Fischer Watea 98 BC TT Skis 2011

All-mountain skis are designed to handle anything you throw at them including powder, ice, groomers, steeps, heavy snow, and everything in between, but they aren’t necessarily a master of any one terrain. If you’re only going to own one ski to do it all, this is what you want. All-mountain skis generally have what we call mid-fat waists that range from 80-110 mm.

Whether you charge the steepest lines, hit the biggest jumps in the park or carve with race-like precision, advanced to expert level skis, snowboards, boots and bindings are for the more aggressive rider. In skis and snowboards, you'll often find layers of metal, carbon or other stringers for rigidity and power, while advanced to expert level boots and bindings are usually on the stiffer side of the spectrum for rebound and precision steering.

Rocker/Camber/Rocker skis have the playfulness and float of a rockered ski as well as the added edge hold of a cambered ski. The contact points on skis with this profile are closer towards the middle of the ski than a fully cambered ski, but still not underfoot. The cambered midsection provides a longer effective edge on hardpack, increasing edge hold and stability, while the rockered tip and tail provide floatation in deeper snow and allow the ski to initiate and release from turns easier.

Partial twin tip skis have a tail that is turned up, but not as much as the tip. This gives you the ability to ski backwards and back out of tight spaces, but these skis are mainly designed to ski forward.