With hundreds of models of skis available at the time of publication, sorting out the best of the breed is harder than ever. The best skis for you might be all wrong for your friend. Downhill skis, also called alpine skis, encompass a wide variety of vehicles for different snow conditions, including all-mountain, power, twin tip and racer, which are designed for competitive skiers at the highest level.
Ability Level
Buy a ski that corresponds to your ability level. There are six levels, starting with beginner and working up to advanced beginner, when you are comfortable on green runs. An intermediate skier is comfortable on blue runs, and an advanced intermediate is testing his mettle on black diamond runs. When you reach the advanced level, black diamond runs are a comfortable fit. An expert skier can handle anything from powder to moguls to terrain that is out of bounds.
2011-12 Models
Husband and wife ski writers and testers, Heather and Greg Burke, tested dozens of models at the demo for 2011-12 models at Stratton Mountain in Vermont. Writing for Boston.com, Heather recommends a number of skis for women, including the Volkl Aurora, described as "the ultimate expert eastern women's ski." She likes the Head Myra, which carves through groomed snow and floats through heavy and powdered snow. She also recommends the Dynastar Elite, Blizzard Viva -- "the little black dress of women's skis" -- and the Fischer RC 4 unisex model.
Greg selected four models as the pick of the litter for men: Rossignol Experience 98 that carves and careens you down the mountain "with no speed limit"; Volkl RTM 84 for aggressive skiers; Dynastar Legend 95 and 85, traditionally crafted from France; Head Titan, an excellent all-around ski.
Added Men's Recommendations
"Freeskier Magazine's" 2010/11 list of best men's all-mountain skis, the most versatile type of downhill skis, places the Volkl Bridge on top, describing it as the "Swiss Army knife of skis. Magazine testers describe their second choice, the Kung Fujas, as a "super-buttery ski." Others in the top 5 include the Fisher-Watea 98, Volkl-Mantra, and Blizzard Atlas. The rest of the top 10 consisted of the Liberty Helix, Rossignol S5, Salomon Sentinel, Kastle MX 98 and Salomon Shogun.
Extra Women's Recommendations
The On the Snow website's 2011 equipment reviews recommend the Volkl Aura and Dynaster Exclusive Paradise as the best of the bunch, with skis by companies such as Blizzard, Elan, Icelantic K2 and Rossignol close behind."Ski Canada Magazine" tested numerous 2011 downhill skis. Testers rave about the Atomic Seventh Heaven 7, noting that it excels at speed and handles all types of terrain. The Head Wild One was touted for lighter weight female skiers who finesse their way down the slopes. The K2 Lotta Luv was said to "dance through bumps" and perform well on both hard and soft snow.
References
- Boston.com;The Ski Guru Blog: Our Favorite Skis for 2011-12; Heather Burke; February 2011
- Skis.com: Buying Guide for Skis
- Freeskier ;Top 10 Men's All Mountain Skies 2010/2011; December 2010
- Ski Canada Magazine; Ski Test 2011 Expert All Mountain; Ian March, et al.
- On the Snow: 2011 Skiing Equipment Reviews
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