My OH and I both acquired FRCs in November.  We wandered into the maker's showroom out of curiousity and were blown away by how pretty the skis were.  (Yes, yes, yes, I know...don't buy till you try, but still, the skis are really beautiful).

About me: 165cms, 62kgs, 38 years skiing, done a few seasons, ski ~50 days per year now, like everything on snow, can't decide between powder and good spring snow, love bumps...

Initial Impressions

Smooth.  Super super smooth.

I took first turns in about 30 cms of very light powder in mid December. Seemed very easy.  But it was the sort of snow that would have seemed easy on my WC GS skis. So far, so (very) good.

A weekend on them on piste reinforced that while I'd prefer a race ski if I knew I was going to be piste based, I was quite happy to take the FRCs as the only ski.

Best moment so far?

Taking them into sun burned untransformed cut up muck just above Champoluc.  The sort of thing you'd normally only ski if it was the only way through.  Beautiful.  Felt like silky spring snow, even though it really, really wasn't.

Where they're best?

A very hard question. Ever so often they surprise me at being very good at something I wasn't expecting.

I think I'd concur with other reviews; open slopes, deep snow, high speed. Think Jaguar D-Type rather than Aston Martin DB6.  Taken by the scruff of the neck and worked hard, they're brilliant: these are not what you want for pootling around through tight trees slowly.

If you have the speed they make light work of most of the stuff that you'd normally avoid - crud, mush, crappy stuff.  They don't do the skiing for you though (which is just what we wanted) - you need to ski them, not sit on them. Work them and they respond with terrific reward.

Where they aren't?

I have to be honest here and 'fess up that I think they're a bit long for me (Kevan was a little reluctant to sell me this length). I hate saying that. But on a storm day when you're in trees (European, ungladed trees I mean) they don't want to turn from standstill.

Then again, in 40cms of heavy fresh untracked the other day on an open slope they were awesome.

What else?

They are surprisingly agile. You (I) can happily ski bumps in them.

They really do handle speed. Crank it right up to warp factor very fast and they cruise on through.

They attract comments. "What are those, they're pretty".

Have they "completed" my quiver of skis?

Not quite. I still want (need?) something that's a little easier in tight couloirs and between trees. Which is probably something a little shorter, softer and maybe narrower.  But I'm very pleased I bought them.