Well, ski season 07/08 is still going strong but companies already hype for the gear of 2008/2009. Still, it’s not all just hype. I wrote an overlook of the rockered/reverse cambered skis in the autumn. And this whole phenomena is really blasting in the next season – seems like every manufacturer has jumped on the bandwagon and drank the cool-aid!

We can thank the master-mind of Shane McConkeyof this all. His (at the time) weird, even ridicilous, Volant Spatula ski was really ahead of the times.

The Spatula design has proved to unbeatable in powder, and especially in the crud, spring mank, heavy snow and in all kinds of “sketchy” snow you can imagine. It has a clear line of followers, Praxis powder ski being the most obvious one, and Armada ARG and DP Skis Lotus 138 being slightly tweaked desings but still pretty close to their “father”.

While all this was and still is some of the biggest evolutionary steps in skiing (since the increased sidecuts and first fat skis in the 90′s at least), some of the skiers have been craving for some more versatility: how could one benefit from both the “Spatula slarve” and some solid edge underneath on groomers? You know the feeling when you stand on the outer ski’s inner edge and can pretty much relax and trust the ski doing its job (this won’t happen on a reverse sidecut-reverse camber ski at all on hard snow!)

The answers seem to be the “hybrids”: combine rockered tips and tails and some negative sidecut at the tips with sidecut, and possible slight amount of traditional camber, under the feet. BINGO – seems like this is the answer for real all-mountain work-horse that is still able to do “McConkey” turns on the soft snow.

Every company seems to have something like it coming in the next season. I picked up here a few of the most interesting ones:

Armada JP vs. Julien

188cm Hybrid sidecut: 126/136/115/133/121 mm.

This is my favorite of the bunch. Even without demoing I just know I want these. I know some guys that swear by ARG’s. However IMHO they’d be just a tad too wide and one-dimensional for true variable Euro-experience. The new JP vs. Julien seems like a slightly narrower ARG with some more sidecut and even slight amount of traditional camber underfoot. They also have a slightly softer flex compared to many big mountain skis, which I know is just fine for my style (=playful, tries to combine some freestyle elements to freeskiing).

Völkl Kuro and Chop Stik

These are almost as tempting….

Kuro

185cm Sidecut, MASSIVE 164/132/139 mm with continuous rocker.

This is said to be the ski K2 Pontoon wanted to be (=stiffer). It also has some tweaks on the rocker, the rocker is continuous but moderate and the upward bending on the front begins already under the binding. This is said to effect the groomer performance significantly: reviews rave about amazing carves on the groomers – with skis this wide it is hard to believe! And, yes, I want that ski too. I just dog Völkls in general.

Chop Stik

185cm, 148-128-148mm, rockered tips and tails, symmetrical sidecut.

Now this for the jibber crowd. For those who take their game into the backcountry and are at the forefront of skiing (or want to be there!).

I guess this is going to have mixed reviews – ski this wide, with symmetrical sidecut and (recommended) centered mount, is not for everyone. But if you ski like Pollard but faster (heh, remember Völkl skis tend to be on the stiff side), this might the ski for you.

Too bad I couldn’t find photos of the said Völkls. I try to fix that later!

PM Gear BRO Rocker (a.k.a “BROcker”)

186cm, 114 underfoot (I guess, couldn’t find the exact measurements).

I’m not sure if this is only at the proto phase? Cool ski still and Splat (Pat Keane), the founder of PM Gear, is one of the coolest UG guys in skiing.

Dynastar Huge Trouble

(Image source: www.newschoolers.com Dynastar 08/09 twin tip line up, Huge Trouble on the most right).

185cm (btw. this seems to be THE lenght next year), 115 mm, underfoot (couldn’t find the exact measurements), flat camber.

Seems like another realistic Euro-zone ski. Great review here. I have a feeling that this ski a bit like Völkl Katana but is a bit more jibber oriented. Another ski I could buy (too) easily…

Black Diamond Megawatt

188cm, 153/125/130 mm, flat camber, lots of tip rocker!

Black Diamond really has stepped quite far from its old school, lightweight tele/rando geek reputation of the past. Megawatt is wide, stiff, flat camber and has a huge tip rocker. Very cool.

Salomon Czar

(Image source: www.newschoolers.com Czar second ones from the left).

182cm, 130-111-121mm, rockered tips with very little camber.

Short(ish), stiff (odd for a Salomon!) and straight (also odd for a Salomon!). This is the new “Pocket Rocket” of Salomon a.k.a their team’s backcountry jib stick. IMHO this is a very interesting concept – seems like they have mixed alot of characters often thought controversial (e.g. short but straight etc.). This guy liked the ski alot. I like the idea that it should ski longer but still had the nimbleness of 182cm, should be great for trees and airs as well.

Lib Tech NAS Pow with Recurve

187cm, 153-117-143mm, rockered tips and tails, camber underfoot.

This is something completely different, very innovative stuff, read more here. With the huge amount of sidecut should be the ones that also rule the groomed slopes!

They also feature the magne traction which has been a huge success (and a great innovation) for Lib Tech. and even though Lib Tech markets their ski as “narrow ass snowboards”, this all just proves the great blending of the two sports today – the thing I just love…

K2 ObSETHed

(Image source: www.newschoolers.com obSETHed in the middle).

169, 179, 189cm, 138-105-125mm with more rocker than this year’s Seth (with the so called mini-rocker).

Seth’s new ski. More width and more rocker – do we see a trend here, huh? Seth rules and this ski has had raving reviews already, which is not so suprising if you ask me. Should bust crud like a bulldozer.

Rossignol S7

176cm and 186 cm, 145-118-123mm, reverse camber/reverse sidecut tips, sidecut underfoot.

At last but not a least – a SKI designed by skateboard legend Steve Caballero. What has the world come into? Well, I don’t know but I surely love it. By now skiing is officially cool again, eh…if skiing’s not cool those graphics still are for sure!