I?m looking for some recommendations that can help me wade through all of the marketing BS.  Right now I?m considering the Rossignol Zenith Z9, Dynastar Contact 11 & the Fischer RX8. 

I?m 39 years old, 5? 6? and weigh about 145 lbs.  I mainly ski at Mt. Hood & Bachelor in OR, but still make trips to UT and CO.  Currently I?m skiing on some bump skis that are old skinny skis ? Dynastar Assualt at 180cm.  Previous ten years where spent on some slalom race skis ? K2 KVC 195cm. 

I?ve just started bringing my toddler out on the mountain and consequently spend much more time on groomed runs than bumps ? not to mention that my body just can?t take a day of the bumps like it once could, but bumps are still my favorite thing to ski.

I?m really looking for an all mountain ski that is great at short radius fall line turns.  I want a fun, lively ski with lots of rebound and great in the bumps.  I probably spend 50% of my time on groomed runs, 30% on bump runs and 20% doing some bowl skiing. 

I?m generally not a fan of making GS turns, but it seems that?s all you can do on the flats so it would be nice to have a ski that is competent in that area.  I know it?s tough to get it all, but ideally I?d love to have one ski that could also be used comfortably in crud and even on a few powder days.  Am I asking for too much?

Does anyone have any recommendations between these skis or maybe another that should be on my list.  Also a recommendation on the appropriate size of ski would be helpful.  Thanks!

The RX8’s are great skis for carving and are an alll around good ski.

I have been skiing for seven seasons now, mostly in the mid-Atlantic area, going skiing at least once a week.  I am 180 lbs in case that’s helpful.  Considering the icy and narrow slopes I ski on, I found the Fischer RX8 to be a great fit for me and bought a pair at 165 cm.

I demoed several styles of skis, including the Volkl Allstar Supersport (certainly a very different, stiff, long radius ski), the Atomic Metron B5 which is softer than the Fischer’s (they didn’t have any SL 9’s to demo that day), and a pair of Dynastars (not the Contact 11).  My previous pair of skis was the Salomon Crossmax 9.

The Fischer Rx8’s are the shortest turning skis that I’ve run into so far, and grip ice tenaciously—a key strength considering how much ice I have to ski on.  These skis will accelerate into the next SL radius turn when carved and easily reach higher speeds (I’m not talking race speeds) at which they perform at their best, since they are stiffer for a short ski.  They will be a little squirelly when flat, but that is expected considering how turny these skis are, but will definitely be stable while turning, of course.

Some people call this ski a boring one-trick-pony, capable of only short radius turns.  But it sure does do its “one” trick well.  It will do larger radius turns, but admittedly with not nearly as much angulation such as is required by, for example, the Volkl Supersports which for me refused to carve anything shorter than a medium radius turn (and of course, that’s how they were designed and is not a bad thing, especially if you like longer turns).

I think that ski reviews can be misleading.  One major ski magazine ranked the Fischer Rx8 at the bottom of its picks.  Perhaps skis are like personalities, one person may hate a certain trait, another may love it.  I personally liked the speed and precise carving this ski is capable of.  So, I think a review is at most a place to start;  to see if it really is a good fit, you have to try it yourself.

I purchased a pair of these without a demo purely on hearsay and on the advice of a ski shop owner whom I trust. I was not dissapointed. I skiied at sugarloaf yesterday and I could not believe how well these boards held on hard pack as well as how easy they turned in powder. I bought them in a 175, I am 205lbs at 6’1” so I did not want to go too short. Great rebound from turn to turn, good edgehold and really high fun factor. I skiied faster than I have in years.

Skiing buddy got a pair of 2006 RX 8’s and suddenly he was outskiing me. Tried a pair of 2007,s at demo and was immediately sold. He’s now back where he belongs. Believe the hype, these are something else.

I am an advanced skier who skies at least 3 days a week all season. I own K2 Crossfires (and others) but this year picked up RX8’s last month.  (5’11”, 170lbs., RX8 size 170).

WOW! Everything good you hear about this ski is true. The conditions in the Tahoe area lately have been very firm to icey. This ski carves like a dream and makes the cleanest turns of any ski I’ve tried to date. In my opinion, it does all turns great both short and long GS and does them all willingly without having to be coaxed. Last week, I demoed a pair off Ross. VS Oversize ti (same ski as Ross 9S Radical). I tried to love them but only liked them. After 5 or 6 runs all I could think of is how much I was missing the RX8’s. I just ordered a second pair of RX8’s that will go in the closet just for a spare. In case they ever drop, or change, the model (which in my opinion would be messing with perfection) I want to always have this ski around in that it will be my main ski on all but powder and heavy crud days where I use Volkl Mantra’s up here.

Hi guys, i skied an Atomic SL 9:11 for the last three years and now i`m searching for a new ski. The 9:11 is a good ski no question but i want something more versatile. A ski that is able to carve medium to short turns and that i can also use for short trips through the woods. I found the Atomic very demanding maybe it was too stiff for me?! I read many reviews of the RX8 and i`m not sure if it is the right sky for me. Is it similar to the 9:11? ... then it`s not the right sky for me. Any suggestions!? Thanks in advance!

Tried the RX8 for 3 days in Europe. Nice skis. Thats it. If you want speed - real speeeeed, then RX8 is not for you. It is nice in slower turns, but when it gets to test, RX8 starts to slip. The Atomic GS9 though different as it is 14m radius (RX8 is 12 for 160cm) that is a whole different ballpark. Firm, sticks to anything below… Yeah, for that you should know how to ski, but at high speed, it stays where You want it to stay.

I love to ski fast on groomers.  These skis are fun.  They love to turn and hold their edge with no chatter.  I have no regrets.  I would recommend them.  As with any high end ski, the faster you go, the better the ski performs.

I already have the Rx9’s. The RX8’s are quicker turning, but hold just as well, perhaps a bit better, on ice. They are very forgiving. Overall a kickass ski.

The Rossi Zeniths are awesome as well, hard to believe how fast they can turn. Only drawback is they do start to wobble at high speeds. Since I like to do a little amateur racing, I purchased the RX8s