The women’s Frontside collection is practically the polar opposite of the men’s. While almost every men’s Recommended Frontside model is a Power ski, the women’s Recommended models are wall-to-wall Finesse skis. The data tells us four of the six Recommended women’s models are Power skis, but data isn’t always conclusive and in this instance is flat-out misleading. There’s no way, for example, that the Black Pearl 78 is a Power ski, and it has the highest Power score in the genre.

Not to pick on the Black Pearl 78, it’s obviously a lovely ski, but it’s a backside ski with a Frontside waist dimension. It should be the anomaly in the field, not the standard bearer. A case could be made that all six of our Recommended models are actually Finesse skis that hold a competent edge with little coaxing. Women who want a stouter carving tool should look either in the Power-obsessed unisex field or among the handful of women’s Technical skis.

The vast majority of women’s Frontside models are made for women of less than expert ability and can’t score high enough to make our Recommended cut. Our small clique of winners have the pizzazz to sustain an advanced skier’s interest yet aren’t so high-geared an athletic intermediate can’t enjoy them. Women who like their turns relatively short and their speed under control will find these fillies responsive to gentle handling.