All-Mountain

All-Mountain is the broadest category out there, and it can mean just about everything.
As the popularity of going sidecountry booms, many of the big brands are making skis
to fi t the category. When choosing a ski, figure out what All-Mountain means to you. K2, for example, states that its All-Mountain boards are designed for “resort-based, inbounds skiing.” And that means they are built to excel in any snow that a resort has to offer—powder, crud, spring slush, wind-effected, granular, man-made, groomed or rock-hard blue ice. No surprise finding K2’s All-Mountain Apache series’ waists in the 72- to 84-mm range. Nordica broadens the concept to mean “a versatile ski that offers the precision of a frontside board with the flotation and versatility of a powder surfer,” and offers waists that fall between 76 and 90 mm. Black Diamond calls its Verdict an All-Mountain ski, despite its beefy 102 mm underfoot. In this lineup we cover the gamut from front- to sidecountry, with the keyword being versatility. These skis both turn quickly onslope and float through the powder. If you ski all over the place and are going to be buying one pair of skis this season, then consider the following.

 Back with Avenger
Inspired from last year’s success with its Classic line, Rossignol is launching
the Avenger series. Expect a wider waist—82 mm, up from the Classic’s
70 and 80—along with a wood-core sandwich construction on this totally
designed-from-scratch ski. Keep your eyes open for its squared All-Mountain
tip, providing both increased contact points for frontside carving and a wider
shovel for sidecountry flotation.

 All-Mountain with Salomon
Salomon offers its X-Wing series for men and Origins for women. All told,
it’s a dozen skis that challenge all snow conditions and types of terrain. At the
top of the men’s line are the Tornado Ti and Fury, with 78- and 85-mm waists
respectively. Both offer the gamut of technologies, including the Double Ti
Laminate. A pair of parallel titanium plates gives added strength, precision
and stability with enormous edging capacity to the skis. The 3D Stealth Tip is
a lower-shaped shovel that allows the ski to roll over terrain variations more calmly
than a regular-shaped tip. The women’s Diamond is the beefiest in its category
with 79 mm underfoot, and comes with the Stealth Tip.

 More Savage than ever
Atomic broke the moulds and its Savage Ti grew from 86 to 93 mm
underfoot. This wild board comes with the company’s Timber Lite
Ti Technology, a super-high-grade construction that combines Densolite
and a wood core, which provides longlasting fl ex with the increased power
of titanal. Torsion Flex Control ensures that the ski is solid through its central
axis, yet fl exible and light in the tip and tail for increased manoeuvrability.

 Eco ski
Rossignol has also come up with its first environmental All-Mountain ski.
Called the Attraxion Echo, it uses more natural fibres and fewer petroleumbased
products and lacquers. With a 127-75-108 sidecut and a wood-core
sandwich construction, it promises to be no slouch on or off the slope.

 Feel the Heat
Fischer’s Heat series is fired up with Dynamic Grip Control (DGC),
an intelligent system that adapts automatically to varying terrain and
snow conditions. DGC optimizes torsional stiffness in the ski centre,
while triple inlayed elastomers in the tip and tail produce instant and
continuous grip for better control.

 Caught in the Crossfire
K2’s Crossfire beefed up by four mm underfoot. Now at a comfortable 122-
74-106, this board is more versatile and stable, yet with the same carving
precision of yesteryear. It’s the only Apache-series ski with ABS sidewall
construction for increased hold while laying down arcs on firmer terrain.

 Take Flite
Line’s All-Mountain lineup comes in two waist sizes: either a 90 mm in men’s and
women’s or 100 underfoot in men’s. New this year is Flite, the twin brother of the
popular Prophet 90. The ski comes with a poplar core, resulting in a lightweight,
good-value ride. Its sister, the Celebrity, now comes with a stiffening metal matrix.