Everyone has to start somewhere, which is another way of saying “You can’t rent forever.” Ladies who are ready to own their own gear will find the Absolut Joy to be a gentle taskmaster. The Absolut Joy wants you to carve, but realizes you can only manage to tilt it to low edge, so it uses a slalom-snug turn radius to hook onto a turn the instant it’s tipped. It’s not into racing straight down the hill any more than you are, preferring to make short, controlled turns at first-gear speeds.

As noted in these pages in years past, the “e” missing from the Absolut Joy’s name stands for “expert,” our oblique way of noting that accomplished skiers will overwhelm the Absolut Joy’s capacities. There are plenty of skis made for women with highly polished skills; the Absolut Joy serves the needs of lasses less laureled.