Nordica Axana Violet Skis + N Sport XCT Bindings - Women's 2012

Carving

For those that like the classic feeling of laying a ski over on edge and arcing a perfect turn, carving skis are what you want. These skis have narrower waists and shorter turn radii for edge to edge quickness and responsive turn initiation and exit on groomed runs and hard pack. The beginner-intermediate skis in this category are designed to make learning how to turn as easy as going from pizza to French fries.

All-Mountain

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’re new to the sport or working on linking smooth turns, you fall into this ability level. Typical beginner skis and snowboards are usually built with softer materials, narrower widths, and feature cap construction for an easy to turn, forgiving ride. Beginner-intermediate boots and bindings are also built for ease of use and progression, featuring softer flexes and in the case of ski bindings, quick and safe release from the ski in case of a fall.

Camber is the traditional profile for skis offering skiers lots of edge hold, especially on harder snow. A cambered ski has a smooth arch underfoot and contact points near the tip and tail when unweighted. Camber skis excel at carving on hard snow; you won’t ever see a ski racer on anything other than cambered skis.

This is your traditional tail, designed to have edge contact all the way through the tail, and only designed for skiing forward. This is also preferred for alpine touring, as you can stick the tails of your skis in the snow.