Thanks to Marmot and all the ski reps for a good time last night! The skiing was entirely on cement accumulation, which made me realise that skiing fluff for the last month just has me spoiled.
I showed up about 6:30 and reps were already hard at work (hopefully staying warm, trying to stay relatively dry) outfitting anxious (and some impatient ???) skiers (heck, we're all here to enjoy some turns on FREE demo gear, why the 'tude?). It got fast out there as the snow packed down, although there was a stretch of slush about 50 meters long crossing most of the base of West, which caused a startling wet drag (if you weren't ready for it). I didn't have a shot at demoing the NTN setup, but I took G3's Ticket out for a whirl, followed by Atomic's RT86 (both with G3 Targa bindings).
The G3's really rocked. I found them very responsive and easy to turn and I was really pleased with how these skis wanted to get up on their edges. I was surprised that I didn't feel under-powered skiing the Ticket with my Scarpa T2 boots (2002/2003 - pre thermo liner, etc.). I think in firmer conditions it could be a different story.
The RT86 was kicking it down a notch, but in a good way. They had a great flex, which was very even and predictable. They busted through the chop quite nicely and I imagine they would deliver a nice float in deeper (and dryer) snow. One thing about this ski that I enjoyed was the relatively small effort it took to drive the rear ski into the turn. If any teleskiers out there either (i) find they rely too much on the front/downhill ski while turning, or (ii) like the feeling of a ski that likes to be turned with a dropped knee, the RT86 may be worth a look.
Thanks again to the reps, dealers and organizers for putting the event together!
