Salomon

S-Lab Skate Blue Ski

When conditions are cold—firm crystalline snow that's not always as fast as you'd like—pull out the Salomon S-Lab Skate Blue Ski. A World-Cup-caliber rocket, the Blue is made to give expert skiers and serious racers the boost they need to challenge for the podium, so it's not surprising that it's stiff, powerful, and responsive. The Nomex composite honeycomb core keeps weight to an absolute minimum—just barely over two pounds per pair—while extra-thin wood sidewalls and a full-length carbon fiber laminate give the ski powerful rebound to propel you forward with every kick.

Salomon designed the Blue expressly for cold snow, which basically means it pressed the ski with Salomon's 562 Balanced Camber profile, which gives the ski a longer glide zone to decrease friction for more powerful kick, faster glide, and easier tip return. Every ski is also pressed with Digital Dynamic Flex Control to ensure perfectly uniform flex characteristics in every pair. In keeping with its cold-snow orientation, the Blue features a G5 Zeolit Cold base that's meant to be fast and chilly snow, and gave it a World Cup Cold grind that structures the base to perform well when your boogers are freezing in your nose.