Powder skiing is no doubt the hallmark of a well-spent winter. It’s adrenaline-pumping while surprisingly relaxing as well. However, if you don’t have a good set of powder skis, then your skiing experience can end up being a tumbling, wet, and cold trek.
To ensure you get nothing but the best out of your powder skiing experience, we’ve compiled our top 5 best performance skis.
Line Skis Pescado Skis
This pair of Pescado skis will let you rip down any hill with no problem. With patented flexible technology, soft flex, plunging, directional footprint, and a knocked-out tail, Pescado is ideal for the intense powder skier.
In addition to its built-in, lightweight Partly Cloudy core and bamboo sidewalls, it absorbs vibrations. It has a softer tip to allow optimal turn control, and a stiffer tail to provide high-speed control. The Pescado keeps you safe while still allowing maximum intensity going down the hill. Its multi-directional turning ability is fantastic, thanks to the 5 different radiuses blended into the ski’s side cut, which gives the board an intuitive feel.
The Pescado also includes a super thin core and sidewall tip allowing for reduced swing and tip bounce. It’s made from a lightweight unique blend of Paulownia and Maple wood, combining the best of both weight and strength.
Pros
- Quality material made from Paulownia and Maple wood
- Intuitive design
- Vibrational absorbance
- Reduces drag
Cons
- Is a bit on the pricey end of things
- Made for advanced skiers, might be hard picking up
- Designed specifically for powder skiing, not multipurpose
Moment Meridian 117 Skis
The beauty of the Moment Meridian 117 is that when it comes to powder skiing design, it goes all in. This means a full rocker along with a wide platform underneath and expansions on the stout, turns these pairs of skis into a hard-hitting snowplowing machine, allowing you to effortlessly trudge down the hill.
The Moment Meridian is made from a knot-free, full-length aspen and ash wood core coated with a carbon fiber hybrid composite structure laminate for maximum torsional rigidity. The sidewall is made from materials straight from Europe where the best edge designs are made.
This board will last longer and be durable against the elements for years to come. This product provides a 2-year warranty.
Pros
- Full rocker
- Sleek design
- The wide board allows for smooth riding
- Made from long-lasting and durable materials
Cons
- A tad pricey
- Is made for experts and not novices
- Can be difficult to be accustomed
Volkl Confession Skis + Look Pivot 14 Dual WTR Ski Bindings
Another pair that’s designed to take the full brunt of your intense descents, the Volkl Confession ensures your skiing experience is both intense and intuitive. The tip and tail rockers are designed for a stiffer flex type of setup. Made from two varying densities of wood, the core is made from ash that is then supported by poplar. Dense wood creates a resilient design while providing plenty of snap.
Additionally, the board is constructed from carbon stringers that cover the layup allowing for direct transmission, allowing for optimal flexibility along with staying long-lasting. The base from a polyethylene base allows for maximum gliding while still being highly durable. This board can take a beating while still being functional for powder ski ventures to come.
Pros
- Durable and long lasting
- Made for experts, but can easily be picked up by novices
- Flexible and sleek design
- Exceptional turning capabilities
Cons
- Materials aren’t as sturdy or high quality
- Experimental board design
The look Pivot Bindings are ideal for both elasticity and safety, and often regarded as being the best on the market. Being held firmly on your board is a must when you’re going down at dangerous speeds. They also contain both ISO Alpine and WTR rockered boot soles.
RMU Valhalla 104 Skis – Women’s + Atomic Warden MNC 11 Bindings
If you’re looking for something that gets downhill fast but with a lot of control, the RMU Valhall 104 Skis are ideal. They get through powdered snow both effectively and efficiently. The board design also allows for an intuitive feel allowing you to turn a lot more easily than some other board brands.
The cocker for both tail and tip has a camber underfoot, the 5 point shape allows for an intuitive riding experience. Sidewalls are military grade all while possessing double thick edges for maximum support and durability.
This along with the Atomic Warden MNC 11 Bindings are ideal for some powder skiing. These bindings can be used on the same pair of skis, whether you’re using a pair of touring boots or alpine boots. These bindings are secure and reliable.
Pros
- Intuitive riding
- Maximum support
- Long lasting
- High Speed
- Excellent Control
Cons
- Expensive
- Made exclusively for experts, hard for novices to pick up
This along with the Atomic Warden MNC 11 Bindings are ideal for some powder skiing. These bindings can be used on the same pair of skis, whether you’re using a pair of touring boots or alpine boots. These bindings are secure and reliable.
Armada Tracer 118 CHX Skis
When it comes to maneuverability and compact lightweight material, the Armada Tracer 118 CHX Skis are where it’s at. With its light core and beveled top sheets, the board becomes extremely lightweight and easy to carry.
The Armada Tracer includes an exaggerated tip rocker and a heavy tail rocker which allows you to feel like you’re gliding right over the snow. The beveled taper tops top off a bit of mass which makes the board itself less dense than the snow, making the entire board stable. The combination of multiple different kinds of lightweight wood.
The Xrystal Mesh Damping integrates Innegra™ Olefin fiber with carbon, resulting in a very impact-resistant laminate coating and high resistance to dampness.
Pros
- Extremely lightweight
- Great for Novices
- Relatively inexpensive
- Quality lamination
Cons
- Not guaranteed to be durable
- Not as long lasting
>> Also read our guide to the best touring skis this season
How to Choose a Powder Ski
Now that you’ve seen a wide variety of some kickass boards, you may be feeling overwhelmed. How do you choose? What should it be based on? The most important factor to consider is the width of your board, as this factor is probably the biggest contributor to quality powder skiing.
Width
Among the ski community, it’s most common to consider a width of either 105 millimeters, 120 millimeters, or somewhere in between to be ideal for powder skiing. Of course, a number of different factors come in to play that you’ll need to consider ranging from where you’re skiing and when you’re skiing.
For example, if you’re powder skiing in the East Coast, then chances are you aren’t going to be seeing a lot of powder snow days as conditions ideal for powder skiing are rare over there. In such a case, you’ll want narrower skis (between 95-105 millimetres), since you may only powder ski every once in a while and not as your main source of skiing.
Narrower skis are able to sink deeper, and thus go by slower and thus extra reaction time. Many people, however, enjoy floating right over the snow, and thus a wider ski would be ideal in such a case. More surface area means less digging into the snow and thus greater flotation.
Choosing the Rocker
Another important aspect to consider is the rocker on your board. What’s a rocker you may ask? Well, the rocker consists of the tail/tip of the ski that curves up. This feature is what allows you to maneuver through the snow and make turns.
It aids in the initiation, turning, and going faster. Ultimately, it’s vital for controlling how fast you’re going. For the average skier, a more exaggerated rocker is better.
The Rocker is the rocker is that lifting the tip and tail of a ski away from the snow makes it more maneuverable in powder because powder acts much more like a liquid than a solid. Tip rocker helps a ski plane faster and aids turn initiation in all conditions. Tail rocker makes a ski easier to “release” from a turn, allowing it to slip sideways and control speed.
While too much rocker can hurt performance, for the average skier the result is better powder handling from narrower skis, and therefore more versatility for all conditions and terrain from a single pair.
>> Read also our guide to the best All Mountain Skis
Sizing Guide
Unfortunately, there is not a consistent and definitive formula that can dictate which ski size, length, and width are optimal for which person. Skiing is a complicated art and depends on a whole plethora of various attributes unique to each individual.
With that in mind, however, weight is still the greatest determining factor in deciding what size your ski should be. This in addition to how intense your ski sessions tend to be can be used to figure out which size best suits your needs.
As a general rule, the heavier you are, the longer your skis should be. If you’re moving from a regular ski to a power ski, 10 more centimeters skis then what you’re comfortable with is common. “Comfortable” tends to be around 170 cm while power skiers use around 180. Advanced skiers use up to 190 cm.
A longer ski allows you to better stabilize when going in a straight line and turning at high speeds. This means however turning becomes difficult when moving slower speeds. Shorter skis are the exact opposite allowing optimal control at slower speeds and greater difficulty of control at higher speeds.
The heavier and more experienced you are, the longer your ski should be.
Conclusion
Powder skiing is an all-around fun sport and is relatively new in the world. With advances in modern technology, ski sports have skyrocketed and show no sign of slowing. Just always remember to stay safe when you’re having fun.