Salomon XW Tornado (2007)

Never been a fan of do it all skis. Always owned at least 2 pairs. Until NOW!!! 
These rock every day of the season!

These are good all around, every day skis. They are narrower than the Fury to be more versatile and handle many conditions.  
 
Salomon X Wing Tornado gear review by Brian

This ski is the ultamate all mountain. Quick and Responsive in the turns. Hang on for a sweet ride and feel. 
Owned a pair of X-screams for years. Finally found something to replace them with.  
Prforms like a Party's rock star in all snow conditions.

lookin for my one ski quiver. has anyone compared the tornado to the recon. ive heard great things about both skis and cant demo for another 3 weeks. im advanced skier in calif. 68 in. tall 155lbs. ski mostly groomed/bumps but head to the trees/pow if i can. have owned both k2 and salomon skis before so i know they feel very different. salomons tend to allow me to really feel the snow although sound glassy and the tips tend to flop around and they dont seem to like to be off edge, but i love the energy they have. k2s are usually very smooth and powerful, but i always felt they had a heavy feeling and where overdamp. im hoping these 2 models offer the best of everything. any thoughts?

Skiied the Tornado's and I like them. Anyone test the XW Blast? They have the same dimensions as the Tornado, but the ski construction appears to be different based on the spec sheet. I'd like to hear how it skied in comparison.

I skiied the Tornado on the EC a few weeks ago - conditions varied between EC ice, hardpack groomed, bumps (soft & hard) and 6 inches of new snow. Really could lay into turns on the groomed - put a big smile on my face. Much better hold on ice than I'd expected (I skiied xscreams forever) - have to be on top of them. Good a medium radius turns, but handled shorter radius turns fairly well. The only real downside was performance in the bumps - a little stiffer in the shovel than I would have liked. But, I realize that you can't have everything. All in all, a solid ski.

I just demo'd these skis this past weekend. Conditions were almost spring like soft in NH on 1/13/07. Length was 170. I'm a big guy (215 lbs) who can rip, and I was worried about the "short" length compared to my frame - and this ski didn't disappoint one bit. Had skied on XScream's (187's) for the past years (bought two pairs over the course of 5 years) and loved those - but this ski blows the XScream away. What a comfortable rip roaring ride.  
Bought a pair the very same day I tried 'em. Never did that before, and I've been skiing for 30 years. Wow!

Demo'd and bought XW Tornados over the last week in Aspen. Started with 22" new snow over 2 days and progressed to crud, tree powder, and finally bumps (no ice, as temps never got above 20F). I am 5/10". 150#, skied for 40 years, last 6 on XScreams, usually on slalom racers before that. These skis turn as quick as any racer, and handle all the above conditions, including high speed steep groomers equally well. Super quick edge to edge in bumps, stable at speed (50 mph), and do not dive in the powder. Only drawback - they insist on being on edge, always in a turn. A new generation for Salomon.

I had been looking for a new pair of skis and demo'd the XWing Tornado, Apache Recon, and Volkl AC4. I'm 6 foot and 190 lbs. I liked the Recons but wasn't wowed by them. They were good but nothing special in my opinion. The AC4s were too stiff for my liking, though they were the most stable of the three at speed. 
One run on the Tornados and I was hooked. The carving ability was amazing and they were pretty almost as stable at speed as the AC4s. I then took them down The Nacho at Copper Mountain (double-black) and they performed flawlessly. You could take it easy on them or really pour it on. They were happy to go either way. A good all-mountain ski.

Never skied a tank that moves like a humming bird. 
 
Just a wild ski. 

I normally ride a pair of K2 Axis XT, my all mountain, one ski in the quiver choice over the last three years. Last weekend demo'd the Tornado in spring-like conditions. Looks like I'm gonna hafta buy me some new skis: Quick and bouncy in the turns, these lively skis flew all over the mountain, feeling light and nimble, yet amazingly stable. Says the wife: "Wow! I've never seen you ski like that. You had the whole mountain watching."

I'm 5'11'' and 165 lbs. I bought a pair of 178s and was a bit concerned, since I'd never skied anything that long. But WOW - the snap coming out of each turn made me feel like I was on slalom skis that let me go 40 mph. AWESOME SKIS!!!!

Is the Tornado hands down a better ski? I am looking to buy my next pair off skis. I mostly love bumps/powder and the occasional groomer (when I am to burned out from bumps). My XScreams are about to be retired. Any thoughts regarding these two skis in comparison?

My Volkl All Stars were in the shop for "repair" so I had to demo for an outing. Wanted all mountain performance and chose the XW Tornado over Rossignol Zenith. All I can say is this - WOW. The stability was amazing and these carve like a knife. Long and medium turns at speed were terrific. They held up well in ice and off piste. did not get to test in bumps. Forgiveness was solid and they had nice energy. Overall - an excellent and versatile ski. May have to dump my All Stars!

What to say about this ski...I just bought a pair. This ski amazed me. We had 11 inches of the fresh stuff, the Tornado handled amazingly in the powder. Later in the day I found the carving ability on the groomed stuff was equally impressive. Great handling in the bumps as well. This is an A+ ski in my book. Only down side I found was speed. I was skiing on 170's and they couldn't carry as much speed as I had hoped.

I love these skis. They are perfect for me in all conditions.

Outstanding Ski  
I am 6' 180 lbs and recently bought the 170. Carve great and handled the powder on the back bowls of Vail well. Brought them back to the east for some bump skiing in Vermont (after the big storm) and they were soft enough to keep me in there all day. Demoed the Rossi Bandit B2 (also a nice ski) and the Metron B5 (way too heavy) and chose these for lightness. No regrets.

I tried a pair on the weekend. They are lovely skis and carve fanstastically. Their weakness is that they don't transition well from a slid to a carved turn: they really prefer to be on edge all the time. Also despite their fairly aggressive side-cut they prefer large-radius turns. The Apache Recon does as much but is a more relaxing, easy and comforable ski. The Rossignol B2 is more relaxed still and easier in tough off-piste conditions, but probably doesn't have the same edge-grip on piste as the other two. 
 
Just for reference I'm 5'10" and 155lb and have skied around 40 weeks.

just returned from taos, nm where i skied on some tornados in late spring conditions. absolutely loved the ski, carved like a ginsu. 
i skied xw blasts in february at stratton, vt and was crazy about those too, but i'm buying the tornados. i'm 6 feet, 185 lb, "advanced intermediate" 45 year old that still likes to go fast and hit some bumps if they get in my way and hope my knee will hold up for another year.

This ski is awesome. I felt so much more control than on the Fury.

Is there any difference between the Tornados 2007 vs 2008? Has anyone tested both. I recently skied on 162cm 2007 model and 170cm 2008 model and found that they felt completely different. Can anyone verify?

you say they felt completely different. which one did you prefer and why?

Skid taos new mexico in february and am looking to purchase skis this year. I am trying to make up my mind between these, Rossignol z9 zenith, and the k2 apache recon. I am an advanced intermediate that travels to ski, so i need one pair of skis that will do it all, since some of my skiing takes place on the ice packed hills of the east coast. 
 
Anyone else tested all 3 of those skis? Just looking for some thoughts. Thanks.

 
 
I’ve been skiing the K2 Recon for the last two seasons and have been fairly happy. Great on groomers and crud. Very maneuverable in the trees but thick and damp in the bumps. At the end of last season, I picked up a pair of 178 Tornados and was completely blown away. Very similar to the Recon, but much lighter and consequently they offer more snap. For me, the Tornados are far better in the bumps and tight spots and will be my ski of choice this season, possibly mounted with an AT binding. I ski between 70 and 80 days a season, 6.0’ 220lbs.  
 
These skis rip. 

Has anyone tested both the XWing Tornado and the Hurricane to tell us his oppinion? Thanks.

I was probably the last skier to switch to parabolics, spent couple days in park city demoing higher end all mountains, my old old rossignol sts slaloms were quick powerful also unforgiving and no flotation. I found the zenith's, bandits and recons to be forgiving but really lacked high speed power and didn't pop edge to edge. I went up in size looking for more power and didn't find it, then I tried the tornados, they are maybe a hair less forgiving than the other three but far more powerful at speed. I found myself searching for steep empty slopes to let these things run out, they simply haul down the mountain with great composure and versitility. Quick edge to edge and rock solid at speed.

After 8 days on these, still getting spontaneous involuntary grins.  
 
These boards let you ski like you think, not like you wish. 
 
Notable, polished energy release in carves. 
 
Very light - easy to throw around in chunky lumpies. 
 
They do prefer that you kindly chose an edge. You can get some speed wobbles on full-out flats (I'm on the 162's, 5'11" 150#), but that's the ONLY negative I've found so far. 
 
Matched with custom fit Salomon Falcon9's. See ya in eight years. 
 

HELP--??? i'm 38 yo, 6'2", 190 lbs. advanced / aggresive all mnt skier. coming off of old k2 mods that are 198's from 2001. 
what size should i be considering for these skis based on size/ski ability...

I just got back from Vail/BC and bought these skis there. They are a great all-mountain ski. They are smooth turning and stable at speed with little or no chatter. They are responsive and feel quick. Not as lively as the Volkl 5-star supersports I demo'd earlier this year, but smoother and more versitile. Very happy with my purchase. I am 5'9" 168lbs and I went with 162 length.

I'd go for 178 cm, as I've just used 170 cm as a 5'11'' at 180lb, and skied stuff I previously found scary. Good luck.

Skied hard-packed and scraped powder for a week in France in January 08 on 170s. I'm 5ft 8", 13.5 stones and prefer moderately steep, fall-line skiing on piste. The Tornados were OK for this, but not great. They prefer medium to longer turns and can handle a fair bit of speed but they are relatively slow edge-to-edge compared with Salomon Equipe 3Vs or Fischer RX8s or Dynastar Omecarve 10s. They do not have anything like the spring or feel of these skis in short turns down the fall line and their edge holding, while good, was not in the same category as the Fischers or the Rossignol 9S ti I skied a season or two back. 
 
I was however, pleased with their stability and feel in longer carving turns at speed or on fast traverses, where a small amount of edge seemed to keep them tracking that little bit better and gave a bit more confidence to go faster. Despite this, they are quite soft tip and tail (easily demonstrated in store) and this lets them navigate the bumps in relaxed style. They didn't bash through 'le soupe' (as the French call it) at the edge of the piste so much as try to run over it with varying degrees of success, but I did get a good feel from them in the soft snow at the very bottom of the hill where they felt easy to turn in the chop, bumps and rice. There was no off-piste access that week due to the freeze-thaw.  
 
On balance I think they will be better in the spring conditions I'm heading out to in April - the skis edge well enough on firm snow to let me out early; the wide tip should help me carve through the softening snow of mid-morning; the soft tip and tail should help me navigate the bumps that form by mid-day and the relatively wide footprint should help with flotation in the mush of early afternoon; but for early season on packed powder I'm sticking with my 3Vs for the extra bounce and carve in short turns. 

Sorry - I posted the above review in the wrong section. I'll copy it over to the 2008 section where it belongs.