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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.

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.

A lot of the all-mountain skis we've been reviewing lately have been 98 mm wide underfoot - a safe bet for a lot of western skiers as a quiver of one ski.

But the 2013 K2 Sideshow, coming in at 90 mm underfoot deserves consideration as well, both in-bounds and for backcountry skiing. On sale now for only $299! Click here

We talk a lot about 98 mm underfoot all mountain skis, because out west, they make a great quiver-of-one ski - something you can count on in almost any conditions from ripping around on groomers to getting faceshots in powder.

Possibly the most popular ski in this category here in the Lake Tahoe area is the Volkl Mantra, a long-time classic that has been refined over the years for incredible versatility.

We've got two fantastic all mountain skis from Salomon on sale this week - the Salomon Sentinel and Salomon BBR 7.9 - both for only $299!

In the last few years, skis in the 110 to 120 mm underfoot category have gone from powder-specialty quiver skis to something more versatile - skis that don't make you go running to your car for another pair when the soft stuff gets tracked out after lunch.

One of our favorites in this increasingly versatile big mountain ski category is the Salomon Rocker2 115. Salomon expanded the Rocker2 out to a wide range of skis this year, but we think the 115 hits the sweet spot.

When the Salomon BBR series (Salomon BBR 7.9 and BBR 8.9) first came out last year, they were touted as game-changers. Their unique shape certainly had skiers interested, but really advanced skiers found them to be a little under-gunned.

We still think they're one of the best skis for an intermediate skier trying to get off the groomers and explore the whole mountain, but Salomon listened to those who wanted more, and came up with the Salomon BBR 10.0.

The HEAD REV 105 (on sale now for 50% off! Only $349) can be a lot of different skis to a lot of different people - it's that versatile. The playful soft-snow seeker at western ski areas could call it a quiver-of-one all mountain ski. Others might consider it a big mountain ski that comes out for the days after a storm. For lighter or smaller skiers, it makes for a great powder ski too.

Or, if you're Julia Mancuso, you could do this:

The following is a guest post from backcountry ski expert Craig Dostie, author of Earn Your Turns.

There are roughly three different styles of backcountry ski bindings you should consider if you're hunting fresh powder. The one that will appeal most easily to alpine skiers are essentially alpine bindings mounted on a plate with a hinge that is attached to the ski. To ski uphill you need climbing skins and a way to free your heel – that's what the hinge is for - so you can simply walk on top of the snow up the mountainside.

These bindings are fully equipped to earn turns in the backcountry, and durable enough to handle whatever abuse you may subject them to under or outside the lifts, whether cruising hardpack or nailing the landing, the beef is all about absorbing the big hits without letting go. For that flavor of earning turns, you want to play both sides of the line and binding like the Marker Duke, Salomon Guardian, Tyrolia Adrenaline, or the MFD plate gives you geographical options.

Volkl Skis has had a long line of traditional front-side carving skis  built old-school - stiff flex, full camber - generally needing a powerful advanced skier to drive them, and leaving smaller or less advanced skiers wanting something more forgiving.

Enter the Volkl RTM 84 - the first fully rockered (reverse cambered) front-side hard snow biased all mountain ski we've tested. Rocker has always been a tool of powder-oriented skis. It's crept into all mountain skis, and even carving skis in the form of a little tip rocker designed to keep the tip from catching, and helping in quick turn initiation.

If you've been following along with our ski reviews, you may notice we've spent a lot of time on all mountain skis - particularly at about 98 mm underfoot. That's because it's the sweet spot for a do-it-all, quiver-of-one ski for so many western skiers - something you can count on in almost any conditions.

One of the top contenders in the category is the Line Prophet 98. The Line Prophet series of skis have been around for a while now, and have always been popular. The latest version, the Line Prophet 98, is definitely one of the most versatile all mountain skis in its width range.