Thread: Any X-Wing Lab experiences??

Has anybody tried the Salomon X-Wing Labs? Searching brings up very little info. I know what the magazines are writing. There is a pair around here for cheap.

There is a lot of taper in the shape, 140mm tip to a 120mm tail. Other than sinking the tail and keeping the tip up in pow, how would this shape react in other situations?

Unfortunately I have not tried them personally but I have seen them in action and questioned the skier who rode them. The X-Wing Lab skis are certainly very fast and the length makes them very stable in high speeds. The rider also confirmed this. Moreover I asked if they where unruly or difficult in tighter situations but this seemed not to be the case.

I am also very interested in more first hand experiences with this ski. I am currently choosing between these or the 197 Völkl Katanas.

If you ever have skied on the old rockets (first yellow, then green, 200cms) and liked them, you will love these!
Super easy to ski in a 197, skied them at the on snow demo, no new snow, hard groomers only and they skied great, arcing big turns. They will rip pow effortlessly. How do I know? 4 years of skiing on rockets, with a waist of 88 or 90mm. Now it is 107mm with same flex and feels like the same construction.
If it is the same construction and you ski in rocky areas, you can expect an exploded edge and sidewall or two, with the monocoque wood core splitting along the legnth of the ski. Buy 2-3 pairs if you can!

they are about the same stiffness as the swallowtails.

the twin is not very pronounced. not that long or high.

full length wood core. pretty sweet skis.

Originally Posted by SuperGaper

If it is the same construction and you ski in rocky areas, you can expect an exploded edge and sidewall or two, with the monocoque wood core splitting along the legnth of the ski. Buy 2-3 pairs if you can!

I'm not too stoked about the monocoque/cap. Always been a proponent of sandwich. Yeah, 2-3 pairs, thats a great selling point! HAHA!

I'm thinking either these or Ants as an everyday ski to go with some Lotus 138s and selling off the Gotamas. It would be easier to decide if I didn't want a twin and I would just go for XXLs. Still looking for a fairly easy ski though, relatively speaking, but def burlier than Gots.

bump-diggity!

Put it this way- if I did not get a hook up through my shop and rep for a different brand of ski the trigger would already have been pulled.
The old rocket made skiing easier- it really did!
This is the same thing only wider, I think they will totally rule!
Plus any one in a shop at Teton Village knows how to screw those things back together when they blow up, which they will I fear.

I got a chance to fondle the X-wing LABs this weekend. In the oh-so-effective shop flex comparison they were softer than I had expected. Softer than the suprisingly stiff 188 Gun that was on the wall beside it. Nice looking ski except for the monocoque cap. Top sheet/cap material was a softer, rubbery material like old G4s used to have, not the rigid material used in the cap for the Gun.

Any updates here. I am down to choosing between the XW Lab, Dynastar XXL or Völkl Katanas. I have tried the Dynastars and like them the others only shop flexing and heresay.

I've had two days on mine. One day had more fresh snow than the other. They are just like what has been said. Softer than i thought they'd be. They ski shorter than they are. Rail on groomers. Stable at high speeds though fresh, crud, wind packed, or anything else for that matter. Suprisingly quick to swing around when you have to. Probably because of that smaller tail. This can easily be an everyday ski, minus bump runs. I don't like moguls anyway.

check this thread out too:

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...d.php?t=103416

One guy at a shop told me has heard from some other guy that there have been lots of durability issues.

Originally Posted by gzon

Any updates here. I am down to choosing between the XW Lab, Dynastar XXL or Völkl Katanas. I have tried the Dynastars and like them the others only shop flexing and heresay.

Movement Goliath. SICCCCCC!!! Will post up review in a couple days.

How hard can you ski the lab on the groomed stuff? GS turns or more like Super G? Do they handle the shitty semi bumped stuff you get at the end of the day....you know, the run that was perfect corduroy in the morning but not any more?

Well I decided on the XW Lab and ordered them from Sport-Conrad. Hopefully I will get them in a couple of weeks so that I can test them in 17:e January in Engelberg.