Salomon Rocker2 92 Skis 2013

Comments about Salomon Rocker2 92 Skis 2013:

Living in the NW if your all mountain ski doesn't handle the fresh snow we get it's not really an all mountain ski. The Rocker2 92 was unsuspectingly fun in pow. Orignally titled the Twentytwelve the ski was marked as an all mountain park ski that fetaured twin rocker. The result is these skis are ideal for the park skier wanting something for everyday/everywhere. A wider ski would be preferred for deeper days but it still holds its own for sure. Groomers to deep snow to park confirm it is great at everything and for someone looking for only one ski this may be as fun and as versatile as it gets.

Comments about Salomon Rocker2 92 Skis 2013:

Bought these to replace some ancient and spanked-out 175cm Pocket Rockets.

I demoed these last year as the Twenty-Twelve, and again this year as the Rocker 92. Demos were mounted on the recommended line which is dead center of the ski. I'm not sure why Salomon recommends this as they are not a symmetrical side cut, but whatever. I liked the demos a lot, but decided to mount them -3cm so they'd have a little more tip, and ski more like a traditional all-mountain than a park/jib ski. Salomon marks up to -2 for traditional mount, but traditional is more like -4-5 from cord center, so my -3cm is still kind of progressive compared to what I'm used to.

Initial impression was that I could have gone further back, maybe to -4, but that was on firm bumps where the tails seemed to have a mind of their own. This was probably just due to not really being dialed into the ski yet, and I've since decided that -3 was a good call.

Overall the skis are quick edge to edge without being squirrely. This is the first Salomon I've owned that hasn't been cap construction, and the improved stoutness and edge hold of the sandwich/sidewall build is immediately noticeable. This is not the venerable Blue Noodle by a long shot! The turn radius is longer too, and while they can easily handle short radius turns, there is a noticeable improvement in stability at speed, whether on hard pack, crud, or in powder.

I initially bought these as an everyday driver for firmer conditions between storm cycles in Colorado (which is most of the time), but just spent the last couple of days skiing 4-8" of fresh, and much to my surprise, this is where the Rocker 92 really shines!

The rocker profile is very subtle in the tip, and more pronounced in the tail. At first I thought this would have the effect of making the tips dive in soft snow. I was wrong. I think the rise in the tail actually allows the tail to settle in a bit more, which causes the tip to rise even more than expected.

I've had no problem overpowering the tips on my 179's, and even with a comparatively narrow waist (91mm; for reference my powder skis are Fat-ypus I-Rocks 176cm Flat Tails with 126mm waist)they platform beautifully while giving more/better snow feel than my fatter boards (in all but bottomless pow).

In contrast, my Pocket Rockets never felt like enough ski, either in width or length, and because of their soft flex, were much harder to stay centered on. No such problem with the Rocker 92.

The Blue Noodles also got deflected pretty easily, and weren't very good at cutting through chop at speed. The Rocker 92 crushes it at speed, better than any other ski I've tried with similar dimensions, and at least as well as some that are more than a centimeter wider. They reward an aggressive stance, and inspire confidence in almost every snow condition but boiler plate.

I've read a lot of positive reviews of the Rocker 92, but almost as many pans. Obviously not everyone is going to love this ski, but personally I think Salomon goofed with the recommended mounting position, and believe that most of the folks who were less than thrilled with this ski would have a much more positive impression if they had been on a more traditional mount (-3 cm). Too much further back, and I think they'd have a tendency to wheelie too much. YMMV.

I had bought a pair of Moment Tahoe's earlier in the season that I thought were going to fill the mid-fat hole in my quiver, and while they're well made and great for cruising, they just weren't doing it for me in bumps or soft snow. I took a beating selling them on e-bay, but couldn't be happier with the switch to the Rocker 92. They may not be for everyone, but they are definitely for me!

My stats:
5' 6"
165lbs
50yo
Expert
Ski 70-100 days a year
Former East Coaster, now reside/ski in ColoRADo

Comments about Salomon Rocker2 92 Skis 2013:

Love these skiis, super fun.

Comments about Salomon Rocker2 92 Skis 2013:

Love em as some powder skis, don't even take em out otherwise... Because of the rocker tech u have to lean a little more to hit that edge. Really smooth and a little more than moderate playfulness ( I may have made a new word...)

Comments about Salomon Rocker2 92 Skis 2013:

Really nice all around ski's. Wide enough for poweder and great in tight trees, they're responsive and carve really well. Very happy with them.