Rocker Skis

It is November, a few days before Thanksgiving. I would give almost anything to grab my skis and head for my local ski resort. Unfortunately, it is November and they don't have any snow so unless I can ski on grass and rocks I'm out of luck. Now would be an awesome time to educate everyone, and myself, on some awesome gear!

Last year I skid on Dynastar Outland XT 80s. Dynastar's all mountain rocker skis. They were awesome! Rockered skis are a newer technology in skis.
 Ski profile design is broken up into three groups. Camber, Rocker, and Flat. Camber skis are the most traditional type of ski where the middle of the ski is curved upward like an umbrella. It allows for even pressure on the tip and tail of the ski for better edging. Flat skis are best described by their name. Flat. The center section of the ski is flat on the snow, if you set it on a table you wouldn't see any light shining through between the table and ski. Rocker skis are exactly opposite of Camber. The ski is shaped like a "u." Much like water skis, it is designed to float on top of powder, slush, and any other rough terrain you come across. Rocker skis, I would argue, are as revolutionary as parabolic skis. The ski is pre bent, this helps the initiation of your turn so much. In order to initiate your turn all you have to do is roll your ankles to engage the edges. Rocker also helps in the terrain parks as well. With the 'less catchy' tendency of rocker skis, you can start turns sooner and off-axis landings are more forgiving.  The Outland XT 80's are low camber, high rocker skis. This helps initiation of a turn as well as edge grab. Last year my skis delaminated the paint layer from the "traditional wood fiber basalt" core layer. I exchanged them and they sent me this years model for free. Their customer service has made me a big Dynastar supporter. I would recommend the skis to anyone, any skill level, and I can't wait to get on my new ones this year! The skis were light and could smoothly cruse through anything. Last year's poor conditions was a test to how well the model could or could not sail through the slush, sugary, icy snow and the Outland XT 80's did it with ease.

Outland XT webpage:
http://www.dynastar.com/US/US/outland-80-xt_DA2KS02_product_dynastar-skis-men-all-mountain.html

Other Rockered Skis:

I was able to demo last year's model. They were about as maneuverable as the Outlands but felt heavier.
Atomic: http://www.atomic.com/en-US/Products/Alpine/Ski/All%20Mountain/NOMAD_SMOKE_TI/AA0024248.aspx?filter=-2%3a230

I have not skid these but I know many people who love Rossignols
Rossignol: http://www.rossignol.com/index.php?_lang=US&_cnt=US&function=showProd&insidefile=productDetails.html&oid=CAT1011:4o5ldqdjxc6f&alias=alpine-men-skis

#ThinkSnow #WinterIsComing

Pray for snow
-SkiBumb13

Dynastar in no way paid me for this post, I am just very impressed with their skis and customer service. 
Photo courtesy of theskimonster.com