This is an older ski, but I picked them up as a pair of east-coast rock skis and so far I've been blown away. I'm making this review only because I've seen several barely-used pairs for cheap on the internet, and they are definitely worth a look far any strong skier in a low-snow area (that maybe racks up one too many core shots and broken edges to warrant brand new skis).
Off the snow: These skis are stout and heavy. With Look PX15 bindings, they are straight up annoying to lug around, lift onto the ski rack, etc. They also have a very stiff flex, very minimal rocker, zero taper, and zero rise in the tail. A friend of mine gave them one look and said "they look like old-man carving skis". On paper, he was right.
On the snow: now I know why so many old-man carvers have these up for sale, basically brand new. They are strong, stiff and very, very directional. On hard snow, the more I drove the tips, the better the skis performed. In soft snow, the tips dove a lot, which proved to be the only weakness of the skis that I found. They are almost no "float" - but what would you expect from an 88mm ski? Even so, ripping fast, wide, even turns in roughed-up soft snow was doable on the X-Drives, even if it did require a bit more finesse than a 100mm or up ski. Slow turns in soft snow though? That's a chore on these. On nice groomers, scraped-off icy groomers, hard, uneven bumps and tight trees with bad snow (basically everything one can expect in the east) these skis were a dream. They are happy to rip down even the ugliest of groomed stuff, and anywhere off-piste, staying in front of these skis and driving the tips let them crush anything. Their edge grip is also tenacious, and I loved how they felt on steeper, bumped-up terrain. On the other hand, they do feel a bit lifeless on more mellow trails, and require a bit of speed to handle. On some easy groomers back to the lift, I found myself beelining it until I had enough speed, arc a few good turns, and then just coasting the rest of the way. If my boots weren't flexing, these skis felt pretty lifeless.
These are very directional skis, but they don't kick you ass as hard as some skis do if you get in the back seat. Obviously, they are not very responsive when skied even in a neutral position, but I think the stiff, supportive tails give you a chance to redeem yourself if you get knocked into the back seat.
So, if anyone is looking for a cheap, bad-snow ski that can still rip, I can't recommend the X-drive 8.8s enough, especially if you prefer traditional, directional skis and if you are either (a) very aggressive or (b) heavy enough to need a stiffer ski. This ski is definitely an overlooked gem.
Off the snow: These skis are stout and heavy. With Look PX15 bindings, they are straight up annoying to lug around, lift onto the ski rack, etc. They also have a very stiff flex, very minimal rocker, zero taper, and zero rise in the tail. A friend of mine gave them one look and said "they look like old-man carving skis". On paper, he was right.
On the snow: now I know why so many old-man carvers have these up for sale, basically brand new. They are strong, stiff and very, very directional. On hard snow, the more I drove the tips, the better the skis performed. In soft snow, the tips dove a lot, which proved to be the only weakness of the skis that I found. They are almost no "float" - but what would you expect from an 88mm ski? Even so, ripping fast, wide, even turns in roughed-up soft snow was doable on the X-Drives, even if it did require a bit more finesse than a 100mm or up ski. Slow turns in soft snow though? That's a chore on these. On nice groomers, scraped-off icy groomers, hard, uneven bumps and tight trees with bad snow (basically everything one can expect in the east) these skis were a dream. They are happy to rip down even the ugliest of groomed stuff, and anywhere off-piste, staying in front of these skis and driving the tips let them crush anything. Their edge grip is also tenacious, and I loved how they felt on steeper, bumped-up terrain. On the other hand, they do feel a bit lifeless on more mellow trails, and require a bit of speed to handle. On some easy groomers back to the lift, I found myself beelining it until I had enough speed, arc a few good turns, and then just coasting the rest of the way. If my boots weren't flexing, these skis felt pretty lifeless.
These are very directional skis, but they don't kick you ass as hard as some skis do if you get in the back seat. Obviously, they are not very responsive when skied even in a neutral position, but I think the stiff, supportive tails give you a chance to redeem yourself if you get knocked into the back seat.
So, if anyone is looking for a cheap, bad-snow ski that can still rip, I can't recommend the X-drive 8.8s enough, especially if you prefer traditional, directional skis and if you are either (a) very aggressive or (b) heavy enough to need a stiffer ski. This ski is definitely an overlooked gem.