With every new ski season comes new technologies that promise to let you skip the bunny hill and fly down the slopes in bigger and cooler ways. Some companies are really killing it with the gotta-have-it-now innovations, so Active Junky has gathered five of our favorite earth-shattering skis for 2014 (with one bonus brand to keep an eye on) to keep you primed for the white stuff.
New model this year (Design) -- Moment Deathwish
The anticipation over Moment's Deathwish is palpable -- this is the shape of things to come. Handmade with a core of aspen and pine, the Deathwish is made to grab on groomer turns, hold up in crud and slice with ease through powder. But the new Dirty Mustache Rocker technology is the truly revolutionary part of this ski. It offers four contact points along each edge to bite into even the toughest hardpack while a micro-camber and tip/tail rocker make for a sweetspot that floats over whatever Mother Nature may throw your way.
Updated physical specs (Construction) -- Icelantic SKNY Series
Taking inspiration from East Coasters and Europeans alike, Icelantic has slimmed 20mm off the waist of some of their most popular models to form the new SKNY Series. With the same sidecut radius and construction as their chubbier relatives, the new SKNY Scout, Pilgrim, Nomad and Shaman are perfect for carving, cruising and tearing it up on-piste. This season's super-psychedelic, Travis Parr sculpture- inspired graphics don't hurt one bit, either.
New materials (Technology) -- Faction Candide 4.0
The newest addition to Faction's innovative Candide Thovex Superlight Series, the Candide 4.0 has dimensions similar to the popular Royale, but with a lightweight patent-pending balsa/flax hybrid core, making it 20% lighter than its counterpart. All of Faction's skis are made with wood cores and glass-fiber reinforcement layers and the Candide 4.0 uses balsa vertically laminated together with flax fibers to create an insanely light-yet-stiff core that provides all the feel of full wood. This ski is made for deep snow and big mountain lines with a firmer flex and some serious rocker, to boot.
New level of "do it all" capability (Versatility) -- Line Sir Francis Bacon
Have your bacon and eat it, too? Bad puns aside, Line's all-mountain, snowboard-inspired favorite really is an all-around good time. A Maple Macro Block core uses two full-length maple stringers surrounded by aspen that, combined with a short sidecut radius, makes for the perfect balance of power, stability and reduced weight. The SideWall construction uses P-Tex plastic walls that ride just over the edges and beneath the top sheet to absorb vibration and ensure solid edge hold. Easygoing and super forgiving, the SFB lets you can rip the entire mountain with reckless abandon.
Groundbreaking stats (Performance) -- Rossignol Soul 7
A perennial favorite amongst testers, this versatile beast is comfortable in almost all terrain and snow conditions. This year's updated version of the Soul 7 comes with a super light Paulownia wood core and a newly redesigned Powder Turn Rocker to provide superior flotation with controlled smoothness and precise edging. Air Tip Technology reduces the weight by 20% and makes it lighter than most fat rockers. And that means easy turns while still being solid underfoot.
Groundbreaker Preview: New Company -- J Skis from Jason Levinthal
When Jason Levinthal left the helm at Line it wasn't just on a whim. The designer's newly launched J Skis is an ode to small batch, handmade processes. Production plans to be limited-the first strike only offered 100 pairs. But with a focus on hand working, self-sufficiency and some funky graphics, don't look to J Skis for your average set of sticks. "I'm not going to be speaking to everyone," Levinthal explained to Powder Magazine. "I don't want everyone to like everything I'm doing. It's just for those people who want to stand out from the rest." Definitely something to look out for in the future!
Article written by Active Junky, an online shopping community that rewards and incentivizes users for their passion for gear and the outdoors.