Salomon Mynx 2008

Agile, mid-bodied and enough strength to let you tear it up. The Mynx is developed from the hugely popular Foil but with a graphic inspired for women. For 2008 they look great, feminine but cool without being too girly.
They ski very well and are great allmountain skis and very easy in fresh snow and heavy spring conditions. The light construction makes the Mynx easy to use for even the holiday skier whilst the seasonaire will find them adept throughout the winter.
Perhaps a touch wide for use in the bumps and also a little flappy at speed or on firm snow the Mynx is happiest when cruising off piste or on fresh snow. Both advanced and expert skiers will enjoy the Mynx in the right conditions.

The manufacturer says this about the Salomon, Mynx, 2008, Womens, Freestyle, Freeride, Advanced, Expert, Skis:

Rock solid femininty….

The natural, elegant design of the Mynx may be feminine and delicate but you can still experience twintip action on the whole mountain with this rock solid ski packed with versatility. Show the guys who reigns the mountain!

SALOMON XW LAB 2008

Phew!! These are big! Massive in fact. Only available in a 198cm length this ski takes a little getting used to but they are surprisingly easy to ski. The flex pattern is very unusual and they are obviously designed to twist as you ski them so that they skid and smear their turns. In fact if they didn’t achive this then you really would need to be a hairy chested napalm swilling devil on skis to get any action out of them but thankfully this pliable flex pattern allows you to ski them on all sorts of terrain without too much fuss and without a lost feeling of inadequate control.
In all I really enjoyed my several runs on the XW LAB, they are extremely specialised and best suited to those perfect days when the snow never stops falling and you can’t feel the ground beneath your feet- but for lift line impressions, wooing the Swedish version of the opposite sex and for also skiing on they really are quite good!

The manufacturer says this about the SALOMON, XW LAB, 2008, Expert, Pro, Freeride, Skis:

A legend is born.

Nothing can stop you. No terrain is too tough or too high. you are capable at everything backcountry terrain can throw at you. Fly over the snow with no speed limit with the XW LAB, a legend is born.

Atomic Sweet Daddy 2008

Lighter and more approachable graphics should see the Sweet Daddy’s gaining in popularity for 2008. The ski is a mid-sized, 80 mm underfoot allmountain Freeride ski. This is a great ski if youhave not skied much off piste before and want a ski that is going to help you find your feet and some feeling for un-groomed terrain. The 21m radius is quite long so don’t expect a great carve out of them on the piste but you can rotate them and get them to skid easily off piste which is good for speed control on steeper descents.
An excellent allround freeride ski for the adveturous advanced skier.

The manufacturer says this about the Atomic, Sweet Daddy, 2008:

Allmountain model for the perfect flotation in the powder,, fast carves and an accomplished performance over the moguls.

Atomic Sweet Mama 2008

Womens specific Freeride ski with all the attributes to get you off in the backcountry and have some powdery adventures. There are four lengths available in this model and you want to be heading for a ski to at least nose level- the Sweet Mama is designed to be skied in powder so you need a slightly longer length to gain the stability and float in the deep stuff.
The light construction and soft flex will make the skiing easy and the Sweet Mama’s will make an ideal first pair of powder- backcountry skis for the advanced to expert skier.

Sweet.

The manufacturer says this about the Atomic, Sweet Mama, 2008:

The first special lady freeride ski. With its wider geometry the Sweet Mama promises an enormous lift in the powder. For greater safety and better Balanze for modern ambitious women.

Atomic Thug 2008

Big, this ski is real big. Guess it is like a comparing the average to Pamela Anderson, you kinda get the feeling that you are going to have to commit a little more. The Thug’s are 120mm at their narrowest point, fat enough for a weight watcher to faint, so they can handle the powder till it reaches over your head- they are supposedly great and well balanced for landing switch off the cliffs, but I’ll leave that for others to explore. So the new graphic is a little toned down, its fine, nothing revolutionary but adequate for the market but the Thug really does need some taming.
The37m radius is huge and half way between a World Cup Super G and DH ski in terms of turn raidus, so either you need a lot of space to put in an arc, some soft snow or legs like an oak.
Pure powder performance for the dedicated backcountry Freestyler who has really got tired of and too cool to hang in Park anymore.

The manufacturer says this about the Atomic, Thug, 2008:

The fat kid out of the Freeskiing family. With its 120mm waist width this sandwich babyy makes you float on the top of the fresh powder and gives you the chance to land your backcountry kicker tricks switch. Since last years graphic was over the top we had to give it another go for you.

Movement Thunder 2008

Fantastic. The Thunder is perhaps the hardest core of Movement’s range. They are a stunning, demanding and focused bit of kit. Perhaps more tolerant than the originals, the 2007 model I tried seemed to share a slightly softer tip- similar to the Goliath- that helps initiate the turn but the Thunders narrower shape helps them to be more direct and gives the skier a more precise carve through the crud and chopped icy conditions. As with most of Movements skis this is one for the experts, they are about as tolerant as a Ferrari in the wet- sadly I can only dream of the formers intolerance whereas I have felt the intolerance of the latter! Highly recommended if you’d like to up your ante.

The manufacturer says this about the Movement, Thunder, 2008:

The Thunder is the leader of our mixed use, with Freeride orientaed DNA. Its proprietory construction and design has created a remarkable ski. It is a true experts toool and has dimensions for the whole mountain. Steep couloirs, crud, powder, high speed cruising, tight trees. It is one of our flagship designs. It is a big mountain ski since it will eat up vertical as fast as you can feed it. It is happiest when pushed….pushed hard and fast. One of the remarkable skis that gives back more and more the harder you push it.

Movement Goliath 2008

As you clip in to these behemoths there is a sense of awe, foreboding and that you’re about to undertake something rather serious. The Goliaths aren’t skis for the uninitiated- more for when you’ve hammered down every run in resort, off piste or on, and there seems to be no challenges left to grapple so you think in a primordial way- hey, I’ll strap a pair of these on and see if I can survive the ride.
And the ride is fantastic, in any snow, over any chopped up porridge, hard pack or crusty frozen horredness these things just fly over, through and strip away the imperfections letting you wield your way wherever you desire. I skied both the 184 and 191 length and was very happy on both but perhaps had more confidence to attack the hill with the longer length. Either way they ski with amazing fluidity and dampening- the blend of woods in the core can be felt in the flex pattern. There is definite rigidity underfoot for stability and a noticeable softness in comparison at the tip and tail that allows a ski of such huge dimensions to be tolerable and useable- this is a marked improvement over many of the old school skis from three or four years ago that had all the dimensions but non of the sophistication of a ski like the Goliath.
An excellent package then for excellent, seasoned skiers who spend enough time in the mountains to have the legs, the snow and the time to take advantage of such pure Freeride skis.

The manufacturer says this about the Movement, Goliath, 2008:

Evariste Berney’s skis. A ski meant for powder and open terrain where an expert can really open it up. The ski has won numerous awards and has attracted the attention of some of the World’s top Freeriders. One of its celebrated qualities is that it skis much easier and shorter than the dimensions would suggest. This is due to the core materials. Light but superbly balanced with fantastic dampening qualities. To our already famous 191 we added a new Goliath with a width of 99mm at the tip and radius of 23 m. This new freeride ski addition is equipped with the same tip profile and dimensions as the size 191. A rounded tail has been chosen for the 184 model vs. the straight cut tail on the 191, facilitating an easier release in tighter turns. The shorter radius of the 184 gives more versatility in the ride and is easier to control in tighter or slower terrain. Both of the Goliath’s represent the state of the art in powder skis.