ELANACE SLX

Elan has a recipe for skis with exceptionally smooth, almost silky manners, and these slalom skis are no exception. Nevertheless, some testers would have preferred more sporting character and rebound. Comments included: “Solid slalom skis: effective and obedient. Light to steer and manoeuvre. At my 95 kilograms, however, I felt they were not stiff enough and therefore lacked stability.” Another tester wrote: “Perfectly good skis. Their rebound is respectable, although not exceptional. The transition from one arc to the next is a fraction slower than on the leading models, but stability and smoothness are very good. Altering the turn radius is easy. They carve beautifully tight arcs and remain stable in medium-radius turns. Overall, they deliver plenty of enjoyment.” We also heard: “Enjoyable skis for occasional gate training, although they are at their best in technical free skiing. They have sufficient stiffness and grip well on edge.” There were other voices too: “Nothing has changed here. These are still skis for almost everyone – a pair that will never run away with you or lead you astray. Skis with fully comprehensive insurance.” Another tester wrote: “Average slalom skis. In free skiing it is difficult to criticise them, but they do not inspire either. Perfectly competent. I did not enjoy them in the gates.” Then came: “Middling skis, intended more for calm skiing. Moving from edge to edge is fairly laborious and they lack rebound. For slalom skis, they simply are not lively enough.”