A ski of traditional profile is widest at the tip, narrow underfoot and wide again at the tail. Five-point sidecut re-envisions that shape, moving the ski’s widest points closer to the binding so the shape tapers—or becomes narrower—at the tip and tail.
Testers’ Choice: Salomon MTN Lab
Tester Carter Snow likes steep, technical, playful terrain with features to jump off. When he’s not in the backcountry, he’s training for big-mountain competitions—and he needs gear that can make that leap too. He picks the Salomon MTN Lab for its skinning, charging, and hucking abilities.
Tech Tip: Shell Shock
Polyurethane (PU) is a stiff thermoplastic used to make most alpine boots and some AT boots. “The downside to PU is that it’s affected by temperature, and therefore manufacturers use more layers of PU, making the boots heavier,” says Giordano Vichiet, Dynafit’s footwear manager.
Category Killer: Powder Touring
These category killers are fat and rockered (110mm and wilder) with a favorable touring weight. Here are four favorite wide-ski shredders, as chosen by our testers.
2016 Editors’ Choice Awards Splitboards
Announcing the 2016 Editors’ Choice Awards, selected from more than 400 skis, splitboards, bindings and boots tested at Powder Mountain, Utah and Crested Butte, Colo. For more than 100 additional gear reviews, plus in-depth tester feedback on each of these Editors’ Choice winners, check out the 2016 Gear Guide. And if you subscribe now, you’ll be entered to win more […]
Testers’ Choice: Völkl 90Eight
Tester Meg Schultz is a woman of taste. She skis Mad River Glen, drinks fine malt beverages, and loves the Völkl 90Eight, which she skied as a telemark setup.
Tech Tips: Core Concepts
“What a ski core is made of determines how damp it is, how lively it is and how long it lasts,” says former Backcountry ski tester Oliver Blackman, who makes custom skis near Smugglers’ Notch, Vt. Traditionally, Blackman says, that core material is wood, and while some manufacturers use foam in their cores, wood offers better longevity and character, depending on the type.
Category Killers: All Mountain Boots
While these boots stand out for their inbounds power, they’re still capable of short walks in the skintrack
2016 Editors’ Choice Awards: Boots
Announcing the 2016 Editors’ Choice Awards, selected from more than 400 skis, splitboards, bindings and boots tested at Powder Mountain, Utah and Crested Butte, Colo. For more than 100 additional gear reviews, plus in-depth tester feedback on each of these Editors’ Choice winners, check out the 2016 Gear Guide. And if you subscribe now, you’ll be entered to win more […]
Testers’ Choice: Blizzard Zero-G 108
Tester Tim Beaman says his preferred terrain is “Mountain terrain.” His preferred snow? “mountain snow.” For this reason he needs a well-rounded ski that can function as a quiver killer for any backcountry conditions, and he might have found just that in the Blizzard Zero-G 108.
