Skis

This year ski manufacturers continue their never-ending quest to create faster, lighter and more responsive skis. As always, we have checked out all the new equipment and are ready to help you find skis that will help you make the most of your time on the mountain.

When helping you choose your skis, our expert staff will take into account your ability level and skiing style, as well as the snow conditions where you plan to ski. Whether you are a hard-core powder hound or a beginner trying to take your skiing to the next level, we have a ski for you.

And we haven't forgotten the ladies - we have skis designed specifically for women. Lighter and softer flexing, these skis work with a woman's biomechanics to deliver better performance.

Some of the best skis we've seen are all-mountain models designed to handle any conditions Mother Nature throws your way. These skis perform equally well whether you are cruising on groomed slopes, busting through crud, or floating through deep powder. These skis are available in a variety of widths and side cuts to suit your individual needs, but what they have in common is stability at speed, excellent carving ability in firmer conditions, and enough surface area to keep you afloat off piste.

The best of this year's crop of powder skis are fat enough to float through powder, but not so wide as to make them unwieldy on groomed slopes or even in the bumps. If you are one of those folks who call in sick to work after every snow storm, then these powder skis will keep your adrenaline flowing. But even better, they have the versatility to handle a variety of conditions when the weather doesn't dump loads of fresh snow the day before you hit the slopes.

For skiers who head straight to the terrain park, we also have some great new twin tipped skis guaranteed to bring out your inner hot dog. (For the uninitiated, twin tipped skis have rounded tips front and back so they are equally at home skiing forward or backward.) This year many feature a little extra width, making them equally at home in the backcountry as on the half-pipe.

Skis today are more high tech than ever, so the importance of having the right ski-binding package has grown increasingly important. You'll find that most now offer integrated ski/binding systems designed to take full advantage of the performance characteristics of both components. That's good news, because these integrated systems make shopping for the right ski/binding combination incredibly simple.