If you're not riding a chairlift, you need a bike that'll let you climb well for hours at a time, but still soak up what real mountain trails throw at you.
At 80mm-plus underfoot, these were fat skis only a few years ago. Today, they can handle everything from hardpack to boot-deep blower.
The rocker revolution means today's Big Mountain skis don't sink in powder and turn easier than ever before.
The trend here? Refined rocker technology has made these oversized skis effortless to surf and pivot.
The sidecountry — or slackcountry — skier straddles the rope line between true backcountry and the short hike-to powder stashes found inbounds. New technology gives sidecountry-worthy equipment inbounds capabilities (read: oomph) while keeping weight down.