I've just come back from skiing 6 days on them in St Anton and I still have a big grin on my face.
Paired up with Marker Squire bindings, the first thing to mention is the weight, about two thirds of the weight of my old skis. It makes them so nimble and easy to ski. Particularly off piste.
They ski a little shorter than my old skis as they have tip and tail rockers, they also have a shorter turning radius than my old skis. That and the lighter weight means they turn on a sixpence, something that has taken a little bit of time to get used to.
90mm under foot, with a big shovel up front, they perform really well off piste, they feel like a fatter ski. On piste they have excellent edge grip, turn easily in both short and long turns and are very responsive.
They do need to be skied, get lazy and they are a bit passive. Put a bit of energy in and boy do they respond. With the lightness of the ski having a bit of energy left on the last run of the day wasn't a problem.
Off piste conditions were pretty iffy last week, 10% brilliant, 90% rubbish. Powder to porridge, crud and wind blown. We didn't do a lot, but what I did do the skis handled really well. Snow that would have challenged my old skis, the Crusades managed without too much trouble.
Can't wait to get them off piste in La Plagne.
I'm really pleased with my purchase and would thoroughly recommend them to anyone looking for a all mountain ski that will perform pretty much everywhere.
