It's hard to blame new skiers for wanting more out of their beginning skis, especially when you consider the expenses of lessons, gear and (sometimes…) food and lodging. Salomon's all-mountain XW 5 ski with integrated Smartrak 610 binding delivers more of everything, although it still remains rooted in stability and predictable performance. It features Salomon's X-Wing system, a design/marketing term that defined the over-shaped sidecut on the ski, resulting in exceptional carving performance on groomed snow terrain. Think of it as the skiing equivalent to an oversized golf driver or an oversized tennis racquet and you'll understand some of the performance ramifications--but this one is tuned down to appeal to newcomers who are willing to take on more of the learning curve. Compared to other top-shelf X-Wings in the collection, Salomon ramped down the high-octane features, although it keeps the stability so you'll feel a little more confident when you bite off more run than you can chew. The XW 5's M (for Medium) chassis offers a degree of float in powder conditions, but the narrower 70-mm. waist on the XW 5 makes it better suited for hardpack and groomed carving. The integrated Smartrak 610 bindings offer a new vertical progressive pivot design that helps enhance the protection through release in a backward fall--a very real possibility when you're taking down huge segments of the ski learning curve in just a couple of outings.
