Thanks for writing, Aaron. If you shop around, you’ll find that most skis out there today are so-called “all-mountain” skis, which offer better speed and tracking than powder skis but can perform in soft snow and powder better than “carving” skis. Today you’ll find many skis with integrated bindings, too, so that the boot sits lower on the ski and you get better feel for the slope, due to the lighter weight of the combo setup and the greater flex afforded by the integrated binding.
Salomon Scrambler Six
One good candidate for you is Salomon’s Scrambler Six skis with S711 bindings ($499; www.salomonski.com). They’ve got a big sidecut for great turning, edges that can be tuned to handle different needs (speed or edging, for example), and vibration-damping design. Nice skis for a decent price.
For a bit more skiat a higher price, of courseconsider Atomic’s M:9 Puls ($699 with integrated Device 3.10 bindings; www.atomicski.com). They’re lighter than the Salomons, and a little stiffer, so can really power through cruddy snow and snap you through turns. If you do a lot of black diamonds now, you’re only going to get betterand these skis can grow with you if the price doesn’t set you back.
Lastly, a bit back down the price ladder (keep in mind, skis with bindings sold separately usually cost more than these integrated setups), there’s K2’s Omni skis with Marker IBC bindings ($479; www.k2skis.com). This is a ski designed for intermediates, flexy and forgiving, so you can ski comfortably right off the start and not feel you have to muscle the ski to make it perform. A very popular ski for good reason.
So there you go. I’ll be on the slopes very soonwe have more snow here in the Pacific Northwest than we had all of last winter.
For a look at the season’s best ski gear, check out ϳԹ‘s .