Volkl Gotama Jr Skis - Youth 2013

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.

Big Mountain

Big mountain skis are designed for charging big lines with high speeds and big airs. These skis varry in width from wide, powder-oriented skis for skiing Alaska spines to narrower, mixed condition skis for ripping the beat up headwall at your local mountain. Skis in this category tend to be on the stiffer side, often with more rocker in the tip and less in the tail.

Powder

These skis are for the deep days. If you like to find powder stashes at your local resort, go on backcountry missions for the freshest of fresh or heli ski trips to BC, powder skis are what you need to stay afloat. Skis in the powder category are wide and most often have some form of rocker or early rise plus a relatively soft flex. Many powder skis today are versatile enough to handle mixed conditions and harder snow.

Whether you’re a progressing intermediate exploring new runs and terrain, or an accomplished rider seeking new thrills, the majority of skiers and snowboarders fall into this level. Intermediate to advanced skis and snowboards may be somewhat wider or stiffer than beginner-intermediate skis and snowboards, usually with a stronger wood core and sandwich sidewall construction. Intermediate to advanced boots and bindings range from softer flexing freestyle options to stiffer choices built for stability at speed.

Rocker (also called reverse-camber) is just as it sounds – camber turned upside down. Rocker skis have a side profile with a smooth downward curvature and a contact point at the middle of the ski. Rocker skis excel in deep powder. This profile provides the skis with less tip and tail hang up to prevent from catching edges and allows the skis to initiate turns extremely quickly. This profile doesn’t perform as well in icy conditions or on harder snow but if you spend lots of time in deep, untracked snow and like a more playful ski, Rocker is a great choice.

Desinged to allow you to ski backwards, full twin tips are found primarily on park & pipe skis and freestyle powder skis. More and more, we are seeing twin tips on all-mountain skis of all abilities, as it makes it a little easier to get around, and for the most part does not inhibit forward skiing.