Salomon

Equipe 9 Skate Ski

If you're ready to hit the race circuit, but not prepared to drop the serious coin required for a World-Cup-caliber ski, the Salomon Equipe 9 Skate might be the horse that you ride to the next level. As the closest living relative to Salomon's World-Cup-winning S-Lab series, the Equipe 9 features the same World Cup universal Digital Grinding Measurement (DGM) base tuning found in the most hardcore models. The ski also benefits from the S-Lab's G5 Zeolit base—a race base with an additive that increases wax absorption and retention.

The biggest difference between the Equipe 9 and the World Cup models is in the core. The Equipe 9 favors a light Densomex foam core with a Nomex insert and three-dimensional fiberglass wrap to keep weight down and torsional rigidity up, a difference that sees it weigh in at 250 grams heavier than the S-Lab. The Javelin sidecut in the Equipe 9 is slightly less aggressive than what's found in the top-end models, but still features Salomon's Power Distribution Camber, which balances pressure along the ski thanks to a full-length carbon laminate, keeping your foot off the ground whenever possible for improved kick, glide, and stability. Salomon also sends these babies out prewaxed and prebrushed, so all you have to do is remove the protective foil on the bases, give them a quick brush, and get after it.