Consumers generally make two key assumptions about all-mountain skis: If the ski has a wide waist, it's great on powder but it won't turn on hardpack, but if the ski has a narrower waist, you're going to turn in anything except powder--where you'll eventually sink. These assumptions would probably be true if all skis were designed with the same construction and materials. Thankfully that's not the case, and that's why Nordica's prestigious Hot Rod all-mountain collection remains one of the most sought-after models every season. This new Hot Rod Hellcat XBi with Marker X-Balance integrated binding is the widest and potentially the most advanced design among this season's Hot Rod series. It features a lively all-wood core for substantial flex through turns. Like other Hot Rod skis, the Nordica Hot Rod Hell Cat ski features a XBS (X Balance System) binding interface that transmits consistent pressure from your boots to the ski edges for improved stability, balance and control. Extra heel pressure from the back of the ski is transferred through the XBS interface to the area in front of the binding, redistributing your skiing power unlike anything else available on the market. The Hot Rod Hell Cat XBi is the only Hot Rod ski to feature Nordica's new Full Twin V Active TI construction. It's the next step in the X-Balance concept and offers maximized grip--a key feature that's essential for carving, and the reason why the Hellcat rips the hardpack slopes and groomed runs better than skis with identical waist widths. That 90-mm. waist also offers some of the best float of all the Hot Rods, but we're assuming that you already made that assumption. (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge…)