Winter is coming, and unlike last year’s abysmal start to the season, we already have a total depth of 159 inches at Mt. Bachelor, my home resort, and the forecast looks promising with more snow on the way. Within weeks, Instagram will be saturated with ski content, your local shop will be overrun with tuning orders and your best friends will have a text thread going about the annual ski trip. To help you get ahead of the hype, I put together a guide to the 10 best skis of the year—sticks that will help you lay down a tighter turn, float in deep pow and have more fun in the park.
From beginner sticks to big-line chargers, these are the best skis for the 2024-25 season.
Illustration: Forbes / Photo: Retailers
There are several factors to consider when shopping for a new pair of skis, from your goals and skill level to your location and the type of snow you plan to ski. Skis are always evolving, sure, but don’t let hyperbolic marketing convince you that a “quiver-killer” is anything but a ski fantasy. Each pair of skis has a purpose and place, which will vary based on their shape, construction and flex profile. Like anything in life, there are pros and cons to all of them, which I’ll dive into below.
This year’s testing process took me a full month, running through dozens of skis at the resort, in the sidecountry and deep into the backcountry. After testing, I distilled the list to the 10 best models, which include a mix of brand-new skis pushing the market forward, as well as some of the old guard which continue to hold their own. Without further ado, here are the best skis of winter 2025.
Pros: The MSP was one of 4FRNT’s original skis in 2003, and it has steadily evolved in the twenty years since. After racking up accolades from SKI, Outside and Blister, it was tweaked just slightly this season to offer a little more control, making it my favorite all-mountain ski. Compared to the Volkl Mantra and Nordica Enforcer, its two closest competitors, the MSP is the smoothest, most predictable and most intuitive of the three in all conditions, from soft chop to moguls to powder. Plus, it’s a couple hundred grams lighter than its dual-metal-laminate peers, making it easier on the legs on bell-to-bell days. And, the intuitive feel makes the MSP more forgiving for beginners, while allowing advanced skiers to continue their progression, too.
Cons: The downside of versatility is the lack of specialization. By definition, a jack-of-all-trades ski means it can’t be the best at anything. Such is true with the MSP, which isn’t the fastest on corduroy, the surfiest in deep powder and or the most playful in the park.
Pros: Are you dreaming of the return of La Nina this season? Well my friend, may I suggest the fully rebuilt Corvus, a ski with big-mountain DNA mixed with a new design that makes it more fun in powder. The fifth iteration of the Corvus has progressive rockers and dual flex zones, making it ideal for big turns in light snow. This shape also improves float and maneuverability, allowing you to slash or carve more easily. The two unique zones—the soft tip and tail and the cambered middle section—strike the right balance between confidence on big mountain lines and playfulness in deep powder.
Cons: If you’re an extra-large human, you may want to look for an even wider ski to keep you afloat on the deepest days. While a 110 waist is great for most of us, it isn’t for everyone. On the flip side, if you spend most of your time in tight trees or on icy slopes, this isn’t the ski for you either.
Pros: Launched in 2021, the Agent 3 has been my go-to backcountry ski for four seasons and counting. With a lightweight core, stable flex pattern and traditional rocker, it can handle any condition, from wind buff to crud to corn. The Agent was born when the touring market was in a race to the bottom for the lightest skis possible. Faction bucked the trend by prioritizing downhill performance, even if that meant adding a few grams. While the Agent is still lightweight and smooth on the uphill, where it really excels is its capability and performance on the down. Compared to similar touring skis like the Backland, QST or Impulse, the Agent is more powerful, allowing you to send it with confidence.
Cons: The Agent 3, for its size, is below average in deep powder. With moderate shovels and the lack of tail and tip rocker, it doesn’t quite float as well as most all-mountain touring skis. That said, predictability is key in the backcountry, and the profile, flex and weight make it reliable in all other conditions.
Pros: The Reckoner KF is one of the most unusual skis I’ve ever tested. Twin tips, super soft flex and a ton of spring around the bindings make the KF—the brainchild of pro skier Karl Fostvedt—ideal for advanced and expert skiers who are focused on hitting big jumps, dropping cliffs and using the mountain as a giant playground. The KF features a sheet of wall-to-wall carbon fiber to give it a little pop, balanced with a sheet of flax to dampen the heavy impacts. As the story goes, Karl wanted a ski that felt like a trampoline but was still soft on backseat landings, and that’s exactly what the K2 design team made. The shape of the ski is similar to other freestyle peers like the Wildcat, Devastator and Prodigy, but with a much softer feel. This makes it perfect for big jumps while keeping it fun in pillows, slush and pow.
Cons: While the KFs are forgiving on landings, that softness makes them sub-par on groomers at speed. If you’re looking to arc turns or rip down cord, there are better options. However, I was impressed with how well the KFs handled sidecountry powder, especially with their unique profile and construction.
Pros: The brand new Mata feels like playing chess when every other ski is playing checkers. The unique combination of materials, asymmetric shape and explosive feel help the Mata live up to the hype as a next-gen carver. The Mata is comfortable dancing in tight trees and in slalom turns, while the Titanal plate and stiff design allow it to pull some serious Gs on corduroy, too. With a poplar, metal and fiberglass build, the ski is full of energy, helping you pop between turns, taking the lineage of pure carvers and pushing it even further. This energy is balanced with a layer of rubber and tip and tail rocker to add a little forgiveness, which I really appreciated in soft chop and crud.
Cons: The Mata is designed for the frontside—hard stop. While advanced skiers probably can make it work in the sidecountry, it is best—and the most fun—when laid on its side, ideally on corduroy. So, if you’re heading to the park or preparing for a powder day, you should probably pick out a different ski.
Pros: Six years after the Ripstick launched, the latest version of the 88 has the same aggressive feel, while being light enough for big ski mountaineering days, too. This balance makes it ideal for everything from icy slopes (hey East Coast!) to spring volcano tours in the Pacific Northwest. With a tight turn radius, the Tour 88 performs well in trees, couloirs or just dodging other skiers at the resort. The secret sauce is the Carbon Bridge Tech, which utilizes carbon tubes through the center of the ski to reduce vibration while preserving the stiff and aggressive feel. The Tour feels relatively damp in crud and chop compared to its peers like the Navis Freebird and Zero G, and has an Amphibio profile to improve the edge hold, which is crucial when you’re on top of a committing line. Overall, the Tour 88 punches above its weight class and with six different lengths to choose from, is great for both men and women of all sizes.
Cons: If you’re looking for a playful feel or freestyle ski, this isn’t the one for you. The same goes for hardcore carving or powder hunting. The Ripstick Tour 88 is great for big days in the backcountry, uphill laps at the resort and icy East Coast skiing, but probably not the best choice for mid-winter pow.
Pros: By and large, if a ski is heavier—which typically means more metal—it will also be more stable at speed. Renoun completely breaks that paradigm. With their revolutionary new polymer called Vibestop, the Vermont-based company has made the most stable carbon ski ever, helping it perform inbounds and off-piste. This proprietary material smooths out vibrations in the ski before you even feel them, making for a smoother ride in chop, ice and hardpack. If you’re skiing slowly or just hand-flexing the ski, it may not feel all that flexible because VibeStop reacts to how much force is exerted onto it. Therefore, the harder you ski the Citadel, the more it’ll smooth out the chatter. This technology puts the ski in a realm on its own. It’s one of the lightest backcountry skis at its width, while being able to keep up inbounds, too.
Cons: While the Citadel is a great 50/50 ski for those who plan to split time between the resort and the backcountry, don’t expect to rip it as hard as dedicated frontside skis. The range of skiing the Citadel covers is remarkable, but it is still outclassed by carving and park skis in those specific areas.
Pros: The Black Crows brand was built at the apex of the mountain, with a collection of some of the highest-performing skis on the market, but the Serpo breaks that norm as my go-to recommendation for new skiers who want a dynamic ski that they can love from day one. What it lacks in dampness at speed and the ability to bulldoze through crud, it makes up for by being forgiving and versatile. While expert skiers often focus on stability, the Serpo goes the opposite way. It is super maneuverable and light, yet it’s comfortable carving on cord and playing in sidecountry chop. The Serpo is accommodating for a variety of skiers and styles, in a mix of terrain: moguls, trees, steeps and cord. With a low swing weight, it is easier for new skiers to pivot, even if your technique isn’t perfect just yet. Plus, with six different sizes, the Serpo is great for a huge variety of men, women and younger skiers.
Cons: The Serpo can handle a mix of skiing, but struggles the most on a deep powder day. At 93mm underfoot and without much rocker, it gets bogged down quickly. That said, I was surprised at how well the Sepro handled chopped-up runs and sidecountry adventures with moderate snowfall.
Pros: If you’re the type of person who cares equally about ski performance and environmental impact, look no further than the Intention 108. While there is a growing number of ski brands trying to reduce their footprint, none hold a candle to WNDR Alpine, who make all of their skis with bio-based materials. Conveniently, their Algal Tech also increases performance, making the Intention 108 one of my favorite skis for multiple reasons. The brand offers the Intention in two rocker profiles—one with camber and one without—which allows you to pick a ski depending on your skiing style and the type of snow near you. Both have a surfy, light and playful feel, making the Intention the most fun on powder days, while capable on big mountain lines too. These aren’t just good-for-Mother-Earth skis, either—they are some of the most versatile skis on the market.
Cons: The Intention 108s are a great backcountry daily driver because of their weight and versatility in all kinds of snow conditions. That said, they lack the dampness to charge at the resort or play in the park. But, they will still be fun on pillow lines and cliffdrops, if that’s your thing.
Pros: Let’s get this out of the way: The Katana V-Werks are not for everyone. In fact, they’re probably not right for you. The Katana was designed by and for the best big mountain skiers in the world. It has one of the most unique shapes of all the skis I’ve ever tested—not to mention being the most expensive ski on this list. With a 3D Ridge running the length of the ski, superslim wings to reduce swing weight and a full carbon jacket, it jumps out. All of this adds up to an incredibly stiff and responsive ski that remains lightweight for its size. The Katana is like the Ferrari of skis—it begs to go fast.
Cons: The Katana can be unforgiving for beginner skiers who spend a lot of time in the backseat and do a lot of noodling. You need to stay on top of the Katanas and drive them where you want to go, which means good technique and an aggressive style. Thus, they are best for only expert skiers.
At Forbes Vetted, we’ve published many expertly researched gear articles that cover a range of topics, from cycling and camping to golfing and running. These reviews, deep dives and roundups include dozens of stories on ski gear, delving into the products, brands and the people behind them.
As a regular Forbes Vetted contributor, Andy Cochrane selected every pair of skis in this guide, and then worked with a small team of testers for a month to evaluate each of them rigorously.
Cochrane has been covering skiing and the outdoors for more than a decade. In addition to his professional background, he’s also a dedicated skier who splits time between the resort and backcountry, and he typically skis over 100 days each season. He’s been lucky enough to test skis from dozens of brands and has built relationships with many of them, giving him an inside perspective on the newest technologies as they come to market.
We aim to refresh this list every year to ensure information, availability and prices are up-to-date, so you can make the best buying choice for yourself or your family. This article was originally written and published in December 2024.
How We Chose The Best Skis
To identify and recommend the best skis, I relied on my own expertise as a lifelong skier, while working with a small team of testers around the west. This helps provide a more rigorous and thorough look at each ski, and removes some of the individual bias. Collectively, the testing group has over 100 years of skiing experience in snow around the world.
I researched a list of 30 skis from a variety of brands, comparing their weights, materials and shapes. I then reached out to each brand to get demo skis and was able to test nearly all of them, putting each ski through its paces at the resort, around the sidecountry and into the backcountry.
To control variables, we mounted all of the skis with an ATK Freeraider 15 EVO binding, which I consider the best binding on the market today. Both the toe piece and heel piece have a small amount of travel, allowing the ski to flex naturally, while a freeride spacer gives it a neutral stance and better power transfer, making the Freeraider EVO perform like an alpine binding while being great for touring as well.
What To Consider When Shopping For The Best Skis
Length And Weight
Longer skis typically offer more stability at speed and more float in powder, while being heavier and harder to maneuver, especially in tight turns. Shorter skis, on the flip side, have less stability, but are lighter and easier to turn, making them better for new skiers who are still learning the technique.
Similarly, a heavier ski often implies more metal in the construction, making it more stable at speed and damper in crud, and a bit hard to turn as well. Of course, this isn’t always true, because a variety of materials come into play, which will influence how the ski performs.
Shape And Flex Pattern
The shape of a ski dictates how easy it is to initiate a turn, how much it will float in powder and how well it will smooth out bumps. A deeper sidecut makes a ski want to turn more aggressively, while a straighter profile helps you straight-line downhill and pivot better. That’s why park skis tend to be fairly straight, while carving skis have a very pronounced hourglass shape.
The flex pattern is important too. A softer tip helps you start a turn and absorb bumps, while a stiffer tail will give you power to finish your turn. Stiffer skis are made to charge downhill and aggressively navigate terrain, while softer skis are more forgiving and easier to ski, but have a tendency to wash out when pushed too hard.
Construction And Materials
The guts of a ski make a massive difference in how it rides, too. Most skis these days have a wood core, but the type of wood can impact the ski a lot. Light wood like Paulownia keeps a ski nimble but can feel kind of noodly. Denser woods like ash or maple add stability but make the ski heavier. Then there’s carbon fiber, Titanal and fiberglass, which all impact the feel too.
Carbon fiber is snappy, giving you a poppy, energetic feel. Titanal makes a ski damp and stable, great for crushing through crud, but it can make a ski feel dead. The ordering of the layers matters too. More layers usually mean a burlier ski that can handle speed and power, while fewer layers keep things more playful.
