Alpine Skis
Archive
Good for Frontside “This is the ideal Vermont groomer ski,” said one tester. Indeed, lightweight skis are great for backcountry travelers and mogul skiers, but to hold a 45-mile-per-hour turn on ice, you need some beef under you. With layers of steel and a power-boosting binding plate,…
SCARE-THE-TOURISTS FAST Good for All Mountain “It feels like a World Cup race ski and a powder ski had a love child,” said one tester. Part of the completely revamped line of skis from Blizzard, the Magnum 8.7 features the company’s Powerframe construction—essentially stacking more of…
Good for All Mountain If the Watea 94 were ten millimeters wider, you’d call it a big-mountain ski. From the “powder hull” tip—it’s shaped like the prow of a ship—to the loose and playful feel, this ski was built with the resort powder skier in mind. On…
RACE CARVER If you spend 80 percent of your time wailing high-speed carved turns on groomers, the AC50’s are for you. The most powerful and dynamic carvers we tested this year, they’ll track unwaveringly back across the fall line when you lay them over. Despite the ample width underfoot,…
TAKE IT ANYWHERE The ultraversatile Apache Recon returns unchanged this year, remaining one of our top choices for intermediate to advanced skiers. A generous sidecut makes carving easy, but its plump shovel and tail allow the ski to float in powder, while its guts—a wood core surrounded by fiberglass and…
1. It’s a friendly monster. Our advanced-intermediate testers felt like heroes, our former U.S. pro said it “laid a nice rail,” and everyone in between praised its ability to stick on hardpack, plow through crud, and provide the overall smoothest ride of any of the skis we tested. 2.
BACK-BOWL BOARDS Good for All Mountain More of a freeride ski than the Blizzard or Völkl, the Lord excels at slinking around the resort in search of bumps, steeps, and leftover powder. But it’s no noodle. The edge grip was unfailing—especially impressive for a ski with…
Good for All Mountain Are you rather large? Do wimpy skis piss you off? Go to Helldiver! Here’s an all-mountain ski with a big platform underfoot—90 millimeters—and no speed limit. While our biggest and fastest testers loved bombing groomers on it, our lightest testers found it a…
NO RATTLE, PLENTY OF HUM Another no-nonsense frontside carver, the new Strato 80 Ti is motorhead-fast right down to the flaming Troy Lee Designs graphics. But although you can push into sweeping turns at GS speeds and beyond, it’s not race-ski nervous. The wide-body tip needs only to be rolled…
POWDER KING A 102-millimeter waist allows the Coomba to float easily in powder. But unlike some big-mountain skis, it’s also torsionally stiff enough to dice high-speed, large-radius turns with ease. Credit K2’s proprietary construction—namely, a shock-absorbing wood core with interlocking strands of fiberglass in the topsheet. 135/102/121; k2skis.com Bonus:…
CARVING CHAMP Essentially built just like a race ski—with solid sidewalls, a full wood core, and a 15-meter turn radius—this aptly named ski is in a carving league all by itself. “Watch out for yellow jackets,” cautioned one tester. But even when this ski was ripping high-speed turns down firm…
EVERY RESORT, EVERY RUN Good for All Mountain Rossi bills the Phantom as a 60 percent off-piste ski. So we were a little nervous taking it out on early-morning boilerplate at Taos. But even though this shark-nosed and fairly straight ski is silky and light, it…
Good for All Mountain Here's the rightful heir to one of the bestselling skis of all time, the Salomon X-Scream of the 1990s. But while the X-Scream was no fun in deep snow, the brand-new Fury excels in it. The wider, 85-millimeter waist helps, but it's the ski's new…
MOST VERSATILE It’s a frontside ski, so you can carve easy but powerful turns on it all day long, but thanks to subtle tip rocker (see page 39) and a big sweet spot, you can work the Rictor through bumps and mellow off-piste conditions with ease. Buy it if you…
SPEED DEMON It’s rare for all of our testers to be on the same page, but everyone agreed: The new 888 is unquestionably the best ski the Slovenian company has produced in years. During several days of testing at Powder Mountain, these moderately wide planks (88 millimeters underfoot) effortlessly zippered…
Good for All Mountain If powder days are a rare treat, then how your utility ski handles hardpack is your number-one consideration. With its 20-meter turn radius and aluminum-alloy damping layers around a core of ash and silver fir, the MX88 lives for ice. True, all that…
RIDE THE RAILS Good for Groomed RunsEquipped with a race-worthy binding plate and wrapped in the classic sandwich construction, the Cool Heat penetrates the hardest snow with minimal ankle flexion. “You can feel Fischer’s racing heritage when you bring these up to speed,” said one tester. The Cool Heat…
Good for Frontside Got fresh legs and a belly full of breakfast burrito? Rotate the knob on the Tigershark’s tail to dynamic mode and feel this damp and stable cruiser morph into a hyper-energized beer-league racer. Already had that beer? Switch it back to cruise control mode…
THE TWOFER Remember what we said about simple ski design being the best? Forget that for a moment. Atomic’s DoubleDeck (D2) technology actually delivers. Each ski is essentially made up of two decks: The bottom one contours the snow surface—boosting edge hold, control, and glide—while the upper one responds to…
From game-changing new materials (like moisture-wicking cotton) to evolutionary leaps in engineering (like a rotating helmet for extreme crashes), the avant-garde of 21st-century gear has just one thing in common: a total disregard for the status quo.
I know it's early but I have a ski question. I've snowboarded since I was seven but I started skiing last year. What would be the best ski/boot/binding combo for skiing the resort in Jackson and doing some backcountry stuff too. Skyler Dubois, WY
2010 Buyer’s Guide Videos Summer Outside Winter Buyer's Guide 2009/2010 Winter Buyer's Guide Trail Shoes Sleeping Bags Women’s Gear Road Bikes…
When collapsed, Black Diamond‘s ultrabright Orbit Lantern is the size of a cell phone ($30; bdel.com). Black Diamond Orbit Lantern Train: Oakley Radar Sunglasses Oakley Radar SunglassesBecause the Oakley Radar‘s photochromic lenses quickly adapt to changing light conditions and repel almost…
Pick one frontside ski (1, 4, or 5) and one fat powder board (2, 3, or 6) and you'll be set for the season
1. Most frontside skis are too precise and exhausting for freeskiing. Not the pared-down CX 80, which does away with heavy add-ons like complex binding plates for a more responsive feel. It’s ten millimeters fatter than most, but its World Cupinspired…
In the Store: If you’re buying just one pair of skis (and not building a quiver), look for a set that matches your style of skiing and the terrain you frequent 70 percent of the time. And don’t be afraid to upgrade: Buy skis slightly above…
I'd like to get my 17-year-old daughter (5’3”) a pair of downhill skis. She's an excellent skier, more graceful than aggressive. Can you recommend something? Also, is there a website where I could find her a good used pair for less money? Jane Larchmont, New York
I’m an intermediate skier who hasn’t skied much in the past seven years. I ready to go now, but my skis are out of style. I’m five-foot, eight-inches tall and about 180 pounds. What length ski do I need, and what kind of boots are out there now? Donna Basalt, Colorado
1. The Racer Two rolls of the hem expose all four buckles. You’re saying: I don’t huck. But try me on the groomers. You’re wearing: Spyder Training Pants ($150; spyder.com) and Salomon’s stiff Falcon 10 ($850; salomonski.com). 2. The Jiblet…
In the Store: Know where, what, and how you’re skiing, and make sure the shop guy knows. And don’t be swayed by brand name or graphics. If possible, demo a few different pairs and go with whatever works. Guys: Don’t lie about your ability. If you’re an intermediate skier,…
