Ski

LevelAdvancedFlex Rating0TerrainFreerideBest forStrong skiers on big daysPrice£650Season2020/21lengths180, 187, 194Bindings?NoFloat9Versatility8Playfulness8Energy9Value8Stability10Overall Score9+A clever combination of power and personality‐The available lengths narrow down the potential audience – perhaps rightlyThe Black Ops Sender Ti is the unquestioned Hero product of Rossignol’s big story for 2020/21 – their ‘Creative’ range of freeride, touring and freestyle models, all under the Black…

LevelAdvancedFlex Rating0TerrainAll MountainBest forStrong skiers who like to ‘charge and carve’ in equal measurePrice£520Season2020/21lengths168, 176, 182, 188Bindings?NoFloat8Playfulness8Value9Edge hold9Stability10Turn initiation8Overall Score9+Versatility and mass appeal‐Graphics are underwhelmingThe Stance 90 from Salomon represents the narrower end of their brand new family of all mountain chargers. “Crafted to charge, shaped to carve” is the tagline, and as the narrowest…

LevelAdvancedFlex Rating0TerrainPisteBest forStrong intermediate piste skiers looking to improve whilst still enjoying their skiingPrice£615Season2020/21Bindings?YesPlayfulness7Energy9Value7Edge hold9Stability9Turn initiation10Overall Score8+A super-smooth ride and likes to be driven hard‐The confused marketingHead’s well-established Supershape range of performance piste skis now sits around a core of 5 skis, called variously e-Speed, e-Titan etc. There is a nod to classic models but…

LevelAdvancedFlex Rating0TerrainPisteBest forStrong piste lovers who don’t like being punished by their skisPrice£700Season2020/21Bindings?YesPlayfulness7Energy9Value8Edge hold10Stability9Turn initiation8Overall Score9+A wild K2 ride, entirely focussed on skiing fast‐Despite being ‘expert’ it may not suit racer-type skiersLong have K2 championed fun over some quasi-academic notion of ‘performance’. So while some high-end piste skis seem to take an almost sadistic pleasure…

LevelAdvancedFlex Rating0TerrainAll MountainBest forFreeriders looking for an all mountain vehiclePrice£600Season2020/21lengths169, 176, 181Bindings?NoFloat8Playfulness8Edge hold10Stability9Turn initiation8Overall Score8+Freeride feel on all terrain‐The slightly garbled messaging from Line…We were initially very confused as to what category to test the Blade under. Line put it up as a piste ski, presumably on the basis it’s as close to a piste…

LevelAdvancedFlex Rating0TerrainFreerideBest forAll freeriders, from the tentative to the diehardPrice£585Season2020/21lengths154, 162, 170Bindings?NoFloat9Versatility9Playfulness9Energy10Value10Stability10Overall Score9+Outstanding freeride performance and still approachable to a wide range of skiers‐Graphics are to taste and the price might be a slight stretch…The Blackops line from Rossignol has stormed the freeride tent this season, and their much-loved Soul 7 and Sky 7 models…

LevelAdvancedFlex Rating0Best forAnyone interested in freeride, from decent resort skiers stepping up, to strong powder seekers. Strong, advanced big mountain skiers should look at the Sender Ti.Price£585lengths154, 164, 172, 178, 186Bindings?NoFloat9Versatility9Playfulness9Energy10Value10Stability10Overall Score10+A near-perfect blend of power, pop, versatility and accessibility‐NothingThe Black Ops range is Rossignol’s big focus this season, and every model we tested has…

LevelAdvancedFlex Rating0TerrainFreerideBest forBlack Crows fans looking for a quiver of onePrice£610Season2020/21Bindings?NoFloat10Versatility6Playfulness9Energy10Value8Stability9Overall Score9+Super-fun fatty, for the deep days and the steep days‐Not as versatile as Black Crows think it isBlack Crows tout the Atris as their flagship model, and perhaps more surprisingly, as their quiver of one. That mystical ‘one ski quiver’ requires, if nothing else,…