2025 Women’s All-Mountain West Skis
2025 Women’s All-Mountain West Recommended Skis
In yet another example of our cutting-edge journalism, permit us to point out that men and women are different. The pertinent manifestation of this principle is that the same width ski that makes an ideal men’s all-terrain tool is a tad too wide to be an everyday ride for all but the most talented lasses. Put more succinctly, if you don’t instinctively ride an elevated edge angle, a ski from the All-Mountain West genre should be a second, soft-snow pair of skis.
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The primary reason for taking this precaution is that a wider ski takes more effort to roll up on edge. A lower skill skier is more likely to just push it around, all fun and games in soft snow but a bit like an unguided missile when the snow firms up. Lower skill skiers tend to regard our Power Picks as lacking in forgiving traits, while the experts who log many miles a season don’t detect any unfriendly attitudes no matter where or how they ski them.
So what woman does belong on an All-Mountain West model? As long as it’s a second ski reserved for soft snow conditions, there’s really no upper or lower suitability threshold for any of our favorites. And yes, it can be an everyday ski for a strong, athletic woman and probably is serving that function for those lucky enough to ski over 50 days a year. They do make it look effortless, but it’s worth noting these are ladies who drop their hips within inches of the snow as a matter of course.
The 2025 Women’s All-Mountain West Field
A ski with a waist width between 95mm and 100mm is already a wide ski for a woman, which means most models sold in this genre are likely to be a second pair, intended for soft-snow days or perhaps set up for touring. Because this market is more limited, brands don’t offer as many options in the All-Mountain West category. Only one major brand offers more than one model in the WAMW genre, and the second option exists mainly to hit a lower price point.
Because of its smaller size, the Women’s All-Mountain West category has a lower rate of model turnover. This year there were only three newcomers to the genre, only two of which merited inclusion in our Recommended ranks: Völkl’s Secret 96 and Nordica’s Santa Ana 97, both of which are following in the tracks of established stars.
Power Picks: Dominate Black Diamonds
Fat skis were originally created so skiers of average ability could access slopes they’d never be able to manage on a skinny ski. That notion does not apply here. These skis were made to help the already accomplished take their game up a notch. They reserve their best behavior for skiers capable of finding a high edge angle even when motoring off-trail. They are meant to be ridden hard, fast and athletically.
Finesse Favorites: Smooth Operators
The entire Women’s All-Mountain West category is aimed at an already accomplished lass who isn’t looking for a game-improvement gimmick but a bona fide training partner. While our Finesse Favorites are fabulous at reducing the physical toll of skiing off-trail, they aren’t a magic pill for those without skills. But for the talented skier who drives with a soft touch, our Finesse Favorites are real-deal, off-trail magicians, able to smooth out the ride in wicked harbor chop then transition to a deep-bellied carve on corduroy without batting an eye.