To get started, we had to reveal our boot sole size and weight. For the Mollusk, they were about the same: 315 (mm for the boots, but is that pounds or kilos for the weight?). In the Mollusk’s own words, “When I haul ass, it takes two trips.”

I beelined for the Volkl tent, but only moments after the demoing started, all the AC3s and AC4s were gone; not surprising since those are the best skis on the planet. I went to the Atomic tent as a fallback and nabbed a pair of Snoop Daddies. (Is the obvious reference to Snoop Dogg edgy and new school or hopelessly old school by now because he’s been around for at least 4 or 5 years and maybe more? After 3 nanoseconds’ consideration, I concluded I don’t care.) The Snoop Daddy is an all mountain ski, 127mm tip, 88mm waist, 113mm tail. I opted for the 174cm length.

The skis are carving machines. Just put them on their sides and it’s like throwing down a set of railroad tracks in front of you. With basically zero effort I was laying down parallel arcs in the snow, approximately 88mm apart. The snow was firmly packed, but they held with absolute stability, especially at high speed. We found some blue bumps and the Snoop Dads slithered right through.

The Mollusk tried some K2 Recons, but because of the depleted supply, ended up with some 184cms. Even with the Mollusk bulk, the skis proved to have too much mass and were a fair bit of work to crank around.

Next up, I tried the Nordica Hot Rod Top Fuel. 123-78-108, 170 length. I’d skied these last year and thought they were pretty good. This time, they seemed like a drop off in performance compared to the Snoop Dads. They demanded more attention to carve and didn’t hold nearly as well on the firm snow. At one point I even took them off to see if the edges were sharp. They were. I thought at first they were a beefier ski than the Snoop Daddies and therefore made more for powder and crud busting, but the Snoop Daddies are actually wider than the Top Fuels.

Back at the Volkl tent, the AC3s and AC4s were all still out. I decided to try the Supersport S5 (115-69-100, 175cm, the longest they make) which is made for high speed carving on groomed and well packed snow, like today. These have the integrated Marker piston binding designed to transfer pressure all up and down the edge rather than just under foot. These were the grippiest skis of the bunch and could even bite (at least a little) into the near ice at the top of Chair 2. With these things, I could scream high speed carved turns getting my knee about 3 inches off the snow I was angling so much; all on a green run. The 40 mile an hour tail wind helped. They were stable at high speed and ate up the hard bumps on the blue run.

Determined to get on this year’s version of the AC3, I waited around the Volkl tent for awhile and assaulted the next guy coming back with a pair. He had some 177s. Perfect. They’re slightly beefier this year, 118-76-106 as opposed to last year’s 116-74-102. They’re a little thicker too. Under today’s hard packed conditions, they didn’t perform as well as the Snoop Daddies or the S5s, but from experience I know they’ll be able to slice through the chop, crud and powder like a flame thrower. In the bumps they were quick and stable.

Back at the Volkl tent, I needed only the AC4s to complete the day. I handed off the AC3s to the Mollusk and laid in wait for an unsuspecting civilian to come strolling down the alley between the ski tents with the coveted goods. I only had to wait a few minutes before I spotted some 177s on the horizon. Again I pounced before my mark could get to the tent and expose the merchandise to the other salivating Volkl fans milling about. The AC4s have remained the same size as last year; 125-82-110. Again, the carving on the hard pack was a little tougher, but in the blue bumps under the chair, I felt like I was on a completely solid foundation. I charged down the hill, alternately sucking up the bumps, turning over them and launching off a couple to land on the backside of the next bump over. They turned on a dime, a nickel, a penny, an I-Owe-You. If I wasn’t talking about skiing, I’d say they were like a rock.

Because the Mollusk had to try the AC4s, we had to make one more run. I stopped by K2 and got some Recons in 174cm. These are comparable to the AC3s in shape; 119-78-105, but they just don’t stand up. They’re pretty good, but the AC3s are just a little quicker and held an edge better on the well used snow.

If you’re one of those having the misfortune to live on the East Coast and consequently get stuck on the hard pack on a regular basis, those Snoop Daddies and S5s would definitely be worth a look (and a ride). For the big western mountains, I still don’t think there’s a viable alternative to the Volkl AC3 and AC4.