Demo at the Yurt and Great Ski Deal Last Week

One of my goals during my trip to Steamboat last week was to get some new sticks. My current skis were K2 Four's that are probably 10+ years old. I wanted to get a ski with a wider waist that would provide better float in deep powder, but something that would work anywhere on the mountain if needed. I did a good bit or research before coming out, and between the Yurt and the Demo Center at the bottom of the mountain over the course of two days, I was able to demo:
- K2 Apache Explorer
- Volkl AC50 (twice)
- Nordica Helldiver
- Salomon X-Wing Fury
- Salomon Lord

I wanted to demo the Dynastar Legend Mythic Rider, but it was not available.

My choice was the Volkl followed by the Solomon Fury and the Nordica. I skied on the Volkl a second time after trying the Fury just to make sure of my decision to buy the Volkl AC50. The Volkl has pretty average reviews, but for my height and weight, it really performed great. I suspect that a heavier guy might not get as much out of this ski. I took it on groomed blue and black runs and it has great edge hold and quickness, and on Closets and in steep Morningside trees it was plenty maneuverable to get me where I wanted to go and keep me in control.

The best part was the price. The Yurt is advertising 30% off of new skis, but this set was more like 40% off MSRP. The price at the Yurt was cheaper than I could buy the skis in Atlanta (and they are pretty cheap here this time of year) or online at skis.com or Christy Sports.