Chairlift Chat

Last year, Dynastar surprised us with the release of not one, not two, but three entirely new lines of skis, each reimagining a segment of their free ride offering. Between the M-Pro, M-Tour, and M-Free, Dynastar created three new lineups of free ride skis, all catering to slightly different niches. While we can’t say for sure if everyone felt this way, but at SkiEssentials we loved the entire lineup, minus one small caveat: the M-Free line only offered a 108 and 118 width. While both of those skis were amazing, they also left us wanting just one more ski in the lineup: something just under 100mm wide. As it turns out, all we had to do was wait a year as Dynastar has officially announced the M-Free 99 will be making its debut for the 2022 season. We were fortunate enough to get our hands on an advance pair, and didn’t hesitate to put them through the wringer. Find out what we made of this exciting new ski in this review of the 2022 Dynastar M-Free 99!

Since its inception in Blizzard’s 2018 lineup, the Rustler series has undergone limited changes. While the rest of their line has seen adjustments to construction and waist widths, the Rustler skis have remained consistent, and for good reason: they offer the perfect complement to Blizzards more “serious” skis, such as the Brahma and Bonafide. While it would be unfair to classify the Rustler series as “soft”, that word is more appropriate for the Peacemaker and Gunsmoke skis they replaced, they are considerably more playful than their stiffer counterparts. This week, we’re revisiting the 2022 Blizzard Rustler 10, arguably the most versatile offering from Blizzards entire lineup. Click through to learn more!

Somehow, despite being just 1.5 months into 2021, we find ourselves rifling through reviews of 2022 skis. That trend continues this week as we take a closer look at the 2022 Rossignol Experience 86 Ti. If you’ve been following Rossignol in recent years, you’re well versed in the segment that the Experience skis aim to satisfy: frontside, all mountain. For 2022, Rossignol has reimagined the Experience series to focus more firmly on the frontside aspect of their capabilities. Complete with new shapes, widths, and construction techniques, we’re feeling like the 2022 Experience line is easily Rossignol’s best yet. To introduce you to the line, we’re taking a look at the all new 2022 Experience 86 Ti. Click through to find out all you need to know about this exciting new ski!

Since their inception five seasons ago, the Salomon QST line has become one of the most approachable, wide ranging series of skis available. Blending all-mountain and freeride sensibilities, the QST skis have found homes on everyone from intermediate skiers looking for something to build confidence on, to hard-charging professional athletes. Now, for their 2022 release, Salomon has given the lineup it’s third makeover, featuring new shapes, sizes, and construction details. We were blessed with the opportunity to test drive the new 2022 Salomon QST Blank, the widest ski in the 2022 lineup, in plenty of fresh snow this week right here in Stowe. Find out our thoughts in this full review of the 2022 Salomon QST Blank!

The ski season rolls on and we’ve been lucky to spend a lot time on 2022 skis over the past few weeks. While there’s a fair number of carry-forward skis from 2021 to 2022, we do get a few completely new lines from a handful of brands, and one of the most notable new collections […]

Two years ago, we reviewed what was at the time a brand new ski: the 2022 Nordica Enforcer 104 Free. In that review, we wrote about how this ski made the perfect addition to Nordica’s growing line of Enforcers. This week, we’re back with an updated review on the ski, which has only received cosmetic updates over the years. Still, now that we, and Jeff in particular, have had a chance to spend a considerable amount of time on the Enforcer 104 Free, we figured we’d check back in with what we’re calling a “long term” review. Find out what makes this ski so special in this full length review!

If you haven’t been paying close attention to Blizzard’s lineup over the past few years, you may not have realized that the Blizzard Brahma underwent a complete overhaul for the 2021 season. While we’ve given this most recent iteration of the Brahma the SkiEssentials Ski Test treatment, we’ve never given it a full ski review. As it turns out, Blizzard and skiers alike were so satisfied by the 2021 version of the Brahma that they’ve decided to bring it back exactly as is for 2022. With that in mind, we decided now’s the perfect time to take a deep dive into one of Blizzards most popular, and powerful, skis. Click through to read all about it!

This week, the 2022 hype train keeps cruising along as we bring you yet another review for a brand new, 2022 ski. Unlike previous reviews of next year’s skis though, the 2022 Elan Ripstick 96 is already available to buy on our website, as of today. But, should you? Well, if this ski fits your profile, then absolutely. After taking a year off, the Elan Ripstick Black Edition skis are back with further improvements to their already stellar build. Without giving away too much, we’ll simply say that the 2022 edition of these skis are amazing. Find out why, and what makes them unique, in this full review of the 2022 Elan Ripstick 96 Black Edition.