This year we tested more than 200 skis from 30-plus brands. And it was the most innovative ski crop yet, with brands like DPS getting 3D and the money zone (100-112mm underfoot) exploding with refined shapes and lighter weights.
Here’s just a teaser of this year’s Editors’ Choice winning skis. To see the full reviews, and those of 60 additional Gear Guide Selects, check out the 2014 Gear Guide.
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ATOMIC CHARTER
$549 – ATOMIC.COM
SIZES (cm): 166, 176, 186
DIMENSIONS (mm): 130.5/100/122.5
WEIGHT/PAIR: 8 lbs. 10 oz. (186)
+ “The wide nose floats; the shapely waist turns beautifully; you can rely on the tails to finish your turns.”
– “Tips are a little soft and can collapse under duress.”
= Trustworthy backcountry utility and standout versatility.
BLACK DIAMOND EQUIPMENT CONVERT
$799 – BLACKDIAMONDEQUIPMENT.COM
SIZES (cm): 164, 172, 180, 188
DIMENSIONS (mm): 132/105/116
WEIGHT/PAIR: 7 lbs. (172)
+ “Balloon-like floatation but tolerates hardpack really well.”
– “You have to stay forward on these, or they don’t respond at all.”
= Playful, stable and turny—without the weight of comparable boards.
DPS Lotus 120 Spoon
$1299 (PURE) – DPSSKIS.COM
SIZES (cm): 178, 189, 197
DIMENSIONS (mm): 140/122/126
WEIGHT/PAIR: 7 lbs. 12 oz. (198)
+ “The Spoon-ified tip feels like nothing else in powder.”
– “You could buy a used Subaru for the price of these skis.”
= Best of the test: handles pow, crud, groomers with nimbleness and stability.
FACTION CANDIDE 3.0
$969 – FACTIONSKIS.COM
SIZES (cm): 167, 175, 183, 191
DIMENSIONS (mm): 142/112/132
WEIGHT/PAIR: 8 lbs. 8 oz. (183)
+ “Like slicing a knife through butter, it feels just right.”
– “Not as fun at high speeds—they get a little wild.”
= Buy this ski if you like to go uphill fast and want a quick-turning, playful ride down.
G3 EMPRESS 115
$640 – GENUINEGUIDEGEAR.COM
SIZES (cm): 165, 170, 175
DIMENSIONS (mm): 145/115/126
WEIGHT/PAIR: 8 lbs. 6 oz. (165)
+ “The Empress blends G3’s typical active and snappy style with a more progressively designed rockered ski—they stepped it up with the Empress.”
– “If it were a perfect ski, it would give back a little more of the energy you put into it.”
= Surfy, floaty, nimble and fun. The ultimate women’s powder ski.
K2 ANNEX 98
$840 – K2SKIS.COM
SIZES (cm): 170, 177, 184, 191
DIMENSIONS (mm): 131/98/119
WEIGHT/PAIR: 8 lbs. 3 oz. (177)
+ “Like every K2, it loves the crud.”
– “You’ve got to work for it.”
= A fast ski that can tour like it rides.
MOMENT EXIT WORLD
$749 – MOMENTSKIS.COM
SIZES (cm): 174, 184, 190
DIMENSIONS (mm): 142/115/132
WEIGHT/PAIR: 8 lbs. 8 oz. (184)
+ “Well behaved, inbounds and out.”
– “A bit heavy for mega-mileage days.”
= Worth carrying the extra weight uphill for a fun and stable ride down.
ROSSIGNOL SOUL 7
$800 – ROSSIGNOL.COM
SIZES: 164, 174, 180, 188
DIMENSIONS (mm): 136/106/128
WEIGHT/PAIR: 8 lbs. 7 oz. (180)
+ “Very fun. A good compromise between skinny and fat. Poppy and positive in deep snow and turny on the flat.”
– “Lost some soul as soon as I turned up the speed. Gets sloppy at speed even though it’s pretty damp.”
= A ski with versatile proportions and performance to match.
SALOMON LUMEN
$599 – SALOMON.COM
SIZES (cm): 154, 162, 170, 178
DIMENSIONS (mm): 131/96/117
WEIGHT/PAIR: 7 lbs. 5 oz. (170)
+ “Amazing precision and stability.”
– “If these skis were my prom date, I’d want to slow dance, while the ski would want to rock out. Not for the easy go-er.”
= A standout women’s all-rounder.
VOILÉ V8
$625 – VOILE.COM
SIZES (cm): 165, 176, 186, 193
DIMENSIONS (mm): 146/115/126
WEIGHT/PAIR: 7 lbs. 12 oz. (186)
+ “Great all-around, everyday ski in- and out of bounds.”
-“Doesn’t perform that well on crunchy or icy hardpack.”
= With its wide range performance, possibly Voilé’s best ski to date.
i need help finding a way to have such a cool life like you guys, getting the best out of the sport, can you find me a job or sponsors. all I want to do is ski and have fun adventures skiing and snowboarding and the like.
lol don’t we all.
gET A GOOD EDUCATION, WORK HARD, RETIRE EARLY AND SPEND THE REST OF YOU LIFE AS A SKI BUM.
sTILL GOING STRONG AT 75.
:))good point
Or get an education, work hard seasonally in the summer, pull your kids out of school for the winter, home school them and teach em how to rip the pow. Live to work or work to live? As the rocking 75 year old just said…
D