2021 Women’s Frontside

2021 Women’s Frontside

Only a few years ago, the women’s Frontside genre looked something like the men’s. Now about all the two different collections have in common is a multiplicity of price points that cover the needs of entry-level skiers and those stepping up to something a bit better....

2021 All-Mountain West

If there is a single, do-it-all ski – particularly for western, big-mountain skiing – it no doubt lives in this category and probably has a waist width of 98 or 100mm. The reason is simple: up to this girth (95mm-100mm), these relatively wide skis don’t...

Atomic 2021 Boot Brand Profile

It’s unlikely that Atomic management foresaw just how much its boot brand would come to depend on a modest line of recreational boots it launched 13 years ago. Called Hawx, its unique feature was vent-like creases on both sides of the forefoot, perceived as a fit...
K2 Brand Profile

K2 Brand Profile

2021 K2 Brand Profile K2 once reigned over the US market for so long, its sales leadership practically became a cliché. The keys to its sustained success were manifold, but from a product standpoint it’s not hard to summarize: K2’s have always been easy to ski....

2021 Non-FIS Race

Among elite consumer products, it’s hard to imagine a more hard-luck case than that of race skis in America.  A mere 25 years ago, if you had any pretensions at all of being an expert they were the only game in town.  Now they’re not even considered in the discussion...