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One of our absolute favorite women's powder skis is the Nordica La Nina. Based on another favorite, the Nordica Patron, we weren't surprised when our female testers came back with big praise for these skis after testing.

A cold Sunday morning that promised to turn into a spring-like sunny day meant there was no reason to rush for a dawn patrol on Tahoe's west shore, so I (Greyson, Start Haus web guy) met up with my buddies Paul and Jan at Homewood at a leisurely 9 a.m.-ish to head down to Hidden Peak.

Also known as Bliss Peak, tucked between Jakes and Rubicon just to the north of Emerald Bay, Hidden Peak earns it's name, tricking you into thinking you're almost at the top with a false summit. it rises up over 9,000 feet, overlooking both Tahoe to the east and Desolation Wilderness to the west.

I skied my K2 Backcountry Skis with Dynafit Bindings and Dynafit Boots, a great setup for the day.

Each year our staff, including America's Best Bootfitters instructor and Start Haus owner Jim Schaffner tests dozens, if not hundreds of ski boots. This year, we're lucky to be working with Craig Dostie, the backcountry skiing guru who founded earnyourturns.com, who is an expert on backcountry ski boots.

While we skied and liked a handful of what we'd call sidecountry ski boots that ski really well and have a walk mode for hiking, we only picked two dedicated backcountry ski boots that really deserve to spend their lives out of bounds: The Dynafit TLT 5 Performance, which has been around for a year and is the weapon of choice for ultralight altitude seekers, and the Dynafit Mercury, a new boot this year, that we think strikes the best balance between hike-ability, ski-ability and weight of any backcountry ski boot to-date.

Every year certain skis get all the hype - all the attention, while others seem to fly under the radar. The HEAD REV 90 is one of those skis - a faultless all mountain ski that's tons of fun both on the groomers and off-piste.

This ski is one of the reason's we decided to expand into HEAD's rec skis beyond the usual race skis we normally carry from them - it's a ski that sells itself with a day on a demo pair. That's because it really does nothing wrong - it's quick and playful while remaining damp and stable at speed, a rare combination of traits in any ski. Testers called it "effortless" and were stumped when asked what to put in the "cons" column after putting them through the paces.

One of the most exciting areas of development in ski boots has been in backcountry ski boots, and specifically in backcountry ski boots that ski as well as normal alpine ski boots.

It used to be that alpine touring ski boots were a compromise between the lightweight and flexibility needed to hike uphill and the stiffness and control needed to ski downhill. This year, that gap has closed rapidly.

We skied in and picked a handful of ski boots in this category, and really like them not only for backcountry, but also for sidecountry skiing where you only need to hike a little bit for a fresh powder stash at the resort - or even for those who just want a ski boot that's easier to get around in. These boots are extremely popular with ski patrol and other ski area workers who work in ski boots for good reason.

We've brought you the all mountain ski comparison of crazy 98s, threw down with a big mountain ski comparison of skis between 100 and 110 mm underfoot - and now we're bringing you the big boys with this powder ski comparison.

Powder skis get a lot of attention - partially because so many of us dream about the deep bluebird days, and partially because so much of recent ski innovation has happened here. Rocker, reverse camber, early rise and taper all cut their teeth in the powder before trickling down to narrower skis.

For this ski comparison test, we'll take a look at the Atomic Bent Chetler, the Volkl Shiro, the Salomon Rocker2 115, Nordica Patron & Nordica Helldorado, Armada JJ, AKJJ and Magic J, Line Influence 115, K2 Sideseth, Icelantic Gypsy & Keeper, Dynastar Cham 127, Dynafit Huascaran, DPS Wailer 112, Blizzard Gunsmoke and the Rossignol S7, Super 7 & Squad 7.

These are all fantastic powder skis and cover the spectrum, from quick and nimble skis for turning quickly through your favorite tree stash to big and stable for arcing big lines down open bowls - and everything in between.

POC has been growing in popularity over the last few years, both for ski racers and recreational skiers - for good reason. Their ski protection is some of the best and they've built up a big following on the race circuit.

Shane, one of the Start Haus's resident ski racers, talks about what makes POC equipment so good:

UPDATE: Check out the 2014 big mountain ski comparison here.

Last week we took a look at our most popular category, the 98 mm under foot skis, in an all mountain ski comparison. This week, we're taking a step up into the 100 to 110 mm range, what we'd call big-mountain skis.

There are wider skis that still fit into the big mountain ski category, but the 100 to 110 width are still solid quiver-of-one contenders for skiers in high snowfall ski areas that favor off-trail soft snow seeking to railing groomers all day, what Sierra Jim terms soft-snow oriented skis.

For this ski comparison, we're looking at the Armada TST, Atomic Ritual, Blizzard Cochise, Dynastar Cham 107, Head REV 105, Kastle BMX 108, Icelantic Nomad RKR and Volkl Gotama.

The Blizzard Black Pearl  (Now only $480! Click Here) Women's Ski became an instant hit at the Start Haus as soon as our testers got on it - and if you look around the web, you'll find testers from magazines, blogs and other sites feel the same.

Credit goes to what Blizzard calls "Flipcore" construction and what we call one of the best applications of rocker in an all mountain ski - a subtle rocker-camber-rocker profile that blends together when turned on edge and doesn't flap at speed.

Here's what on of our testers, Quincy, had to say:

UPDATE: See the 2014 all mountain ski comparison here.

If you've taken a look at our blog, you've probably noticed we've paid a lot of attention to 98(ish) mm underfoot all mountain skis. These are the quiver-of-one skis for many skiers, especially out west - the daily driver skis for almost any conditions.

The question is which one is the quiver-of-one for you? We picked eight for our shelves: The K2 Hardside, the Dynastar Cham 97, the Rossignol Experience 98, Rossignol S3, the Blizzard Bonafide, the Nordica Enforcer, the Volkl Mantra, the Line Prophet 98 and the Kastle BMX 98.

This blog aims to help you narrow it down from that list to the right one for you. We'll tell you the comparative strengths and weaknesses of each model and tell you who we think each ski is best for.

We've been on a little bit of a 98 mm underfoot all mountain ski kick lately here on the blog, but we haven't hit on many women's models.

The Dynastar Exclusive Legend Paradise is one of our favorite women's skis, regardless of width category, but it happens to fall into the range that we consider a great quiver-of-one for Tahoe and other western ski areas, especially for female skiers with a bias towards off-piste and soft snow.

Take a quick look around the internet and you'll see a lot of excitement for this ski - the TGR forums alone a aglow with rave reviews for the DPS Wailer 112.

A lot has been said about this ski - but wait it boils down to is this ski brings the powder ski and all mountain ski categories closer than before. RP means resort powder, and a powder day at a resort can mean fresh tracks in the morning ... giving way to tracked out, chopped up snow and a few groomers as the day wears on.

It used to be that if you wanted to ski your powder skis, you brought a second pair of all mountain skis in the car for the afternoon - with the DPS 112, you don't have to make the switch.