The making of the Salomon El Dictator

Cody Townsend takes us behind the scenes of the 2010/2011 Salomon El Dictator, a ski he helped develop from scratch.

So the inspiration for the ski came from the head freeride ski designer Lionel Favret. He said to Kaj Zackrisson and I one day, “We will build a ski for you. We wouldn’t want to send you two into a Formula 1 race with a Citroen, so the ski is as you wish. Build your Formula 1 ski”.

The excitement to build a ski one-hundred percent from scratch, as I wanted to build the ski was nearly over-whelming. But once I settled down the conception process was an easy one. It’s something I’ve been dreaming of for years upon years.

I wanted something that withstand the rigor of hard-charging, variable conditions while still combining some of the pleasurable elements of recent ski design with regards to effortless pow skiing. And I wanted it to stomp cliffs, biiiggg cliffs.

So the design you see above is what we came up with. Now let me tell you why we picked the design we did.

Size: 194 cm. We wanted something that had the long turning, hard charging capabilities of the 202 XW Lab but with a bit shorter length for more versatility and tighter turning proficiency. Hence a pretty damn big ski but not overwhelming length by any means.

Dimensions: 134 x 114 x 124. We stayed with a similar radius to the Rocker because that radius is a great radius for long super-G turns, a non-hooky feeling in pow and butterability in the deep. We wanted 114 underfoot because we estimated that 114 is a great width to still sink the skis when landing big airs but still staying afloat while ripping turns. When you get past the 120 underfoot range landings become a bit harder and more jolting because the skis don’t sink into the snow and utilize the cushion of the snow to soften your landing.

300mm Tip Rocker. Because rocker rules. It’s the only way to achieve effortless flotation in pow. We stuck with a minimal amount of rocker to allow the ski to still be easily manageable in super variable conditions. I’m sure most have felt what a lot of rocker feels like on crud and windboard, and I’m sure none of you like that tip slapping and chattering feeling that a lot of rocker supplies in those conditions.

Flat Tail. Because even though some say there is no reason to not have a twin tip on all skis, I feel like I’ve found a reason. And that is that twin tips tend to wheelie and squirrel out on big air landings. Square, flat tails sink so well into landings that stomping becomes a breeze. I’ve definitely found that flat tails are essential for those huge hucks.

Woodcore. Because we wanted it stiffff. And stiff this ski is. The tail is adamn 2 x 4 and punches through nearly all conditions. The tip still has some nice poppy characteristics and isn’t a brick, but the tail, g’damn it’s like a teenager at a strip-club stiff.

Overall, I got my first prototypes in March of last year and didn’t ski a single other ski until park ratting it up in Hood this summer. It’s all that I’ve ever wanted in a ski. And it better be because I fucking designed the goddamn thing!

Name: El Dictator
Size: 194
(wussies need not read further because this is the only size offered)
Dimensions: 134 x 114 x 124
Characteristics: 300mm Tip Rocker, Flat Square Tail, Full Woodcore

And here is a little video sample of the El Dictators from Jackson Hole last March. Stompy!

Posted by Cody Townsend on January 19th, 2010 in El Dictator and Salomon

Cody Townsend @codytownsend

I'm Cody Townsend, I write about the behind-the-scenes life of being a professional skier. I've appeared in ski films by Teton Gravity Research, Warren Miller, Match Stick Productions, among others. When not in front of the camera or competing I also write for Powder Magazine and Skiing Magazine. My current sponsors who make my lifestyle possible include; Salomon, Swatch, The Levitation Project, Porters Tahoe, Von Zipper, Hestra, Camelbak, Squaw Valley USA.