Rockered Skis - Verdict?

[JayB]

Rockered skis seem like a cool idea - but the reality is that pretty much anyplace where I'd be likely to ski with them will be pretty well tracked out by noon - even on a weekday.

 

How do they handle when they're not in the pow?

[grenalds]

Rockered skis are for the soft, period. Pow, cut-up, and crud. Any ski that is made at one extreme is not going to be great out of its comfort zone. Would you take a slalom race ski in the crud?

 

I think the answer will be they won't perform well. BUT a rockered ski is totally worth the sacrifice in my opinion. If you have an all-around set of boards adding a rocker would be sweet quiver addition. A good ski with moderate rocker would be the Salomon Rocker or Czar. They only have rocker in the tip which would help your concern with versatility.

 

Go for it. And rockered skis always ski short, so go big!

 

 

[Hugh Conway]

The verdict mostly depends on how much those 3-4 hours of pow are worth to you.

 

There's a big variety in rockered skis out there, check out TGR for good discussion therein. Spatula/Praxis/DP138 are more heavily rockered and more pow only. Other models like the DPSkis Lotus 120 are a bit more versatile. I've been lusting after a pair and am really considering the 200cm, but the price(~1k) is nuts. Instead I bought another "traditional" pow ski = 109cm waist for $80

[J_Fisher]

I bought a pair of K2 Hellbents in the 189 last Feb and have been surprised at how versatile they are. Something huge and stiff might be somewhat better in cut up and crud, but the combination of rocker for float and general heavy hugeness for stability works pretty well once the fresh is worked. Despite their weird looks, the Hellbents have a pretty traditional sidecut (28M IIRC) and are surprisingly fun on groomers too as long as the snow isn't too hard. The tips and tail flop around but it doesn't transmit through the ski and they feel like a big ole GS ski.

 

I've heard reverse side cut/reverse camber are even better in crud, but have no 1st hand knowledge.

 

As you might expect, the Hellbents pretty much suck on boilerplate, hardpack and bumps. I went back to my Volkl Mantras once the spring ice/corn/slush cycle was on, as well as when it hadn't snowed for a long time.