Pure Joy

The Pure Joy is made for the gal who wants a little help making short turns and keeping her speed in check but otherwise is relatively free of ambitions. Her aims are social: ski with friends and family, enjoy the fresh air and scenery, take it easy and eliminate...

Santa Ana 93

Finding just the right formula for a women’s ski construction can take a ton of tinkering. The weight allusion is apt, for part of the presumed goal is to pare away every ounce that can be cut. Nordica has been reconfiguring its women’s core components for several...

Stormrider 85 Motion

Most of the skis in this genre lean more to the off-trail side of the terrain ledger, but the Stöckli Stormrider 85 Motion is partial to hard packed powder. Skiers familiar with Stöckli’s history know that its roots are in racing, so much so that for several seasons some of their Stormriders skied more like obese Super G skis than freeride models.

But the Stormrider 85 Motion has trimmed down since that era and the current incarnation is, if anything, too flexy in the forebody for some of our crew who’ve essayed the Motion for years. But comparing the 2017 Motion to previous editions isn’t as useful to the current ski buyer as comparing it to the rest of today’s market and in that context, the Stormrider du jour comes across as a powerful carving machine.

Sir Francis Bacon

[The test results and review for the Sir Francis Bacon are from 2016; its only changes for 2017 are cosmetic.] Line changed the popular Bacon last year, and our jury couldn’t have been more divided on the subject. “Too squirrelly,” one tester cautions, while another...

Sky 7 HD

If Rossi’s E100 woke up on Bizarro world, it’s alter-ego would be the Sky 7 HD. While the E 100 forebody shows up for carving duty at the top of the turn, the Sky 7 tip is always AWOL. The E 100 feels as solid as a vault, the Sky 7 as loose as spring break. Soft and...