Start Haus Backcountry Ski Comparison
As the Start Haus delves more deeply into the backcountry, we've taken a different tact when it comes to skis - instead of jumping on the latest and greatest ultralight, rando-racing inspired sticks - we've picked backcountry skis that actually ski as well as alpine skis.
That means skis from manufacturers with real experience in ski design - Armada, Atomic, Blizzard, Dynastar, K2, Line, Nordica, Rossignol, Salomon and Volkl - who have shaved weight from alpine skis to give you something that will make the down worth the up.
The truth is, the line between alpine and backcountry skis continues to blur, and just about any ski mounted with a Dynafit binding is going to be light enough, depending on your end goal. But the following skis stand out as great backcountry tools that don't skimp on the fun factor on the way down, each one making for a great in-bounds ski as well.
You'll find weights listed after each review - not something we normally do, but a consideration for those who are lugging their skis uphill under their own power. The weights are measured on our scales, on a size as close to 180 cm as possible - generally from 177 to 182 cm.
The Armada TST isn't a backcountry ski by design, and loses points with the twin tip tail, but its light weight and versatile shape make it a solid option for powder chasing tourers, and a quiver-of-one for soft-snow backcountry skiers.
The elongated rockered and tapered tip not only aids in float in powder and cuts through windboard and variable snow, it also makes breaking a skin track easier. The tip shape really cuts through funky snow well, up or down hill.
Plunging skis, using skins or cutting test pit walls all gets a little more tricky - if not impossible, with the twin tip tail, but backcountry skiers who are looking for great soft and variable snow performance can generally find ways around that.
For a 100+ waisted ski, the TST comes in at a respectable 8.32 lbs on our scales.
The Blizzard Kabookie drops the metal laminate and a little weight off the top-selling, award-winning Blizzard Bonafide ski, but doesn't give up much - to the point many don't notice a difference - in the way of performance.
And what makes the Bonafide so great as a quiver of one all mountain ski at the resort also makes the Kabookie a great do-it-all backcountry ski out of bounds. In a word; versatility. A medium flex has the power to plow through wind-buff and sastrugi in the backcountry and the edge-hold for icy couloirs.
But the subtle tip and tail rocker, what Blizzard calls Flipcore, keeps the ski manageable in tight spaces; swinging around in dense trees or scrubbing speed in variable snow without getting bucked.
The tail rocker doesn't kick up into a twin tip, so we find it still works well with climbing skins, can be plunged into snow easily, and can even cut a snow pit wall pretty well.
As far as weight goes, the Kabookie finishes somewhere in the middle of the pack at 8.6 lbs on our scales.
The Cham High Mountain series came as a big surprise to the Start Haus - both in terms of downhill performance and in terms of weight.
The funky five-point shape of the Cham, blending tip rocker with camber underfoot and a flat tail, tip and tail taper with sidecut in the middle, makes for a surprisingly versatile ski in the variable snow conditions of the backcountry.
The unique flat, tapered tail is a great solution to the backcountry dilemma of choosing between the utility of flat tails or the quick, pivoting turns and couloir-starting falling leaf technique tail rocker affords. The taper of the tail makes it easy to swing around quickly, and doesn't snag if you have to skid backwards a bit, but plunges straight into the snow for anchors or pit tests.
Tip and tail holes work with K2-style climbing skins, and also make it easier to rig up a rescue sled if things go wrong.
The difference between the 97 and 107 isn't just width and weight - the 97 has a tighter turning radius for firm snow conditions, while the 107 has a longer radius for soft snow focus.
Weight comes in at a class-leading 7.57 lbs for the Cham 97 HM, and at 8.63 for the 107 HM.
We could have picked the new K2 Annex 98 from K2 to talk about in this round-up, but the new AMP Rictor 90 XTI caught our eye as a unique option that's often overlooked in the backcountry.
While the trend in the backcountry has followed skiing as a whole - wider and wider, more and more rocker, there's a contingent of ski mountaineers farming corn snow on high peaks every spring that packs carving style skis, and intentionally or not, K2 made the perfect ski for that crowd with the AMP Rictor.
Better suited for steep, icy terrain that hasn't quite made the transition to corn, this is a ski you can more confidently stand at the top of a bullet-proof couloir than other skis on this list. With its roots in the AMP Rictor carving line, it's got good torsional rigidity that will help keep the edge from unexpectedly letting go.
But it also draws from their backcountry line, replacing the SideShow ski of past years, including tip and tail holes for skins or an emergency rescue sled.
Weight wise, the K2 comes in at 8.00 lbs on our scales, a good balance of weight and ski-ability that makes this a versatile choice for the right skier.
The Line Sick Day, a new ski for this year, stands out as quick and easy to turn, something that shouldn't be undervalued for legs already tired from the climb up.
It's quick and nimble thanks to a medium-light flex, tip rocker and taper, all of which works together to snake through sastrugi or trees without a lot of power input from the skier.
In-bounds this ski has a definite speed limit, but most backcountry skiers won't find that, and will appreciate the tradeoff.
The tails are slightly kicked, not ideal for traditional backcountry skiing where they give a little trouble in climbing skin connection and make plunging into snow tougher, but those aren't deal breakers for all skiers.
Weight is a respectable 8.1 lbs per pair.
The Nordica Hell & Back is one of those skis that achieves a magic balance of power, grip, lightweight and nimble handling, making it a favorite both in-bounds and out for those who know about it.
Unfortunately it gets overlooked, with its fairly traditional shape, as apposed to newer skis with crazier eye-catching designs. But instead of jumping on every new bandwagon, this ski refines a conservative shape with some tip rocker to the point of near-perfection.
To put it simply, skis without metal, this light and nimble, shouldn't have this good of grip on hard snow.
Flat, rounded off tails make it play well with skins and some of the alternative uses of skis in the backcountry, while the low tip rocker works well in a wide range of snow conditions, both in the up and the down.
Weight is somewhere on the light side of the middle of the pack for its width at 8.19 lbs on our scales.
The Rossignol Soul 7 has gotten a lot of buzz this year as the much-anticipated update to the S7, and Rossignol was smart enough to make it an interesting option for the growing legions of backcountry skiers.
If your main purpose in the backcountry is getting fresh tracks on a powder day, but you still want a ski that can handle the ever-changing, variable conditions found out of bounds, the Soul 7 should be high on your list.
At 106 underfoot with copious tip rocker and a little tail rocker, it's a no-brainer in powder, and our testing last winter confirmed that. Taper in the tip also aids in wind board conditions found away from the ski areas - that crust of wind-packed snow on top of soft powder that can hang up traditional ski shapes.
Where it surprised us was its great edge hold for a ski its width on firmer snow.
The eye-catching honeycomb construction in the tip and tail not only made for lighter swing-weight for quick turning, but a lighter overall ski.
The Rossignol Soul 7 came in at 8.59 lbs.
The Quest 98 isn't marketed as a bakcountry or sidecountry ski - but its versatile shape and surprisingly light weight (second lightest ski here) makes it an intriguing option, especially at its low price.
Light and nimble like the Line Sick Day, the Quest 98 responds well to skier input without requiring much power out of already tired legs - equally at home in tight, pivoting turns or longer smooth arcs when the trees open up.
Rocker and taper in the tip, like in a number of skis above, seem to be the winning formula for both pure powder and funky variable snow.
A tiny bit of kick in the tail isn't enough to make putting climbing skins on too difficult, and does aid when you find yourself sawing backwards and forwards at the neck of a tighter couloir or chute.
Its weight was a big surprise, coming in at 7.87 lbs.
On the premium end of the spectrum, Volkl pulled out all the stops with the unique carbon fiber construction of the V-Werks Katana.
This is the only fully-rockered ski in the group, combined with a 112 width, makes it a easy pick for powder hunters. The uber-thin side profile of the ski also makes it slice through wind board and other funky snow types better than the non-tapered shape might suggest.
And the upside to staying away from taper is a Volkl tried and true formula of matching sidecut to rocker, giving full edge contact for firm snow performance that's better than you'd expect - a lot better.
Tip holes (no tail) work with Volkl's climbing skins, and tails without a kicked up twin play friendly with all the backcountry skier's needs.
All the fancy carbon construction adds up to a lightweight ski for its width (widest in this list) at 8.51 lbs.