OK, Who's demoed new gear this season?

I got to ski three runs on Atomic Izor 9.7 last Friday, not enough to give a review even if i was capable of writing a good review, but here are my impressions.

Existing "quiver"- Volkl V3 carvers, 170 x67 underfoot.

Atomic Izor in 159 x72 underfoot, demo bindings. The Izor were about the same weight, maybe just a bit heavier. Skied them on Twister, Thunderstruck and the drop. Very stable in long fast turns, loved them for short down the fall line turns, very easy to pressure/release, initiating a turn seemed more a mental than a physical exercise. I found these skis are very easy to get on both edges and the extra width underfoot made them feel so much more stable than my v3's. Might have been the good tune, but hard snow, cut up snow, they liked it all. I really didn't want to give them back!

I might check out a pair in 168, but at 5'7" i think the short one is the ski for me.

anyone know if your required to buy equiptment at demo days? and how busy is the resort when demo days are taking place? seems like you can avoid paying for rentals and just test out equiptment all day instead. any feedback?

Welcome ovega03. No obligation or pressure to buy skis at any of the demo days I've experienced over the years. The demo days Jimmy and I experienced 1/5&6/06 at Timberline, WV were about as ideal as it gets. Those were weekdays with plenty of vendors and skis and not so many demo-ers. No wait to get gear or switch to another ski. I kept my own skis in the car until 3pm when the demos ended, so you could have avoided rentals if you were ready to quit early. Weekend demo days or demos at areas closer to town can often be quite different. Many more people trying demos and you might have to wait in line for 10 mins or more to get gear and vendors might be more adamant about returning it within an hour or so. Bottom line: doing on-snow demos is an important way to ensure you don't get a mismatch when you buy your next pair of new skis, which as we all know can be a significant outlay these days.
Next Thurs, Jan 19 Ski Chalet is offering a $2 demo day at
Wisp, which should be a great opportunity if you can get there that day

Head 1100, 1200 SW (05/06) 170cms
1400 Chip (06/07 colors) 163cms

Ok, so I had to do a few more runs on those last ones: I don't think I'm in the market for slalom skis anymore, those were so much fun.

Comprex- Are we going to get some reviews??

Oh, sorry, didn't mean to be coy, just didn't really have a useful review as such for several reasons: all these were on hero snow @ WT, I'm using my ultra-loose but warm Thermoflex boots, and my 'technique' was suffering from 4thdayofseasonitis, etc.

Thus: 1100 170cm I found this ski sharp but unexceptional. Slight deflection of tip by death cookies. Speed cruising good but took a bit to regain stability after undulating terrain, ie. it could have soaked stuff up more
1200 SW 170cm sharp ski, clean edging, strong tip. Felt more precise than 1100 at low edge angles (meaning I was immediately tempted into backwards). Rebound comparable to my old Atomic 9'16s, slightly more hesitant at turn-in.
1400 Chip 163cm (I insisted they set this one up 15mm forward. Felt like there were three parts to the ski, midbody comparable to the 1200SW, compliant tip and VERY compliant tail. With the extra 15mm they felt like tadpoles skating to the lift. Quick jaunt to BD and back, they felt far more secure on the backside of bumps, because I could change turn radius AND be slow on extending back down while edged without losing the carve. So. Versatile shape late in the turn, good low-edging force contact, and doesn't punish me for lazy legs after a sleepless night. I like it. If I was buying a ski for nightskiing on our local boiler plate during snowmaking, that'd be it, fairly sure.