There are skiers who while away the fall months watching ski movies and dreaming of their first powder day of the coming season; and then there are those who dust off the ski tuning bench in the garage, snap a rubber band around the brakes of their carving skis, and get busy sharpening edges and dreaming of the first carving turns of the season on crappy, mostly man-made snow.
To the skiers in that second group: We salute you. To those in the first camp: You’re missing out on one of skiing’s greatest joys. There’s nothing quite like skiing in late November and early December, when there’s just one lift open and you’re navigating a narrow white ribbon. There’s no distraction, no temptation lurking off-piste, nothing to do but to work on your turns. Over and over again.
But carving up groomers during the early-season is only fun if you have the right tool for the job. Those 95 millimeter-plus all-mountain planks you ski during the heart of the season aren’t going to convince you that lapping the same two runs is exciting (especially if your trusty all-mountain skis haven’t been tuned in a season or two). To understand the joys of early-season turns, you need something narrower underfoot—something designed to be tipped on edge and stick to hard snow like white on rice. Something like the skis listed below.
Also read: Are you carving or skidding down the hill? Here’s how to tell.
These 10 skis are hot off the 2023-24 presses and SKI’s top choices for skiing early season snow conditions. With waist widths between 65-90mm, solid core constructions (usually with metal), and traditional camber underfoot with minimal rocker in the tips and tails, these skis earned major props from our gear testers for their rock-solid performance on hard snow.
If you’re an advanced skier in the market for a dedicated groomer ski, peruse the skis listed under the Carving section. If you’re still working on your carving chops, or just looking for a more versatile groomer ski, scroll down to the Frontside section. Wherever you land, you can’t go wrong with these 10 skis that are right at home on hard snow.
Related: Carving vs. frontside skis—what’s the difference?
Carving Skis: Piste-specific skis that excel on hard snow
Stöckli WRT Laser Pro ($1,449)
(Photo: Courtesy Stöckli)
Hard-Snow Integrity Score: 9.6/10
Waist Width: 66 mm
Available Lengths: 162, 172, 180 cm
Level: Expert
Tester feedback: “This ski is definitely for an expert skier that likes to ski hard snow and ice. It would be a great ski to rip GS turns down Main Street at Stowe, Vt. I would take this ski out first thing in the morning to find the wide open bomber trails and rip turns until my back can’t take it anymore. It’s not super playful, but it will force you to be a better skier.” —Ryan Collopy
Read the full review and see how this ski scored in all skill categories here.
Nordica Spitfire DC 74 Pro FDT ($999)
(Photo: Courtesy Nordica)
Hard-Snow Integrity Score: 9.25/10
Waist Width: 74
Available Lengths: 160, 165, 170, 175, 180 cm
Level: Intermediate to expert
Tester feedback: “This is just a very good all-around frontside carving ski for the West or East Coast. It’s super fun on the hardpack and for mixing up turn shapes. Short turns long turns—it held and transitioned quickly and with energy out of the turn. Fairly dynamic and responsive with great edge hold. A ski that suits intermediates through experts.” —Krista Crabtree
Read the full review and see how this ski scored in all skill categories here.
K2 Disruption MTI ($1,050)
(Photo: Courtesy K2)
Hard-Snow Integrity Score: 9.2/10
Waist Width: 74 mm
Available Lengths: 165, 170, 175, 180 cm
Level: Advanced, expert
Tester feedback: “With a 19.2-meter radius, this ski wants to go fast and holds up extremely well on hard snow conditions. But it’s not as versatile as other skis in the carving category. It does best on hard, steep slopes.” —Chris Bivona
Read the full review and see how this ski scored in all skill categories here.
Völkl Deacon 76 ($1,100)
(Photo: Courtesy Völkl)
Hard-Snow Integrity Score: 9/10
Waist Width: 76 mm
Available Lengths: 171, 176, 181 cm
Level: Intermediate to expert
Tester feedback: “The Deacon 76 is a classic on-piste carving ski made for the skier who wants to work on their edge-to-edge transitions and improve their skills. It’s a great carving ski, but it lacks the energy to generate more speed turn to turn.” —Ryan Collopy
Read the full review and see how this ski scored in all skill categories here.
Blizzard Phoenix R14 Pro ($900)
(Photo: Courtesy Blizzard)
Hard-Snow Integrity Score: 8.9/10
Waist Width: 70 mm
Available Lengths: 155, 160, 165, 170, 175 cm
Level: Advanced, expert
Tester feedback: “This is a high-performance carver for high-performance skiers—those who care about precision and exact energy transfer. Whether you’re making little slalom turns or big Super-G arcs, this ski was bread for charging early-season conditions.” —Jenny Wiegand
Read the full review and see how this ski scored in all skill categories here.
Frontside Skis: Narrow all-mountain skis with carving chops
Völkl Kendo 88 ($700)
(: Courtesy of Völkl)
Hard-Snow Integrity Score: 9.1/10
Waist Width: 88 mm
Available Lengths: 163, 170, 177, 184 cm
Level: Advanced, expert
Tester feedback: “The Kendo 88 rails turns on hardpack and is spectacularly smooth from edge to edge in medium to longer radius turns. It’s for the skier who wants to be able to carve turns anywhere on the hill and knows how to stand on a pair of skis. It doesn’t have as much pop and liveneliness to it as other skis in this category, so there’s a trade-off in terms of playfulness.” —Jon Sexuaer
Read the full review and see how this ski scored in all skill categories here.
Stöckli Montero AR ($1,349)
(Photo: Courtesy Stöckli)
Hard-Snow Integrity Score: 8.75/10
Waist Width: 84mm
Available Lengths: 165, 170, 175, 180, 185
Level: Advanced, expert
Tester feedback: “Smooth and supple are the words that come to mind here. From the moment I rolled into my first turn I knew these were going to be a fun ride. Quick adjustments on turn shape were effortless. My confidence boosted, I opened them up into some hard-charging GS turns and they held strong—literally glued to every ripple in the terrain and absorbing any imperfection for a smooth supple ride.” —Avery Pesce
Read the full review and see how this ski scored in all skill categories here.
Nordica Enforcer 88 ($700)
(Photo: Courtesy Nordica)
Hard-Snow Integrity Score: 8.1/10
Waist Width: 88 mm
Available Lengths: 165, 172, 179, 186 cm
Level: Advanced, expert
Tester feedback: “A ski that slices and dices no matter the terrain you are on. Keep an edge on this ski and it handles even the firmest conditions. Tackles any snow conditions besides the deepest of snow.” —Luke Larsen
Read the full review and see how this ski scored in all skill categories here.
Rossignol Experience 82 Ti ($999)
(Photo: Courtesy Rossignol)
Hard-Snow Integrity Score: 8/10
Waist Width: 82 mm
Available Lengths: 151, 159, 167 cm
Level: Intermediate to expert
Tester feedback: “Anyone can step into this ski and have a good time, as long as you’re keeping it on trail. I would not take it anywhere steep or cruddy. I was surprised at how user-friendly this ski is.” —Brady Newton
Read the full review and see how this ski scored in all skill categories here.
Elan Wildcat 86 C Black Edition ($1,100)
(Photo: Courtesy Elan)
Hard-Snow Integrity Score: 9.2/10
Waist Width:
Available Lengths:
Level: Intermediate to expert
Tester feedback: “This is an awesome ski for anyone who wants to get better at carving or keep progressing their skiing. It’s also just a fun ski to make groomers interesting again.” —Caitlin Kelly
Read the full review and see how this ski scored in all skill categories here.
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The post The 10 Best Skis for Early-Season Turns on Hard Snow appeared first on Outside Online.
Snow Sports, 2024 Winter Gear Guide, Alpine Skis, Syndicated
