The closest thing to a race ski outside Salomon’s S-Lab series, the X-Race replaces both the 2V and the 3V, skiing like a slalom ski if you go for a shorter length or a GS model if you ski it longer. Sounds weird, but testers loved it – 5 stars all round.

Great for :

whether you’re after long or shorter turns, the X-Race delivers real top end performance

Not so great for :

not meant to be a deep snow ski

Target ability level :

Based on World Cup construction but using “innovative new sidecuts”, the X Race replaces bot the 2V and the 3V and in our opinion is in fact more or less 2 different skis, sharing the same technology and construction methods but with VERY different shapes.

The tip width is constant over all 5 lengths and the waist doesn’t vary too much either, going up by a millimetre per length from 155 to 180. The big difference between the lengths comes in the tail though. The shortest ski, 155, has a wide 105 tail and the 165 is only a mil narrower but then the tail width in the longer lengths drops sharply, to 99, 98 and 97 respectively.

In our opinion we actually have two very different groups of skis here – two lengths of short turning ski in the 155 and 165, and three very different longer turning skis in 170, 175 and 180.

A new approach to on-piste performance, X-Race combines the world cup construction and progressive intuitive shapes, enabling skiers to select their ski based on desired speed and turning radius. Sidecut radius in fact goes from 13 metres for the 155 up to 19 metres in the 180.

Apart from all that, expect stability, grip, lots of rebound, a nice stiff tail, a little bit of rocker in the tip and a good vibration absorption system.