After weeks of teasing cryptic messages on social media, Nordica announced today the complete redesign of the Enforcer and Santa Ana family, the brand’s top-performing line of all-mountain skis. That includes the brand’s flagship Enforcer 100, which has been a favorite of advanced and expert skiers since it was first .

The only possible directive when redesigning a ski as classic as Nordica’s Enforcer 100 from the ground up is this: Do not mess it up. Well fear not, Nordica achieved nothing short of a feat in improving their benchmark ski in just about every way. After spending over a week on the new Enforcer 99 (in the 185 centimeter length), the flagship in the line that was reimagined along with its Santa Ana counterparts, I can confidently say it’s the best ski from Nordica I’ve ever tried.

First Review of the 2024-25 Nordica Enforcer 99

While the Austrian brand totally overhauled the ski for 2024-‘25, we’ll focus on a few of its most notable changes. First is the rocker profile, which features a tail shape that both travels a bit deeper toward the heel piece and splays much taller. This upturned tail allowed for precise control of a carved turn, which I could unlock at a moment’s notice by a change in edge angle and pressure. The Enforcer 99’s improved maneuverability made skiing Mammoth’s January storms a blast. I could rip GS turns on piste in classic Nordica fashion, seek out a pile of pushed-around snow, throw my skis sideways, blow it up, and ski away donning a fresh beard of snow.

The ski’s newfound agility comes not only from the tail, but a diet. The new Enforcer 99 weighs in at 2,100 grams per ski, shedding 200 grams per ski compared to the current Enforcer 100. That’s a good thing for a few reasons. First, 2,300 grams per ski in a 100 underfoot model (the current Nordica Enforcer 100) is a burdensome amount of ski—even great skiers often found the original Enforcer 100 to be sluggish in tight terrain. But to retain the Enforcer’s signature dampness, Nordica added a layer of rubber elastomer to the top of the wood core, called Pulse Core elastomer, designed to smooth out the ride.

I can hear some grumbles from the peanut gallery about “dumbing down” an expert ski, but make no mistake, this ski can drive just as hard as its predecessor. It’s just much easier to shut down and pivot. I have been putting the Enforcer 99 through the paces on Mammoth’s steeps, billy-goating through our early-season variable snow, and the new shape and lively flex pattern have shone brightly in the sub-par conditions. While I never want for edge hold or tail support, I’m able to hop and slither around large pieces of volcanic rock and iced-over bumps carved into the remaining glacier of our previous year’s snowpack.

When the snow finally fell, the large, minimally tapered shovels planed above the fresh snow like a ski much wider than 99 millimeters underfoot. When loaded, the springy flex pattern delivered a ton of rebound from the camber pocket while remaining predictable in the heavy powder. The shovels tracked really well through the soft chop once the snow was skied out, and kept the skis stable and reliable.

Though the ski’s radius is about average for its category (18.5 meters in the 185-centimeter length), I could easily modify its turn shape by varying the amount of pressure I put on the shovel. The ski was easy to get up to speed and rail fast, large-radius turns on open groomers, but had no trouble with quick, short turns in steep chutes off the top.

As someone who spends around 100 days on skis each year, I’m very skeptical about the impulse to serve intermediate skiers by dumbing down expert skis. But I can unequivocally say that Nordica nailed its updates to the Enforcer. This ski is just as reliable as the stalwart Enforcer 100, but more lively, more dependable in tight terrain, and all around more fun. Maybe it’s a touch more accessible as well. But who cares—the upshot is this: It’s just better.

2024-25 Nordica Enforcer Specifications

Nordica Enforcer 104 Free ($900)

Sizes: 167, 173, 179, 185, 191 cm
Sidecut: 136-104-126 mm (185)
Radius: 19 m (185)
Weight: 2,125 g (185)

Nordica Enforcer 99 ($850)

Sizes: 167, 173, 179, 185, 191 cm
Sidecut: 133-99-121 mm (185)
Radius: 18.5 m (185)
Weight: 2,100 g

Nordica Enforcer 94 ($850)

Sizes: 167, 173, 179, 185 cm
Sidecut: 128.5-94-116.5 mm (185)
Radius: 18 m (185)
Weight: 2,075 g (185)

Nordica Enforcer 89 ($750)

Sizes: 167, 173, 179, 185 cm
Sidecut: 124-89-112 mm (185)
Radius: 18 m (185)
Weight: 2,015 g (185)

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We always want what we can’t have. Or better yet, what only a few of us can have. Many of our favorite brands have released limited edition skis this fall, adding a little freshness to the ever-revolving cycle of annual ski launches.

This season, we’re excited to see skis that highlight unique artist collabs and fundraisers, celebrations of brand heritage, and even a nod to some old fan favorites of the past. Here are a few of our favorite limited edition skis this fall that celebrate ski culture far and wide—get ‘em before they’re gone.

Rossignol Sender 90 Share Winter Giveback Ski ($450 with bindings)

Lengths: 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180cm
Dimensions: 118-90-106 (160cm)

It’s one thing to donate to an organization. It’s another to bring that organization’s work front and center on a pair of skis. Rossi to create a limited edition of their Sender 90 Pro skis in celebration of expanding diversity and accessibility to snowsports. La’ford selected Andre Thomas, a student from the Bronx in New York City who learned to ski through his school’s ski and snowboard program, to collaborate with her on the ski’s topsheet artwork. Thomas was inspired by the idea of moving fast through the mountains in contrast with a quiet, glowing sunset, and the skis are a reflection of his time on snow at Mountain Creek, New Jersey. With a 90-millimeter waist width and a generous size run—from 130 centimeters to 180 centimeters the Rossignol Sender 90 is a versatile all-mountain ski designed for a wide variety of skiers of different ability levels. All proceeds (yes, the full 100 percent) from the sale of this limited edition ski will go directly to the Share Winter Foundation.

Blizzard Sheeva 10 Hilaree Nelson Ski ($850)

Lengths: 162, 168, 174cm
Dimensions: 133-102-122 (168cm)

Paying homage to Hilaree Nelson, the late pack-leading She Wolf, is bright and beautiful. The artwork on these skis, created by Blizzard Tecnica ambassador Malia Reeves, was inspired by Nelson’s two proudest accomplishments: her first descent of the Lhotse Couloir (accomplished with partner Jim Morrison); and raising her two boys. Much like Nelson, the is powerful and fun-loving, with a 102-millimeter waist that’s right at home exploring back bowls and steep trees. Fully redesigned for the 2023-24 season to bring more energy and liveliness to each turn, the Sheeva 10 is the kind of ski that makes you feel like you can do just about anything (a perfect homage to Nelson herself). One-hundred-percent of the proceeds from each pair will be donated to the Hilaree Nelson Fund, which provides financial support for climate change initiatives and scholarships for female empowerment in the outdoors.

Line Bacon 122 TWall ($850)

Lengths: 170, 178, 185cm
Dimensions: 152-122-144 (178cm)

The popularity of mega-fat skis has waned somewhat in the past decade, so this limited edition run of the Line Bacon 122 is a welcome return for pow seekers. You’ll only find 300 pairs of these worldwide. Not every day calls for a seriously fat ski like this, but when you need ‘em, you need ‘em., With a 122-millimeter waist, the Bacon 122 sits at the top of the Bacon collection (see the more modest Bacon 108 or Bacon skis for the other 95 percent of ski days). A specific tool for a specific type of skier, the Bacons are built with thick sidewalls (designed to stand up to sliding rails and other park shenanigans) and a symmetrical flex that allows an even, stable feel while riding switch. It’s a ski that turns the whole mountain into a playground, designed for those with the itch to butter, stomp, and slarve their way through deep snow. If you miss out this round, fear not: The regular edition of the Bacon 122 will be available in the fall of 2024 (you just won’t get the Tom Wallish touch).

Nordica Unleashed 90 Cultura ($449)

Lengths: 144, 152, 160, 168, 174cm
Dimensions: 122-90-111 (160cm)

The Cultura, a , and Evo, is a limited edition version of Nordica’s Unleashed 90 that aims to raise money and awareness for Latinx advocacy groups. Proceeds from each ski ($150 per pair) will support the , , and . Lemus, who designed the top sheets for the skis, wanted to incorporate colors and images that reflect his Latino heritage, and the Cultura celebrates and embraces a more diverse ski culture as a result. The ski itself is an all-around resort ski, built with full wood core, tip and tail rocker, and a 90-millimeter waist that makes for a playful and friendly freeride ski. It comes in a wide size range (144 through 174 centimeters), suitable for up-and-coming rippers and advanced skiers alike. Nordica only produced 250 pairs of the Cultura, which are sold exclusively at evo.com and Nordica.com.

Völkl V.Werks 100 ($2,500)

Lengths: 170, 178, 186cm
Dimensions: 140-100-122 (178cm)

One hundred years of making skis calls for celebration. The V.Werks 100 is a nod to Völkl’s major milestone, a culmination of the German manufacturer’s century of expertise in ski development. Völkl released just 1,923 pairs of these limited edition skis (do some basic math and you’ll get why the odd number), which join the lightweight, performance-oriented V.Werks collection (Völkl’s line of skis that use top-shelf construction). With a versatile 100 millimeter waist width, the V.Werks 100 was designed as a hybrid ski for inbounds and out-of-bounds skiing. Flax fibers create stiffness without carbon, and a zippy 17-meter turn radius (178cm) and tip and tail rocker allow this ski to remain responsive and reliable in variable snow, powder, and hardpack alike. Like the rest of the V.Werks collection, it comes with a hefty price tag; think of it as a collector’s item you can actually play with.

More Gear Content

The Best All-Mountain Skis of 2024
The Best Alpine Ski Boots of the Year
The Best Goggles of 2024

The post Run, Don’t Walk, to Get These Limited-Edition Skis Before They’re Gone appeared first on șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű Online.

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Even among these top performers, a handful of skis stand out. Some are perennial favorites that, year after year, just keep blowing their competition out of the water (here’s looking at you, ). Some redesigned skis proved to be even better versions of their former selves (hello, ). And some not only won their respective categories, but snagged top scores in every skill department (kudos to the ). For all of these reasons, some skis receive an additional nod—our prestigious Editor’s Choice award—from the SKI and șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű gear editors.

With that being said, just because our SKI Test crew thought these were the best this year doesn’t necessarily mean that they are the best skis for you. Dig below the surface and check out the detailed scores for each ski, the reviews and scores of other skis in each category, and remember the basics of how to buy skis in order to determine what pair is right for you this winter. And if it’s one of these beauties, well, hate to say we told you so


How We Test

Consensus can be mericless. And when the results are in, we often have some tough phone calls to make. But for every brand that tanks in the test, there’s a brand that shines, and we want readers to know which factories are on their game. What we shouldn’t have to say is that objectivity rules our test, but we know what goes on at other tests. So we’ll say it: There’s no “pay-to-play” fee for entry. No medals are exchanged for ad dollars. No palms are greased. To make our list of the best skis of the year, a ski has to impress our crew of 24 testers.

Who are our testers? Sure, they all rip. But more important, the team includes some of the most experienced testers in the business, and that’s what counts—because testing 15 or 20 different skis in a day is a bewildering experience to anyone who lacks experience. The team includes a mix of natural gear evaluators: instructors, shop owners, former racers and freeride competitors, and industry product developers.

We educate our testers about leaving any preconceptions behind: about brands, about previous models, about construction of skis, etc. We set testers loose at our official SKI Test in , and at the Carving Test at , on the test skis (more than 150 models total) sorted by waist width and divided among the number of test days.

Testers ski each model and evaluate and articulate its character, strengths, weaknesses, and ideal use and user. They also rate each model numerically according to nine different performance criteria. We crunch their numbers, consider those along with tester votes and opinions gathered during daily end-of-day debriefing sessions, come up with the top skis, and review them here.

We even show you the data, controversy be damned, because it’s highly illuminating. We know testing is somewhat imperfect, and we know you know that, but we still think you want to see it. Use it wisely.

Meet the Testers

Kimberly Beekman

Age: 47 | Height: 5â€Č4″ | Weight: 112 lbs

Kimberly Beekman has been testing skis and writing gear reviews for longer than she’d like to admit. She’s a former editor of SKI and freelance contributor to both SKI and șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű. She lives in Steamboat Springs with her wonderful daughter and terrible cat.

Chad Jacob

Age: 41 | Height: 5â€Č10″ | Weight: 195 lbs

Jacob is a ski race coach from the East Coast and skis like one. At his home hill of Bristol Mountain, N.Y., you’ll likely find him carving up icy groomers on a set of skinny skis. Jacob is a veteran gear tester who has tested skis for both șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű and SKI.

Avery Pesce

Age: 40 | Height: 5â€Č6″ | Weight: 138 lbs

Pesce lives in Whitman, Mass., and calls the ski areas of Vermont and New Hampshire home. She’s an expert skier with an aggressive style that she applies to any and all type of terrain and snow conditions. Safe to say that as the head ski buyer for Boston Ski & Tennis in Newton, Mass., she knows a thing or two about skis—how they’re built, and how they perform.

Tommy Flitton

Age: 30 | Height: 5’10” | Weight: 185

Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Flitton joined the Snowbird ski team as a young racer at the age of 7. He worked his way through the ranks as a racer, spending time at a ski academy in Vermont before returning to his favorite mountain in Utah. Now he spends his time coaching young freeriders how to send it big at Snowbird. He’s a veteran gear testers who has tested skis for both Powder and SKI.

The Reviews: The Best Skis of 2024

Editor’s Choice: Stöckli Laser WRT Pro ($1,449)

Category: Carving
Lengths (cm): 167, 172, 180
Dimensions (mm): 118-66-100
Radius (m): 14.8 (172)
Pros: Hard-Snow Integrity, Stability at Speed
Cons: Playfulness, Forgiveness

If the Stöckli Laser WRT Pro were college bound, it’d be an Ivy League contender. This hard-charging model scored top marks in all testing categories, solidifying its spot as the No. 1 Unisex Carving ski in this year’s test, including near-perfect scores for Stability at Speed and Hard-Snow Integrity. “The responsiveness was next-level,” said tester Geof Ochs, director of marketing for Sync Performance in Vail, Colorado. “This is an energetic, dependable, stiff ski with lots of pop. It will hold onto groomers, ice, or crud—no matter how hard you push it.” The Laser WRT Pro’s construction comes directly from race skis, featuring wide metal edges and stiff racing sidewalls with full edge contact for direct power transfer. The metal-and-carbon sandwich sidewall layup elicited adjectives like “burly” and “bomber”; however, testers were surprised by the variety of turn shapes this ski could offer, as well as what Chris Bivona, owner of Ski Town All-Stars in Vail, Colorado, called its “heat-seeking missile energy” out of each turn.

See how this ski stacks up against the rest in the unisex carving category.

Category: Women’s Carving
Lengths (cm): 155, 160, 165, 170, 175
Dimensions (mm): 121-70-102
Radius (m): 14 (165)
Weight (per ski in grams): 1,740 (165)
Pros: Carving, Hard-Snow Integrity
Cons: Forgiveness, Playfulness

The Blizzard Phoenix R14 Pro rose through the ranks to achieve No. 1 status for best-performing 2023-24 Women’s Carving ski. As one of the narrower options in this category at 70 millimeters underfoot, it scored high marks for Carving and Hard-Snow Integrity. “It likes fast and firm,” claimed Colorado skier Jordan Berde. “Steep groomers will allow you to get the most out of this ski. It also handled some chopped-up soft snow like a champ.” The Phoenix R14 Pro favors medium- to long-radius turns, with short arcs requiring more work, said testers. Construction includes a double layer of Titanal, a dampening carbon plate underfoot, and a core made from a blend of two different types of wood that create three varying areas of densities: stiffer flex in the center, medium flex around the binding, and softer flex in the tip and tail. According to SKI test director Jenny Wiegand, “It’s a serious carver for serious skiers, bred for charging in early season conditions.”

See how this ski stacks up against the rest in the women’s carving category.

Category: Frontside
Lengths (cm): 163, 170, 177, 184
Dimensions (mm): 129-88-113
Radius (m): 16 (177)
Weight (per ski in grams): 1,898 (177)
Pros: Hard-Snow Integrity, Stability at Speed
Cons: Forgiveness, Playfulness

The Völkl Kendo, like the traditional Japanese martial art it’s named for, has been around for a while. But, according to our test team, the Kendo 88 keeps getting better. “It’s insanely fun and responsive,” said ski coach and Snowbird, Utah, local Tommy Flitton. This ski received the highest scores for Hard-Snow Integrity and Stability at Speed among the entire array of Frontside skis—both Unisex and Women’s—as well as nabbed the No. 1 spot for the unisex group. Choose your length mindfully: the Tailored Titanal Frame adjusts for height and skier ability with a flex that’s stiffer in longer lengths and less so in the shorter ones. If you’re willing to put the effort into it, testers claimed, the ski will return in kind. “As long as you do not need flotation, this ski has no limits,” reported Michael Rogan, ski instructor and PSIA National Demo Team alpine coach. “It’s not for the faint of heart, but you can ski everything from hard snow in a NASTAR course to bumps down a long run.”

See how this ski stacks up against the rest in the frontside category.

Editor’s Choice: Elan Wildcat 86 C Black Edition ($1,150)

Category: Women’s Frontside
Lengths (cm): 152, 158, 164, 170
Dimensions (mm): 127-86-113
Radius (m): 14.7 (164)
Weight (per ski in grams): 2,955 (164)
Pros: Carving, Responsiveness
Cons: Crud Performance, Forgiveness

A frontside friend with benefits, the Elan Wildcat 86 C Black Edition earned the highest marks of all Women’s Frontside skis for nearly all traits, including near-perfect tens for Carving and Responsiveness. This model features the brand’s asymmetrical Amphibio Truline W technology, creating a right and left ski—one of the elements that allows it to roll on edge quickly. The Black Edition adds a higher level of performance to the Wildcat line (plus a layer of carbon), and testers appreciated the combination of characteristics that allows for aggressive skiing—without needing Mikaela Shiffrin’s thighs or precision. “I was blown away by this ski’s versatility for different abilities as well as the stability on hardpack and ice,” said Vermont skier Avery Pesce. “Wait, there’s more: It swings effortlessly in short turns with zero resistance, holds solid in GS turns with no tail skid, and has just the right amount of rebound in the bumps.”

See how this ski stacks up against the rest in the women’s frontside category.

Category: All-Mountain
Lengths (cm): 165, 172, 179, 186, 191
Dimensions (mm): 132.5-100-120.5
Radius (m): 17.3 (179)
Weight (per ski in grams): 2,175 (179)
Pros: Stability at Speed, Crud Performance
Cons: Quickness, Forgiveness

The Enforcer 100, the ski that has defined this category since its inception, swept away its competition yet again with an all-new layup. Advanced skiers and ex-racers alike will swoon the moment they put their foot on the gas, while intermediates and beginners may want to look for a more forgiving ride. Nordica’s redesigned charger treated our testers with a rock-solid platform, burning sidewall for thousands of feet from the top of Sun Valley, Idaho’s Challenger chair. The brand may have put its beast on a diet, but the Enforcer 100 hasn’t lost any of its teeth. And while the tech talk intimates that this ski was cooked up in the bowels of the race department, it is most at home carving off-piste chalk and snaking at the margins of groomed runs. Put simply by tester Luke Larsen, who owns a ski shop in Salt Lake City, Utah, “If you love to ski, you will love this ski.”

See how this ski stacks up against the rest in the all-mountain category.

Editor’s Choice: Blizzard Sheeva 9 ($750)

Category: Women’s Frontside
Lengths (cm): 150, 156, 162, 168, 174
Dimensions (mm): 129-96-118.5
Radius (m): 14 (162)
Weight (per ski in grams): 1,765 (162)
Pros: Versatility, Quickness
Cons: Flotation, Stability at Speed

Last year, the Blizzard Sheeva 9 won best in test. This year, it repeats the feat, but while boasting a complete redesign that hones its strengths and eliminates its weaknesses—“favorite ski of the day” was our testers’ refrain. The new iteration is 4 millimeters wider underfoot and has a longer effective edge to both float in powder and carve on groomers. It also boasts Blizzard’s Freeride TrueBlend Woodcore, which consists of denser wood where a stiffer flex is desirable, and softer wood in the tips and tails lends forgiveness and ease of turn initiation. A new fiberglass plate underfoot replaces the metal one, allowing the ski to go from tight slalom corkscrews to long, fast downhill turns just by thinking about it. The Sheeva 9 is quick and playful, and testers agreed that it’s the most versatile within the Women’s All-Mountain category in terms of both ability levels and terrain. “Amazing all over the mountain,” said Avery Pesce, a Sugarbush and Jay Peak, Vermont, skier.

See how this ski stacks up against the rest in the women’s all-mountain category.

Editor’s Choice: Nordica Enforcer 104 Free ($850)

Category: All-Mountain Wide
Lengths (cm): 165, 172, 179, 186, 191
Dimensions (mm): 134.5-104-123.5
Radius (m): 17.5 (179)
Weight (per ski in grams): 2,105 (179)
Pros: Stability at Speed, Flotation
Cons: Forgiveness, Quickness

The Nordica Enforcer lineup is no stranger to the upper ranks of the SKI Test, and the Enforcer 104 Free carries on that tradition by claiming the top step on the Unisex All-Mountain Wide podium for 2023-24. This model combines a wood core, carbon, and two sheets of metal sandwiched into Nordica’s Powder Rocker Profile to build a stout ski that earned top scores for Stability at Speed, Flotation, and Versatility. Testers agreed that the Enforcer 104 Free was best suited for strong, aggressive, and expert skiers who are looking for an option that’s competent in the soft stuff but can still hold an edge on firm snow. Some skiers found it to feel most comfortable in wide-open spaces and when skied assertively, which explains the low scores for Quickness and Forgiveness. Tester Luke Larsen, who calls Snowbird, Utah, his home hill, summed this ski up well: “It will Enforce your will on pow days.”

See how this ski stacks up against the rest in the all-mountain wide category.

Category: Women’s All-Mountain Wide
Lengths (cm): 158, 165, 172, 179
Dimensions (mm): 133-104-122
Radius (m): 16 (165)
Weight (per ski in grams): 1,745 (165)
Pros: Versatility, Responsiveness
Cons: Hard-Snow Integrity, Playfulness

The Nordica Santa Ana 104 Free appeals to skiers of many abilities, from intermediates through ex-racers, with testers noting that it will meet you where you are and eagerly take you anywhere you want to go. Its comfort in all conditions earned this ski the highest score for Versatility in the Women’s All-Mountain Wide category while also guaranteeing it took home impressive marks for Crud Performance and Flotation. Testers reported that, wide appeal notwithstanding, advanced and expert skiers will be best able to maximize the Santa Ana 104 Free’s performance. Some in our crew were concerned that this ski could feel dull and lack energy, which saw it ranked low in the Playfulness category. Despite those reservations, however, Avery Pesce, a Boston, Massachusetts-based tester, described the Nordica as the “ultimate all-mountain ski, to be taken anywhere regardless of the conditions or terrain.”

See how this ski stacks up against the rest in the women’s all-mountain wide category.

Editor’s Choice: Salomon QST Blank ($800)

Category: Unisex and Women’s Powder
Dimensions (mm): 138-112-127
Available lengths (cm): 178, 186, 194
Radius (m): 17 (186)
Weight (per ski in grams): 2,220 (186)
Pros: Flotation, Quickness
Cons: Stability at Speed, Forgiveness

Except for new graphics, nothing has changed about the highly popular Salomon QST Blank for 2023-’24 season, and that includes how much skiers of all stripes love it. Proof: For the third year in a row, this unisex ski won the highest scores in the powder ski category from both male and female testers. What we loved most about this ski is how quick and playful it is. The QST Blank features a full poplar wood core and no metal, which keeps it feeling light underfoot (2,220 grams per ski) and makes it extraordinarily nimble. For a pow ski, it also has a more moderate waist width at 112 millimeters, a healthy amount of traditional camber underfoot, and relatively short turning radius (17 meters in the 186-centimeter length), which translate to enhanced responsiveness and quicker edge-to-edge transitions. We also appreciated how approachable the QST Blank is, with testers calling it a great powder option for intermediates to experts.  “It’s very easy to figure out. Skiers of lower ability could handle it, but it still charges for the higher-ability skier,” commented Aspen-based ski shop technician John Jensen. One small critique: It’s not the most dependable at speed. A few testers noted a slight lack of stability when trying to plough through crud at mach speeds or opening it up when the terrain allowed. “It’s not a ski to go 100 miles-per-hour on,” noted race coach Chad Jacob, “but is that what we really want in this category?” For most skiers, the answer is no—no it’s not. What we want in a powder ski is flotation and fun, pop and pizazz, and the QST Blank delivers on those fronts in spades.

See how this ski stacks up against the rest in the powder category.

Editor’s Choice: Salomon QST Echo 106 ($800)

Category: Backcountry
Lengths (cm): 157, 165, 173, 181, 189
Dimensions (mm): 139-106-126
Radius (m): 19 (181)
Weight (per ski in grams): 1,760 (181)
Pros: Playfulness, Forgiveness
Cons: Stability at Speed, Flotation

Known for their energy, playfulness, and solid feel in variable conditions, the QST skis have an uncanny ability to please pros like Cody Townsend as well as us mere mortals. The brand-new QST Echo 106 shares the shape and profile of the all-mountain QST 106, with a slimmed-down construction (the Echo shaves off 200 grams per ski) that’s spry on the skintrack while maintaining an impressively quiet feel through variable snow in the backcountry. Salomon ditched the Titanal in this model, opting for a lightweight and responsive caruba-and-poplar core, with basalt fibers that bump up the stiffness. “This is your daily driver,” said Jackson, Wyoming-based tester Max Ritter. “Floats in pow, nimble in tight trees and couloirs, but reliable and solid when it comes time to open up the throttle and ski fast through chunky snow.” Testers agreed that the lightened-up construction made the QST Echo 106 feel more energetic than the QST 106, touting the benefits of the lower swing weight for confined couloirs where you need to get your skis around quickly.

See how this ski stacks up against the rest in the backcountry category.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does SKI test and rank skis?

SKI’s and șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű’s editors and veteran gear testers, who are all proven industry professionals, spend a week each March testing more than a 100 pairs of the upcoming season’s most exciting skis. We test men’s and women’s skis separately in six different categories: Carving, Frontside, All-Mountain, All-Mountain Wide, Powder, and Backcountry. Testers ski each pair of skis for one or two runs, making sure to take the skis into different kinds of terrain and conditions. They then immediately fill out a ski test score card, rating each ski in eight to ten different criteria, including Stability at Speed, Hard-Snow Integrity, Playfulness, etc. SKI’s editors then crunch the numbers to see which skis come out on top of each category and to determine each ski’s strengths and weaknesses.

How do I choose a pair of skis?

Do your research. Start by asking yourself what type of skis you are looking for, and being honest about your current ability level and goals for the season. Check out our “” article to get started. Then, use SKI’s Gear Guide and extended ski reviews to get an idea of different options in different categories.

Just remember: ski testing is not an exact science. While we rely heavily on the feedback and opinions of our veteran gear testers to rank and review each season’s skis, at the end of the day ski testing is subjective. That mean’s our top-ranking ski in one category might be a great ski, but it may not be the best choice for you if it’s above or below your ability level, or if it’s too wide or too narrow for the type of skiing you typically do. So do your research.

What’s the difference between men’s and women’s skis?

Most skis are technically unisex skis—they are not specifically designed for men or for women. These skis come in a variety of length options, usually from 150cm to 190cm to accommodate for both men and women, as well as different ability levels. However, some skis these days are women’s-specific. These skis have adapted constructions, usually to make the ski a little lighter, less stiff, and to move the mount point forward to improve a woman’s ability to drive a ski. That said, many advanced and expert women, especially if they’re aggressive skiers, still prefer to ski a unisex ski. .

The post The Top Performing Skis of 2024 appeared first on șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű Online.

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Back in the late ’90s when I was a high schooler and the snow was lousy at my local resort I used to pull out a pair of 210 centimeter Tua skis (maybe 75 millimeter underfoot?) mounted with flimsy Voile telemark bindings and then strap on a pair of thrift shop leather telemark boots. As you might imagine, getting down the hill with this setup was quite a challenge and made the shitty snow way more fun.

On a college trip around Europe, I was in Italy and came across a pair of plastic Asolo telemark boots in an army surplus store and thought I’d hit the jackpot. They weighed a ton and only barely came above my ankle, but they were plastic and afforded me that much more control. I carried those boots across Europe that summer and then used them through college with slightly fatter skis mounted to slightly more robust Voile bindings. I was always the last person down the hill in my ski posse but I enjoyed every single turn.

Fast forward to adulthood and I eventually left my telemark setup behind. By my mid-30s I’d wiggled my way into testing skis for publications like șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű and Powder and no one cared about telemarking. I spent ten years on the best downhill setups (and best AT setups in the backcountry) and my telemark gear gathered dust in the garage.

Then I had kids. As any of you who have kids know, teaching them to ski can be a slow process. Even if I would get 30 days of skiing each season, my total vert was probably less than a person who spent two days skiing a place like Taos or Jackson Hole. I was skiing, but I was skiing on Bambi all day long. To freshen things up, I decided to get back on teles.

Today, my telemark setup is still in use. My kids are all skiing blues and an occasional black, and as they learn to navigate steeper terrain I get to work on my telemark technique. They’ve been graduating from a snowplow to parallel skiing and I’ve been thinking about how much I should drop my knee. They’ve been learning to pole plant and I’m trying to get the back of my uphill skis to come around the turn without bouncing around too much.

I’m by no means an expert telemark skier. Those of you who are might even laugh at what I’m working on. But damn if I haven’t loved the past few years in large part because I’m on a telemark setup that’s challenged me, literally brought me closer to the snow, and helped me build semi-respectable quads. Telemarking has been an old frontier for me to re-explore and it’s helped me have the patience I needed to raise my crew of young skiers.

And while I hate proselytizing, here I am on the pulpit of telemarking saying that you, too, should give it a try. Even for those of you who don’t have kids, I promise that a day here and there of telemarking, be it in the spring after you’ve had your fill of powder days, or even on closing day in your ’80s outfit, will be a lot of fun. You’ll have a new challenge and telemarking will give you a new way to see your local hill. Your quads will ache and you’ll want to scream halfway down the hill, but the apres beer will taste that much better.

To get a telemark setup dialed for this season, there are a couple of options. Like any kind of skiing, you can go used which will save you lots of money but probably cause you some extra grief. Or you can go new because some companies are still making telemark gear and some of the technology has come a long way. I’ve detailed both approaches below.

Used Telemark Gear

I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico and we’re lucky to have a place called Regear. It’s a warehouse-sized used gear shop that’s stuffed to the gills with every piece of used gear you can think of. It’s so stuffed, in fact, that there’s an entire eight-by-eight-foot shelf stuffed with used telemark boots and several bins stuffed with old telemark skis and bindings.

Most of the boots on the shelf are beaten up. We all know that telemark skiers loved to be seen as dirtbags, so when they were done with their boots they had some miles. You’ll find an occasional pair of Black Diamond or Crispi boots, but the vast majority are old Scarpa T2s. You’ve no doubt seen these boots around, and they were obviously the most popular and best-selling model whenever Scarpa launched them.

In the ski bin, there are a lot of old K2s that are not quite as long as my Tuas, and not quite as thin, but still have that much more pronounced hourglass shape that was popular 25 years ago. The bindings are almost exclusively from Voile.

At Regear, or wherever you shop for used gear, a whole setup might cost you $150-$200 and if you’re just gonna dip your toe in telemarking, it’s the way to go. You’ll look totally out of place on the ski hill, and making turns down the hill with this gear will be a challenge, but I guarantee it will also be plenty of fun. Those of you who can master a graceful turn on a setup like this will automatically be placed in a special category of skier.

New Telemark Gear

There’s no such thing as telemark skis anymore. You just have to figure out what kind of skis you want to make telemark turns on. As a gear reviewer, I have my choice of demos and for a new setup, I just asked to test two different pairs. First, I went for the Völkl Mantra 102. This ski is a fan favorite amongst hard-charging skiers because it’s so solid and reliable underfoot. It likes to be skied fast and favors big arching turns. The 102 will definitely be my choice for hardpack days when I’m trying to keep up with groms who are getting increasingly speedy and it’s gonna force me to keep working on my telemark technique.

I also asked to demo a pair of DPS Pagoda 100 RPs. These skis are known for being more playful and easier to pivot and slide and will work when I’m trying to make quicker and poppier turns. The Pagoda will be just fine on hardpack but will be extra fun in the bumps and in softer snow. Even though I thought I should go shorter on a telemark setup (not sure why I thought that), my contact at DPS advised me to ski mostly the same length I would for a downhill ski so I’ll be on 184s (and 177s for the Mantras).

Both skis will eventually be mated with NTN telemark bindings, which do away with the heel strap and instead use an under-boot connection point that creates a more robust setup and adds more tension to your boot when your knee is bent. One pair of skis will get NTN Freedom bindings from Scarpa (or Rottefella, which Scarpa owns) and the other will get Outlaw X bindings from 22 Designs. I’m particularly excited to test the Outlaw X bindings because people I’ve talked to say they have a really nice flex and add a noticeable amount of control. I also dig that they’re built in the U.S. by a small company. Both bindings have a touring mode, but for now, I’ll be using them exclusively inbounds.

Finally, I’ll be skiing with a pair of Scarpa TX Pro NTN boots, which can still be bought brand new in full-size runs if you know where to look. These boots have not changed in a long time (years!) because Scarpa put its energy into the AT market. They’re significantly heavier than a pair of Scarpa AT boots, but I’ve had the chance to ski them previously and loved that they were super stiff and super comfortable. Mated with a pair of NTN bindings, the Scarpas are the most advanced boots “still” on the market.

Mark My Words: Telemark is Coming Back

I want to end this article with a prediction: in five year’s you’re going to see a lot more telemark skiers at your local ski hill.

Here’s why: Over the past ten years, we’ve seen a lot of advancements in downhill and AT gear. You can barely go wrong with a pair of skis, boots, or bindings these days. As a result of this gear plateau we now sort of find ourselves on, telemark gear is going to get a refresh sometime soon. People like me who want a new challenge, or people who used to tele and miss those days, or people who just think dropping a knee looks cool, are a small but wide open market, and gear companies are going to exploit that market (in a good way).

In fact, I recently heard that a major boot company has plans to release a new telemark boot sometime in the coming years. One major step forward like that could spur the entire industry. I imagine this new boot will draw from AT technology and be lighter, stiffer, and come with an incredible walk mode. That will in turn inspire companies like 22 Designs to find new ways to harness that boot design, spurring their technology on as well. Ski companies, if they really wanted to, could use the ski constructions people currently love to build a ski that’s designed specifically for the telemark turn.

I’m not putting any money on this prediction just yet, but I hope that in five years I look back and I’m totally right. If I’m not, oh well. I’ll still be telemarking.

The post Everyone Should Own a Telemark Ski Setup appeared first on șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű Online.

șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű has teamed up with Peak Skis and Bode Miller to give away a pair of skis each day for the next 33 days. Yes, that’s 33 pairs of skis and 33 chances to win! Why 33? That’s the number of World Cup wins Miller has racked up over the years, so it’s a lucky number of sorts for his brand. Check out —there’s a ski for every type of skier—and enter the daily giveaway below:

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If you’ve glanced at our annual Winter Gear Guide before, then you know the name . If you’ve leafed through our all-mountain and powder ski reviews, you know Blizzard’s legendary Rustler and Sheeva freeride line. Just this last year, all three Sheeva and Rustler models made the ten-best skis list in our digital gear guide. So why then, you might ask, did Blizzard decide to this year? We had the same question. This fall, I flew to Blizzard’s factory in Austria to find out.

Behind the Brand

I arrived on the train from Salzburg to KitzbĂŒhel in mid-October, where I met a few members of Blizzard’s marketing team and two other journalists. We caravanned through the countryside of the Austrian Alps until we turned a bend at the top of a peak and found the quaint village of Mittersill nestled in the middle of the valley. The majority of Mittersill’s 5,464 occupants work on the mountainous, near vertical farms that surround the village, or in the tourist shops and cafes in town. But around 300 of these people commute every morning to one of the largest buildings in the village, the Blizzard ski factory—also known as the Tecnica Group Ski Competence Center. 

Built in 1946, the factory produces around 230,000 skis per year, including skis for a few other brands. Inside the factory, fast-moving workers greeted us with warm and busy smiles as they moved efficiently around massive metal machinery. There were the people in charge of molding the skis, who oriented each layer of material just so that the machine pressed them down at an extreme force to meld them together. There were the ski finishers—one of whom was working the band saw to remove excess raw material from the ski after it had been molded. He grinned and waved at us with one hand while his other hand moved at the speed of light, fingers inches away from an absurdly sharp blade. There was the woman whose sole duty it seemed was to carefully watch one conveyer belt, simply to make sure each ski received Blizzard’s  “Live the Moment” motto stamped onto the sidewall.

Then there’s the man who presides over them all: Blizzard’s head of product development, Stefan Moser. Austrian and soft-spoken, I had to tilt my ear about a foot away from Moser’s face to hear him above the roar of the machinery. Once I did though, I realized his quiet nature belied his expertise. 

Moser, an expert skier himself, is the one who takes testing feedback from Blizzard athletes like Marcus Caston and Cate Zeliff, makes sense of it all, and translates that into actual physical changes in ski design. Moser, Blizzard’s product team, and Blizzard athletes in collaboration played the central role in the redesign of the Sheeva and Rustler collections.

2023–24 Blizzard Rustler/Sheeva Tech and Changes

Ever since the Rustler launched in 2017 and the Sheeva in 2014, the skis have dominated the freeride marketplace—winning rave reviews and awards in șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű’s and Ski’s gear tests as well as from professional athletes and consumers. Last year, I wrote that though our testers felt the Sheeva 10 hammered “on the hardpack due to its responsiveness and energy, they were equally impressed by its off-piste abilities.” Simply put: they’re excellent skis.

But throughout the years, Blizzard athletes and testers noted one small but consistent shortcoming in these skis’ performance: their flex profiles. “It was the hinge points in the tips and the tails that would break down in certain conditions,” said Caston as we took a lap up the Kitzsteinhorn glacier. “Like if you were on a groomer, it was initiating or finishing the turn, and in powder, the [Rustler] 11 would push up.”

After some tinkering, Moser and his team pinpointed the cause of this hinge point: it started with the DRT (Dynamic Release Technology) plate inside the ski. The DRT plate is essentially a layer of titanal in the binding area of the ski, which is supposed to add stability underfoot while allowing the tips and tails to remain soft and playful. While the DRT plate accomplished just that, its position underfoot created issues when skiers attempted to smoothly transition energy from the center of the ski to the tips and tails.

To combat this, Blizzard added its FluxForm technology to the new Rustlers and Sheevas, which allows the frame of the ski to reach all the way from the tail to the tip. In this tech, two pieces of titanal run all the way down either edge, while a third solid platform of titanal remains underfoot. The idea is that the platform underfoot will help provide stability, while the gap in the middle of the ski towards the tip and tail will keep it playful and soft. The Sheevas and the Rustlers have slightly different FluxForm patterns per model (for example, the 9 models have more titanal than the 10’s and 11’s.)

To create a more consistent feel within the ski, Blizzard also applied its Trueblend Freeride Woodcore technology. The technology behind Trueblend is in the name: three different types of wood (paulownia, poplar, and beech) are blended together at different lengths within the 9, 10, and 11 skis, which creates a more precise flex profile in each model. Again, the result is a ski that’s softer in the tips and tails and harder in the center while maintaining a medium flex in front of and behind the bindings. Past iterations of the ski also achieved this to a certain extent, but the Trueblend helps to create a more seamless transition.

From the outset of this redesign, the goal was never to entirely scrap the old Rustler or Sheeva construction. The Blizzard team recognized that they already had a good thing going; they just realized they had an opportunity to make a great thing even better.

“We didn’t change the goal—we didn’t change the idea of the ski—we created a better way of getting there.”

“The idea of our technology in the first [Rustler-Sheeva] theoretically was the right theory. We didn’t want to change the theory on what we were trying to do, we wanted to improve on how the tech was reaching that goal,” said Blizzard’s animated North American director of marketing, Frank Shine. “FluxForm is the next step in achieving that same goal. We didn’t change the goal—we didn’t change the idea of the ski—we created a better way of getting there.”

But if there’s one aspect of the brand I took away from the trip, it’s just how athlete-driven Blizzard is. Caston, like other Blizzard athletes, has been intimately involved in the 2023 Rustler and Sheeva redesigns (Blizzard’s athlete-driven research and design approach to ski development is partly why Caston has stayed with the brand for so long). From touring the factory to testing the skis on the glacier to recapping our response to skis over Witbier at the end of the day, Caston was always part of the conversation.

“[Blizzard] knows how I ski. When I talk with Stefan he knows like okay—he skis like a racer at the front of the boot, whereas the other guys are more playful, so the feedback they get is different,” said Caston. “That was the success that Blizzard had to begin with—their skis weren’t just for experts or beginners—anybody could use those skis. They were easy to ski, but they didn’t have a speed limit. So that’s kind of like the Rustlers now.”

First Review: 2023–23 Blizzard Sheeva 

I first tested the new Sheeva and Rustler skis at Austria’s Kitzsteinhorn glacier, one of the main resorts closest to Mittersill. After a thirty-minute drive and three separate gondola rides, the Blizzard team and I arrived at a tow rope at the top of the glacier, which took us up to the only two runs open at this time of year in October. Europe had experienced a warmer-than-average summer and fall, and as a result, we encountered spring-like conditions, even on this year-round glacier at 10,509 feet. Variable conditions like these don’t usually inspire confidence, especially not when it’s your first run of the season. But the new Sheeva 9, 10, and 11 handled the mix of ice and slush with ease.

The first thing I noticed about the new Sheeva 9 was how much more intuitive it felt compared to the previous iteration. The ski turned smoothly through a mix of icy and slushy moguls—while the older versions felt more hooky and less forgiving. In a way, this made the ski feel more energetic because it was easier to turn. When I attempted to chase Caston and Anne Wangler, a German Blizzard athlete, down the last variable run of the day, I didn’t notice a speed limit. The ski felt more stable than before, but the responsiveness that the previous Sheeva is known for is still there.

There’s no denying that the Sheeva is still a rather stiff ski (metal, which adds torsional rigidity, will do that), but after a few runs, it felt like an approachable ski that wanted to move with me. It was excited to go where I wanted to lead, as long as I stayed relatively on top of it.

I got on the 10 and 11 for a few runs as well and was surprised at how easy to ski it felt in the conditions (the 11 is 112 millimeters underfoot, and the 10 is 102). The 11 held its own in the choppy snow, and I got a couple of good carving turns in there, although it didn’t want to stay on edge on the hardpack quite as long as the 9 and 10.

After I flew back to the U.S., I got back on the new Sheevas about a month later in Vail, where Ski hosted its annual Ski Summit to meet with brands about their upcoming products. Vail had just received around 10 inches of snow in the days before, so we had those perfect, soft groomers that the resort is known for. We didn’t get to test the skis as much off-piste, but the general consensus seemed to be the same: the new Sheevas are as versatile and lively as ever, but more stable and intuitive than before.

It’s hard to change a product that’s been consistently doing well. And yes, it will take more testing and more skiers to decide if the change was worth it. After all, we all know that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But should good sales and good reviews halt progress? Ultimately, Blizzard answered that question with a sound “no” in its revamping of the Sheeva and Rustler collections. Maybe the old collections weren’t broken, but what also isn’t broken is Blizzard’s strategy to listen to its athletes, and to continue its innovation.

2023–23 Blizzard Sheeva Specifications

Blizzard Sheeva 9

• Lengths: 152-156-162-168-174 centimeters
• Sidecut: 129-96-118,5 millimeters (174)
• Radius: 12; 13; 14; 15; 16 meters

Blizzard Sheeva 10

• Lengths: 156-162-168-174-180 centimeters
• Sidecut: 133,5-102-122,5 millimeters (174)
• Radius: 13,5; 14,5; 15,5; 16,5; 17,5 meters

Blizzard Sheeva 11

• Lengths: 168-174-180 centimeters
• Sidecut: 140-112-130 millimeters (174)
• Radius: 16; 17,5; 19 meters

2023-’23 Blizzard Rustler Specifications

Blizzard Rustler 9

• Lengths: 162-168-174-180-186 centimeters
• Sidecut: 131,5-96-121 millimeters (180)
• Radius: 14; 15; 16; 17; 18 meters

Blizzard Rustler 10

• Lengths: 162-168-174-180-186-192 centimeters
• Sidecut: 134-102-123 millimeters (180)
• Radius: 14,5; 15,5; 16,5; 17,5; 18,5; 19,5 meters

Blizzard Rustler 11

• Lengths: 168-174-180-186-192 centimeters
• Sidecut: 142-114-132 millimeters (186)
• Radius: 16; 17,5; 19; 20,5; 22 meters

More 2023 Gear Reviews

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