It’s Saturday morning in December, I wake up to cold drops lightly landing on my cheek. Snowflakes are floating in through the cracked window. I pop up and get the visual; fresh snow piled on the windowsill. My heart skips a beat and I wake up Adam. We fill our coffee mugs, toss the ski essentials in the truck, and head to Snowmass Resort in Aspen, Colorado.
The first run is perfect, the Colorado sunshine warms the early morning as we slice through a foot of fresh snow. The steeper the slope, the more I sit back in my stance and let my skis guide me down the mountain. This is my favorite moment, when everything simply falls into place and when skiing feels the most natural. I can simply enjoy every turn, clearing my mind of everything except this special moment. A controlled fall down the mountain, just the two of us weaving through the trees. The slope is steep but the dry fresh snow helps control my speed. We pop out from the trees onto a crowded groomed run. The Colorado sunshine continues to beat down and the snow has turned to ice. But we still need to make it down the mountain and the only way is to funnel down the groomer, zooming past kids, ski school groups, and that snowboarder sprawled out on the snow, sliding down the slope. Adam likes to go fast and I’m holding my breath trailing behind him. Maintaining speed to get down the mountain safely for a cold parking lot beer is now the priority.
This is sadly a dream, there’s not even an inch of snow on the ground here in Colorado. But our anticipated excitement initiates the search for a new pair of skis. But there are hundreds of options, how do you choose the perfect pair?
CONTENTS
Everyone has their own dream.
Today mine might sound like a fantasy but it describes my ideal day at the resort. Listing out the specifics from your dream day can then be translated to ski specs and how you start to narrow down your ski selection.
Let’s narrow down my dream:
| DREAM DAY | SKI SPECS |
| 1. Floating down fresh powder | 1a. Waist width between 98mm to 110mm 1b. Rocker/Camber/Rocker Profile – the playfulness and float of a rocker’ed ski as well as the added edge hold of a cambered ski. The rocker’ed tip and tail provide floatation in deeper snow and allow the ski to initiate and release from turns easier. |
| 2. Maneuverability through trees | 2. A medium turn radius: 17-22 m radius, best for all-mountain and park & pipe. |
| 3. Capability of handling icy conditions | 3a. A cambered midsection provides a longer effective edge on hardpack, increasing edge hold and stability. 3b. Core Material: Cork damplifier in the ski tip for vibration absorption. |
| 4. Keeping up with Adam | 4. A cambered midsection, a medium length and weight for speed but not sacrificing maneuverability, and fresh ski wax. |
Basically, I’m looking for a go-anywhere ripper with a penchant for powder.
To begin, I typically start my search relative to my height. I’m 5′-10″ 130 lbs and looking for a medium length ski between 163cm – 179cm. I prefer a shorter ski because of the capability of making short quick turns, while still keeping up with Adam. Powder 7 offers way to search their inventory using a ski calculator. The matrix allows you to search for per height, weight, ski style, and ski category.
What are the ski categories and where do my ski dream specs fall into the categories prescribed by manufacturers?
| CATEGORY | DESCRIPTION |
| Carving Skis | When I think of typical resort skis, I think of carving skis. These skis are designed to make high-speed arcs with precision turning. They have a narrow waist width and full camber underfoot allowing for a strong edge hold for long fast turns. If you are going to the resort and spending the whole day flying down the groomer, this ski category is for you. |
| Big-Mountain Free-Ride Skis | This is a burly powder ski built for the expert skier who likes to ski fast on steep and very technical terrain. It’s common for brands to label their widest ski big mountain but not all labels truly qualify. In my opinion, to be a big-mountain ski the waist width is generally wider than a powder ski, over 106-125 mm underfoot. |
| All-Mountain Skis | The vaguest ski category. A ski is considered an all-mountain as long as it works for you in most of the conditions you ski, so what isn’t an all-mountain ski? I searched EVO Ski shop for all mountain skis and found 1039 results. I would make sure you are familiar with the other categories and outline your ski specs before simply selecting an all-mountain ski. |
| Powder Skis | Do I have to say anything more, these are my favorite skis for those deep days. Focused on flotation and maneuverability in soft snow. Wider than all-mountain skis and could be used for an everyday driver but not ideal on the groomed run. |
| Backcountry/Alpine Touring Skis | Honestly any ski can be used in the backcountry. But the most common I’ve seen these days range from a super lightweight uphill focused ski to a free-ride heavy rocker profile ski. Either way, this category is typically a lighter-weight construction offering features like notches for attaching climbing skins. In my opinion, these lightweight skis come with a sacrifice in other areas such as the ski’s ability to ride a chatter-free groomer or late day varied conditions. Due to the recent popular demand, a new category within a category has been created by brands recently discovering a new marketing window, a tour-able but more resort-ready ski for the uphill experience. |
| Park/ Freestyle Skis | Freestyle terrain park skis. These skis have twin tails with symmetrical dimensions and mounting points to ride switch (backward riding) easier and for balancing the weight when sliding down rails. Park skis can easily be confused with carving skis, I’m always surprised to see how many people are riding freestyle skis as their daily drivers on the mountain. |
Somewhere between a powder and carving ski, maybe an all-mountain free-ride?
None of these categories list my exact ski specs. These categories were created for seasonal consistency and generally, skis will fit within their defined category. But ultimately every skier has their own opinion, favorite terrain, and preferred conditions. It’s important to not let anyone tell you which skis are right or wrong, because it all boils down to personal preference. Chasing your own ski is an individual experience and that’s the best part. Time on the snow is the only true way to determine what kind of ski is right for you. My advice is to get out on the mountain and find what you love to ski, develop your dream list. I would attend a demo day to try all different brands, lengths, and widths. Adam and I are always scoping out the local ski shop. For me, touching the ski, feeling the weight, and getting a feel for size is important. Start to find what works best for you, you’ll know when you find the right pair!
So what ski would I toss in the truck during my dream? All the ski specs listed describe the Salomon QST Stella 106 Skis!
Yes, they check all the boxes but most importantly, THEY’RE PINK!
Happy Skiing!
