Salomon Rocker 2 108 Review
New for 2012/13, the Salomon Rocker 2 108 is, as its name suggests, a ski with rocker built into both its tip and its tail, though it has a more conventional camber underfoot. The ‘108’ here refers to the skis’ 108mm underfoot; Salomon also produce a 92mm version (reviewed here).
Unlike its narrower brother, the Rocker 2 108 is primarily an off-piste tool. The 132-108-125mm profile gives it loads of float, but what sets this ski apart is the honeycomb structure at the tip and tail which reduce weight at its extremities and increase the ski’s agility as a result. The tips of the ski also have no steel edges, which further reduces weight – with a rocker profile like this, there’s no real need for a ski to have an edge this far forward.
The result is a ski which Salomon claim is their most “surfy” yet, and this is supported by skiers who have demoed it, with users reporting that it floats nicely and pivots easily, but with a tendency to smear out the turns.
While the Rocker 2 108 is great in powder, its ambitions are a bit lower on firmer snow – Salomon seem to accept that it need only be competent on piste rather than excellent. The standard camber underfoot means it can hold an edge, but the wide rockers front and rear and 26m radius mean this isn’t a ski you’ll want to deploy unless there is some powder around. To be fair, until very recently no one would have expected a 108mm ski to be anything other than an unpleasant mess on the groomed route back to the lifts, so it’s to the Rocker 2’s credit that it manages to behave in those conditions at all.
In summary then, the Rocker 2 108mm is a good option if you want a fun, playful ski to mess around in the powder with. It isn’t a one quiver ski by any measure, and there are better skis out there if you want to use it on piste as well, but for its intended purpose, it hits the spot.
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Strengths:
- Plenty of float in soft snow
- Lightweight, particularly given its width
- Easy to swing into turns
Weaknesses
- Doesn’t excel on hard snow
- Quite a single purpose ski; you’ll want something else for non-pow days