SKIER — KNOW THYSELF. KNOW HOW YOU SKI, HOW WELL YOU SKI, WHERE YOU SKI AND WHAT TERRAIN YOU SKI. THEN CHOOSE THE SKI THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU.
AH, BUT HOW ? CHOOSING THE RIGHT SKI IS LIKE COMPUTER DATING : THERE’S A LOT OUT THERE THAT WON’T WORK FOR YOU, BUT ENTER THE RIGHT COORDINATES AND VOILA — YOU FIND A GREAT MATCH. READ THESE PAGES TO FIGURE OUT WHERE YOU FIT INTO THE OVERALL MATRIX. ONCE YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE AS A SKIER, YOU CAN BEST CHOOSE THE SKI THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU.

GROOMERS
Pure carving is a relatively nouveau concept in skiing, deli-vered by the development of skis with deep sidecuts. The skis in this category focus on carving, with sidecuts that typi-cally taper from a fat tip of more than 115 mm to a svelte waist of 70 mm. Just roll `em on edge, and look behind you at the deep, well-defined trenches they cut in the snow.

SHORT TURNS (MSA) | turn to p. 48
Skier:    
Part-time slalom racers and advanced skiers who like short, quickly linked turns.
Terrain:    
Steep, narrow and sometimes hard, as you might find in the East. Tight spots, like glades, are no problem.
Turn:     
The turning radius of these skis ranges between 10 m and 14 m, typical of the tight radiuses of slalom courses.

LONG TURNS (MSA) | turn to p. 50
Skier:     
Racers and racer wannabes who love big turns at big speeds, bombing top to bottom on open slopes.
Terrain:     
Groomed or hardpacked runs with enough space for big turns. Hardpacked snow and racecourse ice are in the mix.
Turn:     
The turning radius of these skis ranges between 14 m and 20 m. That’s a turn shape typical of recreational giant slalom racing.

PERFORMANCE (MSA) | turn to p. 52
Skier:    
Advanced skiers getting the hang of pure carving and spending most of their time on groomers but with an eye out for exploring all over the mountain.
Terrain:     
A healthy dose of groomers, but other terrain is doable as long as the snow isn’t too deep.
Turn:     
The turning radius of these skis averages around 14 m, the median ground between giant slalom and slalom turns.

GAME IMPROVEMENT (MSA) | turn to p. 54
Skier:     
Skiers moving up the food chain, comfortable on blue slopes but looking to take their skiing to the next level.
Terrain:     
Mostly intermediate groomers, but not shy about testing the waters occasionally on tougher stuff.
Turn:     
An average turning radius of around 14 m means midsized turns, but may be shaky at higher speeds due to a soft, easy-turning flex.

MULTI-CONDITION
No ski handles all terrain and all snow conditions perfectly, but many skis handle many things extremely well. These skis are wider underfoot than the groomers, with a waist ranging between 70 mm and 82 mm, for better soft-snow flotation. But sidecuts are typically big — sometimes with a tip-to-waist taper of more than 50 mm — so there’s no problem carving turns on firmer snow.

HIGH-PERFORMANCE (MSA) | turn to p. 56
Skier:     
Experts who can rip all over the mountain, transitioning easily through changes in terrain or snow conditions.
Terrain:     
Best on blacks and double blacks, on all snow conditions except for snorkel-deep powder.
Turn:     
Carving works, but so does swiveling. The turning radius can be 12 m to 18 m, depending on the model.

PERFORMANCE (MSA) | turn to p. 58
Skier:    
Advanced skiers with expert potential and an eagerness to explore the whole mountain.
Terrain:    
The portfolio is growing. Groomers are the main thing, but more challenging terrain is increasingly part of the picture.
Turn:    
Check the turning radius. There’s plenty of variation in this cate-gory, though giant slalom shapes with gentler flex are most common.

GAME IMPROVEMENT (MSA) | turn to p. 59
Skier:     
Confident now in blue runs, skiers looking to expand their reper-toire at a higher level.
Terrain:     
Blue is best, but black is OK as long as speed is kept down. Good on any snow, but typically softer flexes work better on softer snow.
Turn:    
Versatility is key here. Carve turns or slide turns, but don’t let the speedometer edge into the red zone.

FREERIDE
Freedom’s just another word for everything to ski. Free-riders don’t like limits; they like possibilities. When they look at a mountain, what they see is a ventricular network of possible lines, both on and off the trail network. Freeriders need a ski that allows the freedom to explore — wide enough for off-piste powder, but best with all-terrain capabilities. But freedom also means choice. Different freeride models, from all-terrain midfats to superfat powder boards, allow skiers to choose their priorities. However you define freedom, there’s a ski out there for you.

MIDFAT (MSA) | turn to p. 60
Skier:    
Advanced-to-expert who likes the challenge of variable terrain and conditions and who likes carving as well as playing in powder.
Terrain:    
Mostly black, with occasional off-piste exploration. Snow conditions ranging from rock-hard to knee-deep powder.
Turn:    
Turning radiuses vary. Enough sidecut to carve on groomed snow but also enough width to float and steer on soft snow.

MIDFAT (W/B) | turn to p. 62
Skier:    
Typically an all-day, every-day Westerner who encounters a lot of soft snow, powder and crud.
Terrain:    
Best when conditions are soft, but still able to handle occasional hard stuff.
Turn:     
The 80 mm to 90 mm waist allows good flotation in deeper stuff. Getting the skis on edge for carving is challenging but possible.

FAT (W/B) | turn to p. 63
Skier:    
Pure powder pigs who never sharpen their edges. If there aren’t at least a few fresh inches, they’re staying home.
Terrain:    
Steep and deep, especially O/B. But inbounds powder and crud isn’t out of the question.
Turn:    
With more than 90 mm underfoot, flotation is the thing, sometimes turning around to go switch.

FREESTYLE
Think of skiing as a day at the amusement park. Every run, both in terrain parks and beyond, is an opportunity to go on a wild, trick-filled ride. Skiing forward, skiing switch, catching air, riding rails — the operative concept is all play, all the time. Sure, it’s nice to be able to make a decent carved turn, but the priorities here are clear: Skiing is mostly a chance to reach deep into a bagful of amusing tricks.

TWINTIP (MSA) | turn to p. 64Skier:    
Not necessarily a pure park rat, but pretty close. Always looking for terrain, both in and out of the park, to trick things up.
Terrain:    
Think 75 % in the park, 25 % out. Wide enough for decent soft-snow performance.
Turn:    
Reduced sidecuts and fatter waists make carving challenging though not impossible. Switch turns are as important as forward turns.

FAT TWIN (W/B) | turn to p. 65
Skier:    
Open-mountain tricksters who spend practice time in the park in order to fine-tune their game for big-mountain, soft-snow antics.
Terrain:    
A fat waist — sometimes over 100 mm — calls out for deep snow. The more terrain features for trying tricks, the better.
Turn:    
There’s more to the sport than just turning. Hucking, straightlining and surfing powder switch come into play.