2026 Silver Skier Selections

When Jon Weisberg, founder of SeniorsSkiing.com, suggested I single out skis that would be particularly well adapted for senior skiers, I didn’t immediately warm to the idea, if only because I was already plenty busy trying to test and review over 100 models a season. Most of the people I skied with qualified as seniors, and none of them made the slightest concession to age when it came to their gear selection.

It took me about a year to realize that my typical ski buddy wasn’t exactly a representative sample of the senior skiing population, and that seniors needed just as much help finding their perfect ski as anyone else.  Once I started doling out Silver Skier Selections and readers began noticing them, the wisdom of Weisberg’s original vision became manifest.

As I am no longer composing long-form ski reviews, the Silver Skier Selections lost the pool of reviews to which they were tethered. While I can’t alter the course of events that have disrupted my efforts to capture ski test data, I can help keep Jon Weisberg’s vision alive, at least for one more year.

Non-FIS Race

This isn’t the genre for someone trying to conserve energy, but the addiction to the feel of a true race ski doesn’t fade with age. By definition, all Non-FIS Race skis are made to the highest standard. The three GS/SL models I’ve selected here are notable for being readily accessible without world-class conditioning. If you’re good enough to ski a true race ski, you don’t need my advice on how I perceive their particular merits, hence no thumbnail sketch for each model. Suffice it to say, if I were picking for myself, these are the models I’d choose from. They all ski better than whatever else you own. But you need to bring a polished skill set to the party…

Atomic Redster G9 Revoshock S

Atomic Redster S9 Revoshock S

Rossignol Hero Elite LT Ti

Rossignol Hero Elite ST Ti

Völkl Racetiger GS

Völkl Racetiger SL

Technical

This genre has all but disappeared from the U.S. market, although it remains popular in Europe. Some are combi race models; all are made to arc perfect carves.

Atomic Redster X9 Revoshock S A classic combi, anyone with a race background will instantly feel at home. Too bad the Technical category is so weak in this country, because models like the Redster X9 deserve a wider following.

Head Supershape e-Magnum Head was an early adapter at the dawn of the Carving craze, and they remain committed to the genre. More versatile in ungroomed terrain than you’d expect, but oh-so-committed to the turn when asked to slice up groomers.

Kästle M9 76 Probably the mellowest, easiest-to-bow model in this genre, the new Kästle is made to hit a lower price point than is the norm in this elite category.

Nordica Dobermann Multipista DC Nordica makes a first-rate race ski; this is the most versatile of the lot, in both turn shape and terrain adaptability.

Salomon Addikt 76 Once upon a time, Salomon was unquestionably the most innovative brand in skiing; every so often, Sally can still make something you didn’t see coming. The new Addikt should be a short-turn fanatic’s fav.

Frontside

This is a huge category, if only because it occupies every price point from the cellar to the penthouse. If you’ve been riding an All-Mountain model for a few seasons, you’ll find a narrower Frontside ski easier to maneuver and more terrain agnostic than you’d expect.  Whether your skills are eroding or as sharp as ever, you’ll find a Frontside model takes less effort to steer and holds a more accurate line.

Atomic Redster Q 9.8  If you want a race-caliber combi, you want the Redster X9.  If you want a mellow cruiser that won’t drain your power tank, turning the Redster Q. 9.8 takes as much energy as blinking.

Blizzard Anomaly 84 New just last year, the Anomaly 84 is unusual in that it’s predisposed to big turns in whatever terrain it’s aimed at. It has the stability on edge of a carving ski in a chassis that isn’t picky about terrain. 

Blizzard Stormbird 82 DTi The new Stormbird 82 DTi offers a rich construction in an economical system ski (meaning it comes with its own (Marker) binding). If you prefer a short-radius turn that doesn’t require a lot of energy to engage, the Stormbird 82 DTi delivers a smooth ride anywhere on the trail map.

Head Supershape e-Titan With the latest Supershape series, family-owned Head has finally gotten the deep-sidecut shape right. The trick to making the most versatile carving skis the Austrians have ever concocted was reducing the depth of their sidecut, so they’re not always itching to make the next big-bellied arc. The e-Titan is a great all-around ski for the eastern U.S.

Head Supershape e-Rally The archetypical carving ski for over a decade, the e-Rally still loves to roll edge-to-edge, but it’s now easier than ever to mix up turn shapes just by adding or subtracting the degree of edge angle. If you can’t carve on the e-Rally, you need a few lessons…

Kästle MX84 The best all-terrain skis use a vertically laminated wood core, in this case, soft poplar and dense beech stacked in narrow slivers that allow its flex properties to be precisely tailored. The MX84 is remarkably agile for such a rock-solid ski. It doesn’t just ski well in rough terrain; it dominates it.

Rossignol Forza 70o Ti The top of the Forza family is a classic Carver, intended to be raked up at max edge angle on every arc. Rossi has a knack for making high-end skis that aren’t high maintenance to ski, and the Forza isn’t as finicky as its 70o tag implies.  It rolls edge-to-edge on a continuous spool even at more modest angles.

Salomon Stance 84 The Stance 84 didn’t make this list on elite performance per se, but for its exceptional cost/value relationship. At $699 with its own binding, the Stance 84 is a terrific step-up ski.  Anyone coming off hand-me-downs will think they’ve died and gone to ski Nirvana.

Stöckli Laser AX No single Stöckli model has contributed more to the Swiss brand’s ascension among the ranks of the best -selling skis in America than the Laser AX. It’s endured some modest modifications since its inception, but its essential character remains intact: an exquisite all-terrain sedan that smoothes out the ride whether on hardpack our spring soup.

Völkl Peregrine 82 The Peregrine 82 isn’t really detuned to suit a senior’s lower-energy arcs, but I’ve included it here because it’s just too good to leave out. If you still have the chops, don’t settle for a second-rate ride. As a senior skier, you’ve earned the right to have your best ski day,  every day.

Women’s Frontside

One of the oddities of the women’s ski market is that the narrower the model, the more likely it is to use a rich construction that targets the elite skier. The top-of-the-line women’s models in both the Technical and Frontside genres tend to sport more made-for-women features than the typical All-Mountain and Big Mountain women’s models. Point being, the best made-for-women skis aren’t aimed at seniors, but at hard charging, technical skiers.  Mellower models can be found further down the pricing pyramid and in wider categories like All-Mountain East.

Blizzard Black Pearl 84 The thinner sister of America’s most popular women’s model, the Black Pearl 88, the Black Pearl 84 boasts a huge performance envelope, mellow enough to help boost an intermediate’s confidence yet with plenty of power in reserve for those with a full skill set.

Nordica Wild Belle DC 84 The Wild Belle aims squarely at the intermediate woman who prioritizes ease of use while facilitating skills development. The easy-to-bow design of the Wild Belle core proved so effective it has become a staple of the Nordica ski line.

Salomon Stance W 84 One of the best values in the equipment market, the Stance W 84 is simplicity itself to steer at the modest speeds lower skill skiers prefer.

All-Mountain East

If you need one ski that can handle whatever conditions you encounter, it should be plucked from this genre.  Versatility is their dominant personality trait; quick enough to the edge to navigate choppy bumps, fat enough to float in boot-top powder, narrow enough to bite into eastern boilerplate, mellow enough to turn at slow speeds and stable enough to charge the fall line.

Atomic Maverick 86 C  The 86 C isn’t the top of the Maverick series; in fact, it’s the cellar-dweller, but therein lies its beauty. Atomic has been focused on minimalism for close to a decade, striving to get the highest performance from the simplest construction. As long as you don’t run it at warp speed, its remarkably calm and always easy to steer

Blizzard Anomaly 88 New just last season, the Anomaly 88 fills the position in Blizzard’s line that was formerly held by the Brahma 88, a slot it fits into seamlessly.  The Anomaly lay-up is a bit different, breaking up the top Titanal laminate so the ski is a little easier to bow without losing the grip one gets from metal.

Head Kore 94 Ti Head dramatically altered the character of its Kore collection by adding 2 sheets of Titanal® to its sandwich construction. Senior skiers should consider the Kore 94 Ti in its white construction, as it ought to be a little easier to curl into the top of a turn than the black, ostensibly men’s, version of the same ski.

Nordica Enforcer 94 The Nordica Enforcer 94 skis like it knows where you’re going before you do. It rolls on and off the edge so smoothly, you’d suspect it might skid right through the turn, but all it needs is a hint of edge angle and it’s committed to a turn that practically takes zero effort to execute.

Rossignol Arcade 94 This is Rossignol’s second season with the Arcade collection as the centerpiece of its in-resort series, and the extra year of experience with the new design enabled Rossi’s R&D team to optimize the design’s potential. The result is a smoother, more connected ride in every phase of the turn.

Völkl Mantra 88 The king of the AME category, the Völkl Mantra 88 meets every expectation for performance.  It favors the more skilled skier only in that it likes some wind in its sails, but this is hardly a demerit. If you want a ski that smears and swivels, this isn’t it. If you want a directional powerhouse that’s easy to steer though whatever snow lies in your path, the Mantra 88 is the ticket.            

Women’s All-Mountain East

If all you ever ski is groomers, fine, get a Frontside ski. But for those women with the slightest inclination to travel off trail, the all-terrain, in-resort skier belongs on an All-Mountain East model.

Blizzard Black Pearl 88 They can retire the trophy for the Best-Selling Ski of the Last Decade; the winner is the Blizzard Black Pearl 88, no contest. It’s gone through the make-over machinery a few times since its debut, getting better with every incarnation. Blizzard’s extra investment in their women’s models has been repaid in spades.

Head Kore 93 Ti W Head first used Graphene in its Joy women’s series ten years ago, signaling its commitment to finding technical solutions specific to female skiers.  (As opposed to just redecorating a men’s design). This season, Head added Ti laminates to its entire Kore collection, and created a parallel Kore series with a lighter, women-specific core.  The Kore 93 Ti W should be an exciting amalgam of power and finesse.

Nordica Santa Ana 92 Nordica doesn’t make a great women-specific AME model; it makes two of the best AME women’s models. I’m recommending the Santa Ana 92 over the Santa Ana 87 because the former uses a little less metal in its wider chassis, ergo it’s a bit easier to bow.  Both are magical in a broad range of snow conditions.

All-Mountain West

If your preferred playground lies the big mountains of the American west, you’ll encounter enough mixed conditions to justify the added surface area built into an AMW model. The less you sink on each turn, the less effort required to maintain momentum and the easier it will be to change directions with a sudden swivel, an essential off-trail technique. The top models in the genre are generally Power skis that take some added mojo to bend, which is why you won’t find the Blizzard Anomaly 94, the Stöckli Stormrider 95 or Völkl  Mantra M7 on this list.

Blizzard Rustler 9 The Rustler 9 is perfectly adapted for the less aggressive skier without surrendering the secure edge that skiing requires once the new snow of the morning becomes the hot mess of the early afternoon. Easy to bow into an arc at the lower speeds mandated by manky moguls and tight trees, the Rustler 9 is practically the antithesis of the long-turn battering ram embodied in the Anomaly 102.

Dynastar M-Pro 100 Ti One could make a strong case that the newest member of the Dynastar family, the M-Free 100, is the French ski maker’s most forgiving AMW model, but in my experience the M-Free models are too lightweight and loosey-goosey to feel confident opening the throttle when motoring through crud. The better tool for the senior skier is the M-Pro 100 Ti, which is more of a directional design with the requisite dose of Titanal to keep it quiet.

Nordica Enforcer 99 I hesitate to endorse the Enforcer 99 as a Silver Skier Selection because the original Enforcer 100 was the antithesis of a Finesse model. But the modifications made to the Enforcers last year – particularly in the tail geometry – made it much easier to drift and smear at will.  If you still charge the fall-line, the Enforcer 99 won’t let you down when you open it up.  

Women’s All-Mountain West

Women of modest skiing skills looking for a wider ski to make their off-trail life easier should probably look elsewhere. Women’s AMW models tend to target the talented lass who rips the sidecountry to shreds, rather than the timid who tiptoe into choppy snow. Our two Silver Skier Selections aren’t meant as training wheels for so-so skiers, but as facilitators that open up the sidecountry to those who already have the requisite skill set.

Blizzard Sheeva 9 Learning to conquer sidecountry conditions is all about confidence, and the Sheeva 9’s stable ride gives gals the gall to open it up in cruddy conditions. Skiing through choppy tracks in slow motion is an energy-sapping slog; as crazy as it sounds, you have to ski it fast to smooth it out. The Sheeva 9 radiates confidence, bowing under a light rein yet stout enough to barrel through spring snow.

Head Kore 99 Ti W Head placed a huge bet on its women’s collection when the Austrian brand created a women’s line with two unique qualities: not a single model was derived from a men’s template, and Head found a way to industrialize Graphene, giving them the inside track on making the lightest skis, well, ever. Turns out, Graphene by itself wasn’t the solution, so this year Head added two sheets of Titanal to every new Kore model. The “W” version of the Kore 99 Ti lightens up the wood core, but shares all its other elements with the men’s model.

Big Mountain

Lower skill skiers will be out of their depth here. Sure, they’ll get the benefit of more flotation in deep, uncut pow, but how many perfect runs like that are you going to get? And will the less talented be able to even bend a burly Big Mountain? Sure, some Big Mountain models are softer-flexing than the norm, but the extra width also makes it harder for the less-than-expert skier to rake the ski up to a high edge angle.  If a Silver Skier really wants more help in new snow, get a full-on Powder model, forget edge angle and smear your blues away.

Salomon QST 106  The QST 106 has been tweaked and retuned every few years without altering its essential characteristic: it skis narrower than it measures, probably because it rolls up on edge so smoothly, you barely notice its substantial width. Even-tempered and simplicity itself to ski, the QST 106 has found the formula for making off-trail skiing as easy and natural as linking arcs on groomers.

Head Kore 112 Ti  I admit it: I fell hopelessly in love with the Head Kore 111.  It had the width of an ocean liner and the turning accuracy of a cigarette boat. But Head could never get its Graphene-laced design to match the feel of a ski with metal in its guts, so this year it swapped Graphene for two layers of Titanal®. Will the new Kore 112 Ti feel as nimble and responsive as its predecessor? Truth be told, I don’t know, but I’m keen to find out.

Völkl Revolt 101  I’m flying blind on this recommendation, but a handful of testers I greatly respect mentioned the Revolt 101 as the biggest surprise in this year’s field of new models. Despite its Pipe & Park pedigree, the Revolt 101 sports the flat tail of a decidedly directional model.  Adding a bit of Pipe & Park smear to a fall-line chasing chassis should make for a forgiving ride in rugged off-trail conditions.

Women’s Big Mountain

A Women’s Big Mountain ski to too wide to serve as an everyday ski for most women, so consider these recommended models to serve as one’s powder ski when conditions merit. The principal “womanizing” feature of their design – if any – is to reduce the amount of metal in their make-up.

Head Kore 104 Ti W Honestly, I don’t know exactly how the new Kore 104 Ti W is going to ski, I only know that its precursor, the Kore 103 W, was our top-rated WBM model for Finesse properties, and the new model has been further adapted for women by switching out part of its wood core for a for a lighter PET composite material. In effect, Head’s best ski for the female off-trail skier went from having no Ti in its guts to one with the most metal in its class.

Völkl Blaze 104 The Blaze series is a unisex design focused on a lighter weight chassis in all its incarnations, hence no need to further “feminize” the design.  A small patch of Titanal underfoot is remarkably effective, keeping the ride smooth in both choppy crud and crystalline corduroy. The multiple radius sidecut hides a short-radius turn in its mid-section, facilitating tight turns when trees or other terrain features mandate a suite of short turns.

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