2024 Men's Powder Ski Comparison

Ranging in widths from 114 to 132 mm underfoot, the Powder Ski Category is a whole lot of fun to look at and discuss. There are some nice differences here in terms of build and shape, and it’s amazing how many intricacies can be found within skis that are all basically made to do the same thing. While skis on the wide side of the wall are really a lot more specific and singular in their nature, there’s still some modicum of versatility on the narrower side. For the most part, though, anything on this list is best suited for super-deep snow and not much else. How you choose to use them in that realm can vary based on rocker, splay, and build, but overall, all are best when used as a specific tool for the job at hand. These are the dream skis—those which you picture yourself using in the best possible conditions and in the most fun terrain.

At a Glance:

2024 Nordica Unleashed 114 Ice Skis

Overview:

At first glance, the thought is “why do they need a wider Unleashed than the 108?” Then you get on this thing and are instantly convinced that there’s a place for it in Nordica’s lineup, especially if you still have a fondness for carved turns in wider skis. In addition to being the narrowest ski on this list, it’s also the best turner, so for those that want the wider ski to handle the deeper snow without losing performance on the way back to the lift, this is a great choice. By following the same type of rocker profile, taper shape, and construction of the narrower Unleashed skis, the 114 takes the power and accompanying weight to the next level. These are about as smooth and destructive as it gets, and we’re seeing them pop up in high level freeride events as a result. While not many skiers out there are particularly interested in a fat ski with a long camber profile, the more aggressive ones are, and that makes sense for FWT competitors and other high-level skiers.

Who it's For:

Strong skiers who like to be aggressive with their turns. You still want freeride and freestyle capabilities in your skis and the twin tip is a big bonus.

Price: $899.00

Buy Now | Ski Test Results

At a Glance:

2024 Line Bacon 115 Skis

Overview:

A new ski for 2024, the Line Bacon 115 takes inspiration from its younger brethren and puts it into a wider bodied footprint. The big story with the new Bacons is the use of Maple Macroblock in the wood core. If you’ve seen us flex the Line Blend in the past, that’ll give you a good idea of the playfulness and freestyle acumen of this wider ski. Thanks to the fact that they use a Thick Cut Sidewall in the ski, it’s not a total noodle, especially underfoot, but in the tips and tails, the ski certainly falls into the highly flexible category. We also get a symmetric flex pattern as well as symmetric rocker, and that adds to the creative and freestyle-oriented character of the ski. All of this equates to a drifty and smeary ski that’ll float great and allow you to access your inner park enthusiast all at the same time.

Who it's For:

Freestyle skiers looking for a powder ski. You still want to visit the park, or just use it in backcountry booter situations.

Price: $799.95

Buy Now | Ski Test Results

At a Glance:

2024 Armada ARV 116 JJ UL Skis

Overview:

If you like everything about the shape of the normal 116 but want it in a lighter format, this UL is the way to go. Based out of their Zero collection, the 116 JJ UL is poised and ready to take on the biggest mountain lines you can find all while keeping playfulness and freeride capabilities firmly intact. By using a light weight caruba wood core in the ski, Armada reduces the weight from 2250 in the normal 116 to 1725 in the UL version. This is a pretty substantial drop, so while you will lose some stability and dampness, you’re more than making up for it with quickness, mobility, and outright flotation. While this opens up the touring aspect and brings backcountry into the discussion, we feel that most skiers will still prefer this ski as a resort powder option rather than something as a skin ski.

Who it's For:

Skiers looking for a lighter powder option. You want all the same shaping and profiling tech involved in the 116, but in a more accessible build.

Price: $849.95

Buy Now

At a Glance:

2024 Elan Ripstick 116 Skis

Overview:

The Elan Ripstick 116 is one of the crisper and more responsive skis on this list, mainly because it follows the same recipe as the narrower versions of the ski. As a result, the Ripstick 116 is light, maneuverable, and a very good turner. Built with their Amphibio Rocker Profile and their asymmetric construction, the right/left-specific Ripstick 116 feels about as smooth and cohesive as it gets. Since the uphill ski is rockered more on the uphill edge, the ski tracks true and straight with the downhill ski, and this is something that’s unique to Elan and works very well in a powder application. There’s decent tail rocker for being relatively directional in nature, and that highlights the versatility of the ski. Similar to the Unleashed 114, the Ripstick is a decent option if you spend some time leaning into turns on your way back to the lift.

Who it's For:

More traditional and directional powder skiers who aren’t looking for a flexible twin tip. You like the feel of a sturdy tail in the ski as long as the front third does its job when it comes to flotation.

Price: $849.99

Buy Now | Ski Test Results

At a Glance:

2024 Fischer Ranger 116 Skis

Overview:

With the least amount of metal and the most flexibility in the Ranger line, the 116 is built and shaped to tackle very deep and dry snow. This ski is very easy to throw sideways despite its more directional shaping, putting this ski in a rare category when it comes to being both playful and traditional at the same time. There’s a lot of flex here, and for hard-chargers out there, it may be on the softer side, but the spoony tip shape does a fantastic job of making up for it with phenomenal flotation. Not many skis on this list use metal for damping and power, but this is one of them, and the Shaped Ti makes the central portion of this ski feel substantial and worthy when faced with adverse conditions and challenging terrain. It is a different feel underfoot versus the tips and tails, and that makes it a bit different than some of the more symmetrical/consistent skis on this list.

Who it's For:

Fun-loving skiers looking for flotation and flexibility at the same time. You want a lot of rocker to match up with the forgiving flex.

Price: $899.99

Buy Now | Ski Test Results

At a Glance:

2024 Head Oblivion 116 Skis

Overview:

The new Oblivion 116 gets a big thumbs up from us here at SkiEssentials.com, as we’re loving these new twin shapes and styles from Head. Poor Cole Richardson—such a fantastic and playful skier—and stuck on the Kore 117 up until now. Not that it’s a bad ski, we absolutely love the 117, but for a strong, playful, and freestyle-oriented skier like Cole, it seemed like something was left on the table when it came to big mountain creativity. With the invention of the Oblivion 116 and its Carbon Sandwich Twintip Construction, we’re getting a reactive and strong twin tip that has a lot of width and a relatively traditional shape, especially for being very freestyle-oriented. In the 189, we see a mammoth 30.8-meter turn radius, so these things can point it down the fall line with the best of them. As a twin tip, we’re certainly bringing creativity and freestyle performance into the discussion.

Who it's For:

Fun-loving and aggressive skiers who still want playfulness in a carbon-powered ski with a huge radius. Also pros.

Price: $699.00

Buy Now

At a Glance:

2024 K2 Mindbender 116C Skis

Overview:

We’ve had our eye on these skis for a while, and finally got a great day to use them here at Stowe this past March. With a fair amount of snow already on the ground and a ton more falling from the sky, this was about as close to a perfect Mindbender 116C day that we could imagine, at least here in Vermont. There’s a lot of long rocker in this ski, complemented by underfoot camber, but it really feels and falls to the surfy and smeary side of the spectrum. With Carbon Spectral Braiding, we get more torsional stiffness in the forebody and underfoot zones of the ski while the tails are more drifty side to side but still with decent longitudinal stiffness. This makes for a rudder-like feel in the back and a boat style up front. As a result, this ski falls to more of the directional side, especially when compared to K2’s Reckoner 122 on this list.

Who it's For:

You don’t have to ski aggressively on this ski, but you can if you want.

Price: $749.95

Buy Now | Ski Test Results

At a Glance:

2024 Head Kore 117 Skis

Overview:

As the widest of the Kore series of skis, we get a similar construction to the other models, but the shapes a nd profiles are massively exaggerated. By using a caruba and poplar wood core, Head adds two layers ofcarbon to the mix, and this takes the stiffness to a different level versus many of the skis on this list. It does it at a pittance of the weight, though, so the normal Kore rules apply here as well: a fantastic blend of light weight and stiff flex. We also see a longer radius, kind of in line with what we see in the Oblivion 116, as the 117’s arc of 24.6-meters in the 184 is on the long side. This works great as it allows more directional skiers the opportunity to throw them sideways to access the more playful side of the ski, which can sometimes be tricky to find given the build. While not the most dramatically rockered ski on this wall, there’s some good taper that makes it smooth and playful all while keeping the performance firmly intact.

Who it's For:

Skiers that like a lighter yet still wide and strong ski that can also be playful. Really, it’s an all-encompassing powder ski that is vastly overlooked due to its narrower counterparts' reputations.

Price: $899.00

Buy Now | Ski Test Results

At a Glance:

2024 DPS Lotus 117 Skis

Overview:

DPS makes amazing powder skis. That’s what you’re going to get from a Utah-based company that designs and builds skis specifically for deep and untracked snow. The Lotus 117 contains DPS’s Pow Surf shaping, putting about 45% rocker into the ski with 55% camber. In the 185, we’re getting a 21-meter turn radius, so this falls more in line with the C2 shaping that we’ve seen in their skis in the past. These skis, much like other DPS models, are heavily tapered, giving the ski fantastic float throughout. From a construction perspective, these carbon-powered skis utilize the Pagoda build from years past, implementing a blend of paulownia, aspen, and ash into the core with two layers of carbon. On the top, we get the polyamide textured topsheet and one-piece sidewall wrap on the sides. This is a high-end build that accompanies a high price tag. What you’re getting is a hand-built ski from the USA that is about as floaty as it gets.

Who it's For:

Powder junkies who spare no expense in the purchase of your skis. You like the feel and predictability of carbon.

Price: $1,599.95

Buy Now

At a Glance:

2024 DPS Koala 118 Skis

Overview:

As the widest of the Koala series, the 118 clearly has the most powder and deep snow performance built in. At the same time, it’s only 7mm wider than the 111, so it’s not like a huge leap here. That said, you are getting a bump in surface area as well as weight as these skis don’t really adhere to the other DPS skis when it comes to weight savings. The Koala 118 is built using the foundation construction consisting of a bamboo and poplar wood core, two sheets of fiberglass, and two vertical strips of carbon. It’s not as technologically advanced as the Pagoda or the Kaizen builds, but it serves well for what Koala is meant to do and for whom it’s aimed at. This is an aggressive twin tip for rugged skiers who put a lot of effort and intent into their skiing. With a lot of rocker and a lot of splay, these twin tips have freestyle potential, but mainly for backcountry jumps and natural features.

Who it's For:

Strong and burly skiers who like to use each and every inch of available snow to make their mark on the hill.

Price: $999.95

Ski Test Results

At a Glance:

2024 Rossignol Blackops 118 Skis

Overview:

Shaping is the big story with the Blackops 118. It’s easy to say such things about anything wider and where rocker and taper are more dramatic, but as the wider and denser twin tips of this list, the 118 has a lot of smoothness and stability to it. We found that even in slightly softer snow, these skis were incredibly predictable and powerful. It’s really just a poplar wood core and fiberglass, but there’s a lot of it, so it does add up when it comes to weight. The 186 is over 2500 grams per ski, and for not having metal, that’s quite a thing. With a ton of rocker and a lot of splay, both flotation and freestyle are firmly entrenched in the conversation here, as the overall shape and style of the 118 is very creative and non-directional. For backcountry jumps (although good luck dragging these skis uphill on anything non-motorized) this is a top choice for sure.

Who it's For:

Strong powder seekers with a freestyle background. You like smearing and surfing as well as jumping and dropping.

Price: $849.95

Buy Now | Ski Test Results

At a Glance:

2024 Dynastar M-Free 118 F-Team Open Skis

Overview:

I like to picture the Dynastar ski designers sitting in an office in the middle of Chamonix. They’re looking up at the French Alps above and wondering what type of ski would handle the most demanding lines the best. Then they sit down and draw up the M-Free 118. This is a big-mountain ski with technical and high-speed capabilities that’s built to rip the most challenging terrain on Earth. Built with a poplar wood core and polyurethane, the ski is smooth and predictable. By wrapping the central chord of poplar in their fiberglass torsion box, Dynastar adds energy and pop to the mix. As opposed to the more freestyle-oriented Blackops 118 from Dynastar’s sister company, the M-Free has more of a straight-line mentality to it, offering something to the more advanced and aggressive directional skiers of the populace. With a lot of rocker and a sharper shovel, this thing slices and dices the mountains with the best of them.

Who it's For:

A great option for competitive freeride skiers. You want width, power, smoothness, and predictability all at the same time.

Price: $899.95

Buy Now | Ski Test Results

At a Glance:

2024 Atomic Bent Chetler 120 Skis

Overview:

With a fantastic combination of style and substance, the Atomic Bent Chetler 120 continues to impress in the wide twin tip world. These skis have a very bowed-out style that is and has been super popular and useful when it comes to mixing powder and freestyle skiing. With a decent amount of underfoot camber to complement fairly dramatic tip and tail rocker, the Bent Chetler 120 has a very progressive shape and profile. We also see their HRZN tech in the tips and tails to further boost the flotation as well as the drifty nature. Built with a poplar wood core and carbon stringers, this ski gets a bit of a bump in the performance and energy department versus the narrower skis in the Bent line, and we kind of wish that carbon would filter down given how well it works in the 120 at providing snap and pop. As always, fantastic artwork from the skier himself puts this ski on a different visual plane as well.

Who it's For:

Skiers looking for a lighter and slightly more energetic twin tip to handle the deepest snow out there. You still want freestyle to be a part of your powder ski life.

Price: $799.95

Buy Now | Ski Test Results

At a Glance:

2024 Candide AK 121 Skis

Overview:

As the first Candide ski to enter a comparison of ours here at SkiEssentials.com, it’s pretty fitting that it’s the huge one. The AK 121 from Candide is the flattest ski on this list, with zero camber underfoot and very long rocker in the front and back. While it’s not fully rockered, it’s still flat, and that aligns with the triple-radius sidecut technology utilized here. The central portion has the flat camber and the long radius, so it gets very drifty and spinny in the middle of the ski. The tips and tails still turn, with shorter arcs to make it more fun when you encounter multiple conditions and terrain. Overall, though, these skis are not really meant to be used in non-powder conditions, so the turn shape is kind of moot as far as we’re concerned. They are pretty light, fairly symmetrical with measurements of 149/121/141, making rounder arcs as Candide likes to do. Or go straight. Those are your two options.

Who it's For:

Candide wannabes who constantly try to emulate the greatest skier of all time.

Price: $945.00

Buy Now | Ski Test Results

At a Glance:

2024 Volkl Revolt 121 Skis

Overview:

As the widest of the Revolt line, the 121 has a whole lot of rocker and a ton of splay, especially in the shovels. These skis are pretty simple in the build with Volkl’s multi-layer wood core, but there’s a lot of it so it does end up weighing quite a bit. That’s okay, though, as these skis are very sturdy, solid, and predictable in the deepest snow and in the most challenging terrain. With a relatively narrow tail, the skis have a rudder effect that allows for easy steering and fun-loving powder performance. The shovels will stay afloat in pretty much anything, and with the twin tipped nature of the ski, freestyle (as is the Revolt’s nature) performance is firmly in the conversation here. Backcountry hits and natural features are right in this ski’s wheelhouse, as are deep and wide-open bowls with bottomless snow.

Who it's For:

This is your favorite skier’s favorite powder ski. You want endless flotation with a freestyle flair to it.

Price: $749.99

Buy Now | Ski Test Results

At a Glance:

2024 Black Crows Nocta 122 Skis

Overview:

No longer fully rockered, the new Black Crows Nocta for 2024 adds camber to the underfoot zone but keeps everything else very unique and individualistic—just how we like our Black Crows products to be. At 122 mm underfoot, these skis are right there with the fattiest of fatties in the world, but Crows just does it a bit differently. By using a blend of paulownia and poplar in the core with fiberglass, we get a light and mobile ski that still has enough pop to energize the most discerning skier. They are able to take the swing weight down a peg with the chopping of the tips and tails into the chevron shape, and this makes the skis that much easier to throw sideways when desired. In the 185, we’re getting a 19-meter turn radius, so compared to many other skis on this list, the taper effectively shortens the arc and makes for an entertaining and engaging ski experience.

Who it's For:

Deep snow enthusiasts who like a bit different of a look and feel. You value high-end flotation and unique ski styles.

Price: $1,099.95

Buy Now | Ski Test Results

At a Glance:

2024 K2 Reckoner 122 Skis

Overview:

This Reckoner 122 is truly a freestyle powder skier’s dream come true. With a huge twin tip, tons of splay, and a flexible build, these skis are likely the most playful and creative on this list (for being the widest). Lots of superlatives can be thrown around with the Reckoner 122, and a lot of it starts with the flex. These skis can bend quite easily, making it an excellent choice for those that are looking to incorporate tricks and flips into their daily lexicon. K2 uses a mix of aspen and fir to power the ski and then multiple applications of carbon to increase pop. The first is the carbon spectral braid that puts more torsional stiffness in the underfoot zone and less in the tips and tails. Carbon boost stringers add longitudinal stiffness to the mix and add pop and snap for sure. At the same time, these skis are very flexible from a hand-flex perspective and that adds to the freestyle mystique of the ski.

Who it's For:

Deep snow freestyle skiers who love to mix it up using natural features, pillows, and backcountry booters.

Price: $799.95

Buy Now

At a Glance:

2024 Line Pescado Skis

Overview:

It's kind of tough to make an outlier in this group of crazy skis, but here we are with the Line Pescado. Arguably the most directional ski on this wall, the swallow-tailed Pescado is built with a singular purpose in mind, and that’s deep powder flotation. It’s easy to say that about most/all of these skis, but Pescado sticks out. The swallow tail keeps you back on the ski in deeper snow, but not in the backseat, adding to flotation and smoothness while reducing weight and keeping the turning easy and predictable. With a gargantuan 158-mm tip width, these skis will not be sunk by anything deep, making it a perfect weapon for cat or heli skiing as well as deeper resort days. It’s also on the lighter side at 1950 grams, so that makes it accessible for skiers that don’t want to struggle or fight with some of the heavier or stiffer skis on this list.

Who it's For:

Powder specialists who are looking for something non-traditional but very effective. You are not interested in multi-directional skiing.

Price: $899.95

Buy Now

At a Glance:

2024 Blizzard Spur 127 Skis

Overview:

When we get up to skis this wide, it’s hard to talk about much else other than pure flotation, and this one has it in spades. Surprisingly stiff, the Spur basically uses the older Rustler build with Ti Carbon Flipcore construction. We get a mix of beech, poplar, balsa, paulownia, and isocore in the ski, and this does make it flex a bit differently than some of the noodlier skis on this list. We also see a very long turn radius of 30.5 meters in the 189, putting it on the straighter end of the spectrum as well. If you’re going to use this in a resort setting, it better be a multi-foot day of snow as this ski is very much pigeon-holed into being a pure powder ski. Those that use it properly will be rewarded with some of the best deep snow performance on the planet.

Who it's For:

Cat skiing guides who spend most/all of their time in softer snow and deep powder. You need a specific ski for a specific job.

Price: $849.95

Buy Now

At a Glance:

2024 K2 Crescendo 132 Skis

Overview:

I like to think that since Marker binding brakes top out at 132 mm, that was the impetus behind making a Crescendo 132. Since the footprint of this ski is absolutely massive, they have to take some liberties in making it lighter and more accessible. They do this by blending aspen and paulownia in the wood core and then adding their carbon spectral braiding to the mix. As a result, the ski’s more directional nature stands out, providing endless flotation and powder performance to a wide range of skiers. There’s a lot of rocker here, as there should be, but still with some camber underfoot to get the ski up on edge when needed. At 132 mm underfoot, the ski actually has a shorter arc of 22 meters, adding to the mobile and maneuverable nature of the ski. It’s as smeary as it is floaty, and skiers will enjoy the best of both of these worlds just so long as they’re in bottomless snow.

Who it's For:

Skiers who seek the deep. Not really anyone else.

Price: $749.95

Buy Now | Ski Test Results