Summer Ski Close Outs

Summer is the time to be thinking about getting next season’s skis and there are some great deals around at the moment if you don’t mind skiing 2006 models. In reality it is often just the graphics topsheet that changes from one season to the next although end of line and major product updates can bring deep discounts. There are some massive reductions on some models such as Zag 75s, Atomic Sweet Daddies and Rossignol B2s. Here is a round-up of some of the deals in Europe and the States.

Backcountry.com’s outlet in the USA has the ZAG FR 75 at $394.98, that is half the recommended US price. Zags have a pretty unique design, wide spatulas and narrow tails. Their shaper, Stephane Radiguet also works as a consultant for Niedecker Snowboards and the skis are heavily inspired by this heritage. Not everyone likes the design but we found that the 75 and the larger ZAG Gold initiate turns easily and have good float in powder.

Also at Backcountry are the Maple cored Line Prophet 80. Its twin tipped design ideal for backcountry freestylers.

REI.com have the Rossignol Bandit B3W Skis for $299, a saving of $400 and the Rossignol Bandit B4 Skis for $370.

The Atomic Sweet Daddy is available in the UK from Snow and Rock for £185. This is a relatively lightweight (around 2.9kg in 172cm) but wide and straight ski that is also good for touring. It is effectively the same ski as the Atomix MX:15 but with a nicer top sheet. It is fiberglass cored which should give it a longer life than foam cored skis. It can also be used for Telemark although the Atomic Tacora is very similar to the Sweet Daddy but with a Magnesium top sheet that adds strength (and weight) for mounting telemark bindings.

Conrad Sport have the Atomic MX:9 (this is pretty much the same as the Diran piste ski) for 200 €. We have skied a lot on this ski. It is a good compromise between surface area and weight and works well on and off the piste. Our main gripe has been longevity with the ski getting a bit floppy after 50 days of skiing. We have had similar feedback from other users.

Filarinskis in the UK have the Dynastar 4800 at half price of £200. We liked the 4800, it is an improvement in terms of edge hold compared to the earlier Dynastar 4x4 and Intuitif models and makes a great touring/off-piste ski.

Ski Shop in France have the Rossignol Snowbuster Castelbajac at just 299€ with ROSSIGNOL Axium 110 bindings. The Snowbuster is a designer version of the venerable Rossignol B2. A great ski on and off the marked slopes. We have also seen some good ski/binding deals on eBay.

Facewest in the UK are offering 30% of the Movement Red Apple 74 although they only have 184cm lengths left in stock.

If you have seen any other deals feel free to list them in the comments box.