Movement Sluff
Built to penetrate manmade white ice and snow compacted by thousands of skiers, resort skis favor power over playfulness. In the backcountry though, a nimble feel almost always wins. Nimble, nimble is the Sluff. Pivot it at will in trees; pop it to the surface in manky slop, throw 'em from pillow drop to pillow drop on the big line, and break trail back up hill—you're not bogged down by excess metal and weight. Swami gripe: If you spend more than 30 percent of your time skiing resort hardpack go with something gutsier. Swami like: Balanced feel and sluff your turn good times. Dimensions: 134-99-118; $915; movementskis.com
Folsom Custom Blue Note
This custom ski builder out of Boulder, Colorado builds a lot of stripped down Blue Notes for the ski touring crowd. At 7 pounds they aren't the lightest skis you can find, but excessively lightweight skis (meaning all carbon) are no fun at all in anything but pure powder. Featuring wood cores—for which the wood is hand selected—and built one at a time from start to finish, the big reason to go with a custom builder like Folsom is durability. You can upgrade to thicker bases and edges. Swami gripe: You need to make a leap of faith to order skis you haven't skied on. Swami like: Solid customer satisfaction ratings and a growing demo fleet (check the site for locations), adds confidence. Fully customizable option is cool. Dimensions: 125-93-117; Starting at $950; folsomcustomskis.com
♀Scott Rosa
While the Scott Rosa isn't purpose built for the backcountry, a lightweight build (laminated wood core and a cap finish) make it as fine a crossover powder ski you'll find. The fat tip is designed to float in powder and the squared off tails accommodate skins well—and they let you skate across the flats without hooking. The feel (see the Movement Sluff) is loose, and playful, and easy to swing though tough spots. Swami gripe: It's more suited to soft snow than hard. Swami like: See previous sentence. Dimensions: 128-89-115; $795; scottusa.com
From the Winter 2009-10 issue
