tails from getting hooked up, making for fab soft snow skiing.
Patented and exclusive to Salomon, CFX Superfibre Construction and Spaceframe Woodcore combines the incredible strength and nominal weight of carbon fibre for stability and reinforcement. superlight and strong – the perfect combination that will stand up to the strongest of female skiers. We really like the overall feel of these, performing well in short turns and a solid carving ability, and whilst they lack some playfulness off-piste you almost don’t need it as they don’t feel like a compromise, because you don’t quite notice it’s missing.
VERDICT - 9/10
The pricing is competitive at £430 without binding, and performs all over the hill despite being a little narrower than some others in the freeride category. For the expert skier who is looking for something to do it all, this is a real contender. Good job Salomon, but can you perhaps just adjust the topsheet to make it as pretty as it is powerful?
Rossignol HERO All Turn Elite | £495
PISTE
BEST FOR Ski Instructors who need one ski all day.
The Rossignol HERO All Turn Elite has a lot to live up to with a name like that. All Turn. Elite. HERO. So what is this ski good for? Well, they are in fact good for all turns! Well, all turns on-piste that is - but it’s not called ‘The HERO All Turn Elite On-Piste Only’, but they may have well have called them that.
At first glance, at least alongside the other HERO Skis, the All Turn Elite (HATE) looks a bit cheap. If Rossignol had spent another few quid on the same top sheet as the race skis, they would stand out and look a Million Bucks, but instead they look more like a Million Lira.
We like to question skis that claim to be dual side cut, or all turn, as we have never quite worked them out – do they really work? Well, the HATE thankfully does. In short turns they are extremely quick edge to edge with the initiation into the turn spot on, grabbing the skis bang on the sweetspot without kicking you out. They release with ease and put you right back on the front of the ski, just at the right moment.
Being an ‘All Turn’ ski, we took them out of their comfort zone too – moguls to ridges, off the side of the piste, into short turns to longs and back to shorts, slow fast and “ski instructor” turns. The HATE slows down with so much ease and then opens up again into longer turns with the slightest of change without the aggressiveness of a slalom ski at speed, nor the longer sidecut challenge of a GS ski. They give you confidence to stand on the outside ski and let it do its thing. This is also down to the 74mm waist that allows you to stand on a ski with this sidecut (14m) and not get thrown out at speed, but it's not too wide to stop them from having outstanding edge hold.
VERDICT - 9/10
HATE these skis we do not, we just wish they looked a bit classier, because they really deserve it. Overall, a super playful ski with outstanding edge hold, even at higher speeds.
K2 Talkback 88 | £460
TOURING
BEST FOR Newbie ski tourers looking for versatile and easy turning skis.
Once again we review the Talkback 88 from K2 – women’s specific touring skis designed for versatile mountain performance got going up and down, both on and off-piste.
The Talkback’s are not just speedy uphill due to their lightweight construction – they also have the performance of high-end off-piste skis wrapped up in a touring set up. Ideal for entry level women ski tourers, right up to experts looking for a versatile tool for the whole mountain.
The balance between going up and riding back down again fe els perfect and without a compromise on performance considering how light they feel – even on groomed slopes they grip nicely on harder packed snow and produce smooth carve turns worthy of all mountain categorised skis.
They aren’t the kind of full-on freeride skis that you’d want if you’re a powder snow ripper looking to bag some short hikes to access terrain – more of a true touring ski for longer and multi day trips that also provide enough ballast for a decent ride down.
VERDICT - 9/10
Great all round touring skis for female riders looking to take their first steps with skins on their feet, right up to seasoned tourers who want a versatile, lightweight ride.
Atomic Backland FR 102 | £375
FREERIDE/TOURING
BEST FOR Seasonaire’s, off-piste learners, fast access terrain ski tourers.
Having been given a new lighter core for the 2017-18 winter season, the Atomic Backland FR 102 looks like an even more interesting prospect than their predecessor, the Automatic 102 – always a firm favourite with the Snow Magazine test team.
Happily, the lower weight version launched for this winter only adds to the overall experience and takes nothing away in terms of ski-ability. High scores for float, stability and playfulness reflects the possibilities to have fun in the deep stuff and their versatile nature makes them an acceptable prospect for the piste too – although there’s better options in this category for carving on groomed slopes.
Where they really excel is in the powder as we would expect for a ski with a 102mm waist. The ease of turn in deep snow conditions makes them ideal for someone who is looking to get into freeride skiing for the first time, they really are forgiving and confidence boosting, even in trickier terrain.
VERDICT - 8/10
At a list price of £375 (bindings not included) they present one of the best freeride skis out there on the market – any debutant seasonaire who relishes the prospect of a season full of powder snow (you never know) should well consider them and if you’re a seasoned pro looking for a fun, easy ride then you won’t go too far wrong with this solid, all-round freeride ski.
Rossignol Temptation 84 HD | £495 (bindings incl.)
ALL MOUNTAIN
BEST FOR Recreational to advanced women skiers who stick mainly to the piste but need versatility for variable terrain.
We have some mixed opinions on the Rossignol Temptation 84HDs. Coming from a carving background, they perform well on-piste, feeling secure and stable at higher speeds with a chatter felt only when travelling really fast. Off-piste their float leaves a little to be desired, though in moguls they are surprisingly fun to ride.
Featuring revolutionary patented Air Tip technology which Rossignol claims reduces weight by 20% and increases control by 10%, they gave us a new feeling, to which we credit the playfulness and ease of use of the skis. Carbon-enhanced paulownia sandwich construction also added to performance, with the combination of Auto Turn Rocker and camber taking them from piste skis towards the all mountain category.
Talking to Rossignol’s design team the new Temptation range was ‘an evolution of the wheel’ taking the best of their previous ranges and tweaking them into the current. If you push the skis in short and long turns you will find their birthplace in performance carving skis with good edge grip and stability - with the edges engaging much higher up the skis than expected, allowing a more proactive transition.
VERDICT - 7/10
These skis will push an advanced skier to work them harder than others in the category, but will be rewarded if they learn to do so. At £495 including bindings they are an affordable option for holidaymakers who prefer the pistes but are confident enough to play away from the marked runs.
Armada ARV 86 | £330
PARK & PIPE
BEST FOR Freestyle skiers who like the park and the rest of the mountain too.
The Arv 86 from Armada might be categorised as park and pipe skis but don’t keep them locked up there – versatility and performance are the trademark qualities and for freestyle skiers looking for an all mountain tool for the park and beyond then the Arv 86 is bang on the money.
Although not the widest skis in their category, the 86mm underfoot makes them ideal for hardpack territory and the edge grip and responsiveness is excellent. When riding switch, we like the way they move quickly and spin with ease.
Tech wise, the Armada AR Freestyle Rocked tips and tails and positive camber provide a fairly traditional ride through varied snow conditions and good technical skiers will get the most of them.
VERDICT - 9/10
Excellent value for money at £330 – they would suit everyone from the ‘Fridgekid’ indoor freestyler to a seasonaire who likes to jib when it’s dry and hit the pow when it’s soft.
Full review
Dynastar Legend W84 | £490 (bindings incl.)
ALL MOUNTAIN
BEST FOR Intermediate skier, sticking to the piste.
The Dynastar Legend 84 is a women’s specific ski designed for advanced riders who want to explore the whole mountain, mainly on piste, but with options on more variable terrain and the odd foray into powder snow.
Labelled for advanced skiers, the Legend 84 is more suited to less aggressive turning, at lower speeds, both on and off-piste. If you push them too hard, the lack of response lets you down – ideal for intermediate skiers looking to improve their turns, especially in softer snow or moguls, but beware if you like charging hard – we were frustrated but the top end performance of these skis.
For intermediate skiers though, they present a more laid back approach to the piste, travelling from A-B comfortably and without putting too many demands on the rider. Turns are easy to initiate at slow and mid-range speeds, and edge grip is good apart from on the very hardest snowpack.
They are true all mountain skis and are perfectly happy dipping off the side of the groomed runs into softer powder snow, but anything deeper than boot top length and they start to struggle with the 84mm waists not providing the stability required.
VERDICT - 7/10
The top sheet is simple and very much fits in with the Dynastar branding, but aesthetically they are pleasing to the eye. With a suggested retail price of £490 including bindings, they are good value for money and would be an ideal choice someone looking to purchase their first pair of skis and wants versatility across the whole mountain.
