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Elan Spectrum Series Review

Over the past five years we have seen a massive evolution of rocker technology in the ski industry.  Every year companies try and refine their technology to get optimum performance with little sacrifice.  Not always, but much of the time, you do loose certain performance aspects when adding rocker to a ski.  Elan argues that with normal tip rocker, you will inevitably not have as great of an edge grip as you would with a traditional camber ski.  Conversely with a camber ski, it is much harder to initiate a turn but will grip better.  This is what gave the Elan design team the idea for Amphibio technology.  Amphibio technology is essentially a left to right rocker whereas most other companies are doing tip, or tip and tail rocker.  With Amphibio you get the benefit of easy turning without sacrificing any edge hold or stability whatsoever.

In 2011 Elan started off adding the Amphibio technology to their carving skis, and boy was it a hit.  The technology was so well received, they decided to branch Amphibio out to their big mountain skis.  Just about 1 year ago, we were invited by Elan to test out the Amphibio technology as part of their new and unreleased, Spectrum Series.  The added benefit for ski nerds like me was that we  got to ski with legend and Elan athlete/designer, Glen Plake.  This day at Beaver Creek last year was possibly my favorite ski day all year, not just because I got to ski with a childhood hero, but being able to get on skis like nothing I had ever tried.

 

From left to right: Glen Plake, Amy Dannwolf, Jordan Jones, Zack Osheroff, Jamie Scoular

I can honestly say these skis do exactly what they are advertised to do.  The Spectrum line comes in three waist widths 95mm, 105mm, and 115mm.  The other great aspect of the Spectrum line is each waist width has two different core options; 1 basic wood-core for intermediate to advanced skiers and 1 wood-core with Aluminum for advanced to expert skiers that want that little bit of extra stiffness.  So, they literally make a ski for everyone.

I hate to admit it (my skis would be mad at me) but out of all skis that are 95mm at the waist and wider, the Spectrum skis had by far the best edge hold and stability, especially at high speeds.  These skis just roll in and out of turns effortlessly and you can feel free to let it fly just like you would on a race ski.  For last years day up in Beaver Creek, it was an ideal day for the 95 waisted and 105 waisted skis in that there was not much fresh snow and spring like weather.  My favorite for a day like that was the Spectrum 95 Alu.  I swear on some turns, I was going as fast as the Olympians without any chatter or loss of stability.  The pin tail makes this big mountain ski feel familiar to ex racers and more traditional carvers who don’t want massive upturned twin tips.

2014 has been a much better snow year so I finally got the opportunity to take the Spectrum 115’s for a spin.  Wow!  There is incredible flotation with the 115 waist and I thought I would notice the absence of traditional tip rocker, but I sure didn’t.  For this wider waisted ski I preferred the non Alu version for maximum pop and playfulness in back bowls.  I can see though, in high alpine environments, wanting that metal for added power to get through the chop and crud.  Take a look at some of the graphics below (Above:Spectrum 95 Alu, Below: Spectrum 105).

All in all, whether you are looking for a great 1 ski quiver or a big mountain ripper, the Spectrum series has something for you.

Elan Spectrum series on sale here.

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