Brandon

Stiff stiff stiff. This ski is a big mountain skiers dream. At least the hard charging ones. This ski isn't flashy. Its not going to be scene throwing dub 9's or whatever. This ski is meant to go straight, fast, and make sure you can huck the biggest of cliffs. With a 114 underfoot it excels in the deep powder. But with a stiff tail. These skis were made for hucking.

A lot of people are a little confused as to what you can use this ski for. I have heard that this ski is great for park, great for powder, and great for big mountain. But lets break down the facts.

Full rocker definitely makes this ski a pure powder machine. Just like the infamous K2 Hellbents this ski is a dream in the powder. Its pretty much the little brother of the Hellbents. But. . .

This ski is stiffer than the hellbents. Making it better for big mountain lines. Personally though, the full rocker is a huge turn off to the big mountain scene because when you get on crappy snow conditions, that full rocker will handicap you more than help you.

As for a park ski. I guess if you like skiing the whole mountain and at the end of each run you head to the park this ski will be adequate. But don't buy this ski to go to the park with. The only type of "park" skiing this ski excels at is backcountry jibbing. Thats where its at for this ski.

If you are looking for a ski to head into the backcountry and hit massive booters, butter, smear, etc. this is your ski. The full rocker makes it extremely easy to stomp into deep pow, it gives you a lot of pop, and the stiffness keeps this ski from flexing so much that you biff it each time.

This ski is great don't get me wrong. But I tested these skis and to me their stiffness wasn't all that impressive. Its supposed to be a stiff hard charger, but for a stiff ski it sure flexes a lot. Its fun to butter turns and play around on them. But for a big mountain ski, not so much. It doesn't hold an edge like a big mountain ski should. I have skied both the super 7, and s3 and with rossi's amptek technology it really puts the skis at sort of a neutral zone. They are great but not amazing powder skis, and they are great but not amazing skis to carve with. Its not the best of both worlds. Just the not so bad of both worlds. Use this ski for what you like. But as for a big mountain ski it could do better.

I have been reading a lot and couldn't decide between the Atomic Bentchetlers, Armada JJ's, or K2 Hellbents. Let me tell ya. . . I have skied different shaped skis like the JJ's, Bentchetlers, S7's, S3's, etc etc. . . But sometimes you just have to go back to the basic shaped skis (except the reverse camber) to get the best performance. There is a reason why the hellbents are the best. Try them out. and You'll see what I mean.

Hop in a Heli and drop into some deep deep snow with these tanks. This is not your resort type of ski. Unless you know of a lift that services only none groomed runs. These are 100% powder. They'll do good in the chop during the afternoon. But keep these skis on the fresh untracked powder and you'll have a blast. This thing doesn't float, it surfs on powder. Try it at least once.

This ski is great. In fact all Black Diamond skis are great. Mounted with some Dynafit AT bindings and you have one of the lightest set-ups in the backcountry. The mega's are your deep deep deep powder ski. Equivalent to that of K2 Hellbent but just much lighter. You wouldn't want these to be your everyday ski tho. This is your special occasion sort of ski. If you're lookin for a good slack/side country ski for big dumps then this is a great choice. If you're lookin to tour up the side of a mountain, I would look at some of the smaller Black Diamond skis like the zealot.

I bought this helmet at the beginning of the season. I used it for 35+ days on the hill. I had only had a few mishaps, but nothing major. Until day 35 when I hit a 30' kicker goin way to fast. Over shot the landing and landed flat with my head smacking the ground. I can't tell you what the landing was like, because I don't remember. I don't even remember making it down to the lodge.

After ski patrol cleaned up my multiple face lacerations, I took a trip to the hospital where the determined I suffered a concussion as well as a sprained mcl and received some stitches in my face.

Morale of the story if it hadn't been for this helmet. I wouldn't be writing this review. I would definitely recommend this helmet to anyone. It saved my life. So I'll never ride without a helmet now.

I picked this helmet up after suffering a concussion a week prior and cracking my previous helmet from the forehead all the way up the center to the top of the helmet. I knew that I needed a helmet that would protect me. After my injury I vowed to always wear a helmet.

I found this helmet on sale at REI. Picked it up, put it on, and fell in love with it. The construction of this helmet is incredible. The ventilation system is perfect. And it looks and feels great on your head. I used it towards the end of the season, about 4-5 times. And it was great. I strongly recommend this helmet.

this is a tad bit heavy for me. I'm used to riding on Rossi S3's and even though they have similar dimensions, to me this ski didn't perform amazing. Its more of a straight shooter. I like my skis very playful, I guess thats why I've stayed with twin tips for now. This ski will do the job, but there are others out there for the same price that for me would do a much better job.

K2 has some of the best powder skis in the world. And their K2 Hellbent ski is no exception. It is the ultimate floating machine. This is the ski you take to the resort and people just stare at you. Or take it up in the heli and throw down some epic lines. K2 makes great skis but backcountry is not their forte. They've always had a problem with creating light skis. The hellbent is one of the heavier skis out there coming in over 10lbs. If you're looking for a ski to drop off a chair or out of a heli on this ski is great. If you are doing some skinning, look elsewhere.

This ski reminds me a lot of the bandit series that rossi had a few years back. This ski is there big mountain, hard charging sort of ski. Its not huge in the waste, so its versatile both on and off piste. Some problems I have with this ski is it doesn't have a rockered tip. Its fairly heavy (like most if not all rossi skis) And its just not my style of ski. I used to ski the b94 bandit which is very similar to this ski, and I didn't see a difference. Its not a playful ski. So if you're looking at goin fast and getting deeper into the backcountry then, yes, check this ski out. But there are plenty of better choices, at the same price.

I've put 11 days on the skis in Utah and they are by far my favorite skis. I'm a lighter skier at around 150, and the 177's are perfect for me. They float in powder but can really arc up some great turns on groomers. But when carving groomers towards the end of the turn they get a little wobbly. And they don't like slow, short turns. So this is for an advanced skier lookin to get a true all-mountain multi-condition ski that just rips everywhere. Powder, crud, and groomers. No matter what your mountain is like. These skis can handle it.

I bought these poles about a year ago. And they work just fine. But when I tried to use the powder basket, things started going wrong. First off the powder basket attaches from the bottom, which makes it very vulnerable to falling off. Well I used these poles for two days, in deep utah powder conditions. The first day I spent trying to find my baskets that fell off into the snow, and the second day i just said screw it and left them on the mountain. If you are looking at these poles, the powder baskets should not be a plus. They are worthless. I've owned a couple pairs of swix poles, one pair bent, the other pairs straps ripped out. Definitely not worth the money.

With no Rocker or early tip and tail rise this ski goes back to the roots of twin tips. But what makes this ski so demanded is its light weight. It allows for tele-skiers to trek up a mountain with ease. The wide dimensions allow this ski to float well in powder too. Though it will be more of a hard charging ski with its 8/10 stiffness ratio. And with its huge side cut you are able to carve it up on groomers. And with no rocker you'll be able to hold an edge much longer and stay stable at higher speeds.

Definitely a great all-mountain ski that can charge through anything and everything with ease.

I've had my Spy Targa II's for almost 3 years now. They are comfortable and the anti-sliding strip is nifty and really helps keep the goggles on your helmet. Your vision is pretty narrow. Not a whole lot of peripheral vision. Low/Flat light is horrible. You can't see anything. No features in the snow. This makes it extremely difficult on a stormy day. But during a blue bird they work relatively well. I would say bring these along just in case your primary goggles get hung up in a tree or break.

Extremely easy to use. It doesn't just go off of dots and beeps. The screen actually shows you the direction of the beacons buried beneath the snow. I haven't had a true avalanche experience with this beacon but neither do I want to have to use it. I practice using it every year and even during the summer. By far out of everyone I know, they love the ease of use this beacon offers. And the easier to use, the faster you can do your job.

I have a smaller backpack (Dakine Heli Winter pack) and this shovel fit great into it. But when you need to use it, the long handle really helps you out a lot. Its also extremely light weight. You don't even notice it when its in your backpack.

With the mirror finish these goggles turn some heads. I got the black/red good word/ ignitor mirror ones and they are incredible. Fit great with helmets, fit great without a helmet, a much more modern design, perfect for those guys who want a functional yet stylish goggle.

I've had this pack for going on 3 years now. It has help up to anything and everything. It still looks brand new and trust me I've put it through quite a bit. It's big enough to house your essentials while out-of-bounds at a ski resort. Yet, small enough so it doesn't look like you are going to go camping at the resort. I use this bag for everything, school, hikes, skiing, etc. Extremely durable, convenient, and very practical for those who want a bag to carry their essentials up onto the mountain.

I actually have the pro model to this jacket. But its the same set up basically just a different design. This jacket is so comfortable and warm. A very sleek design that keeps the graphics flowing from one side of the jacket to the other. I suggest getting the matching pants if you can. Its another $200 but so worth it. If you're looking for a one piece styled jacket and pants without it actually being one piece. . this is it. Everything flows, tons of movement. Only problem I've had is not being able to turn my head when the hood is on. But to me is a minor flaw in the jacket and pants. Great buy!!

I've been skiing on a K2 omni for the last two years. For those who don't know what type of ski that is don't bother looking it up. Its a beginners ski compared to the Bandit. I jumped onto a pair of B94 Bandits and what a difference. I live in Utah so the snow is deep. After having these skis for about two months I've become at least 20x's better skier than I was. First off, since the season didn't come until a little later, i had to hit the groomers. For a ski thats meant for all-mountain/powder skiing it performs great on the groomers. The edges are a little shaky. You can't carve as well on these skis, but who cares when most of us who will buy this ski will be spending most of our time off-piste. When the snow finally came, these skis performed incredibly. 18" of Utah powder and these skis tore through it like nothing else. Whether you are in the open, in trees, cliffs, steeps, doesn't matter. These skis perform. With these skis i felt comfortable enough to tackle just about anything. I did my first cliff huck on these skis, and my first chute. For a versatile ski, that can handle just about anything, this ski is a definite 5star. Great job Rossingol.