2018 Monster 98

The mere softening of the flex pattern couldn’t have made the Monster 98 a better ski if it weren’t already a damn good one. Among its bundle of admirable traits are a few features that are becoming so rare they’re endangered: a forebody that engages the snow the moment it’s tipped, a tail that’s more squared off rather than turned up and just enough rocker to rationalize calling them rockered. They sure don’t behave like typical rockered skis. They perform like race skis wearing a fat suit.