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The Volkl Gotama has had a strong following among big mountain skiers as a versatile all-mountain ski, loved from coast to coast for its versatility.

Recent generations of the Gotama  have dropped traditional camber in favor of a continuous rocker profile, what Volkl calls ELP, or extended low profile rocker, basically meaning the ski has a continuous upward curve from tip to tail, but it’s not as aggressively upward turned as some other rockered skis. Volkl skis embraced full rocker early with a number of models, and has really been able to fine tune it for more than just powder ski performance.

HEAD skis have been on the Start Haus Ski Wall for years - as a race brand.

*2015 Update, we have replaced the i.Supershape Magnum with the HEAD i.Supershape Rally.

The Armada TST all mountain ski is a playful performer, but it's not a one-trick pony. A lot of skis that place a premium on turny, surfy skiing don't necessarily give you the confidence to rail on firm snow, but the Armada TST accomplishes this with a unique shape.

K2 Ski's Seth Morrison pro model skis have been long-standing favorites from the Seth Pistols to the Obsethed, and now K2 has created the  Sideseth the latest iteration - and we think it's the best yet.

The K2 Sideseth has a similar tip rocker profile to last year's K2 Obsethed; low and gradual starting way down the ski - not too far forward of the front of the binding, for tons of float in powder.

Here comes the next big deal, our Salomon Ski Sale! We got great pricing on the 2012 Salomon Rocker 2, Salomon Sentinel, Salomon Enduro XT 800 and Salomon Origins Bamboo, and we're passing the savings on to you. You've got to act fast though, we've got extremely limited quantities, so they're going to be gone in a hurry.

The 2013 Atomic Automatic looks like it's going to be one of the hot skis this year - for good reason.

Atomic says it blends the playful powder surfing Atomic Bent Chetler with the hard charging straight lining power of the Atomic Atlas.

We say it's one of the most versatile fat big mountain skis out their, and a real candidate if you want to ski a fat ski everyday.

Pro ski mountaineer David Rosenbarger stopped by the Start Haus to get a new pair of Tecnica Cochise 130 Pro backcountry ski boots fit by our experts, and took a few minutes to talk to us about why they're the boots he's been waiting for forever.

Sponsored by Blizzard and Tecnica and a Patagonia Ambassador who splits his time between Tahoe and France's ski mountaineering mecca, Chamonix, Rosenbarger puts his ski equipment to the test.

Rosenbarger depends on his Blizzard/Tecnica ski gear when he's going deep into the mountains above Chamonix across glaciers and down steep, technical couloirs. He was picked for his expertise to lead famed pro skier Seth Morrison down the Col du Plan off the north face of the Aguille du Midi during the filming of "The Ordinary Skier" about Morrison.

Here's what he had to say about the Tecnica Cochise 130 Pro:

And here's what he had to say about his two favorite skis, the Blizzard Kabookie, a versatile new backcountry ski based on the Blizzard Bonafide, and

The Dynastar Cham 97 was just awarded Outside Magazine's Gear of the Year for 2013 - Best Alpine Skis.

It's definitely an interesting ski, worthy of consideration from a wide range of skiers for a great all-mountain ski.

Sold out, check out our new SKI SALE now!

If you've been waiting for the best price on a pair of Nordica Skis, this is it: the Nordica Blemish Ski Sale!

Every year the Start Haus uses our super-secret connections to scoop up a bunch of the previous year's Nordica Skis with minor cosmetic blemishes at almost unbelievable prices, then pass the savings on to you. Whether you're looking for Nordica all-mountain skis, Nordica powder skis or something else, this is the best price you'll find.

2 Years on the Rossignol S7:

As some folks may recall, I was on board with the Rossi S7 pretty early. I got a sample pair in the spring before the ski was in general release and then kept it in my quiver for the next two seasons. Initially, I was stunned by the quickness and maneuverability and I found it to be stupid easy to ski in trees and tight spots. Eventually, I skied it a bit more in wider, more open areas and in heavier snow and started to discover a few limitations. The S7 tends to get knocked around a bit in rough conditions and the narrow tail can tend to “wheelie” out from under the skier in a sharp downhill to flat transition. At first, I attributed those issues to the soft tip and tail and the rather abrupt rocker profile. The S7 also skis very short and I suspected that I was slightly undergunned on the 188. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that the tapered tip and tail profile also played a part. For all that, the S7 was and is a remarkable tool in untracked snow and

The MX 88 is the ski that single handedly built the formidable reputation of the Kastle brand. Some brands may have a ski model that become a hot seller for one year, but almost invariably, they feel the need to tinker with it and change success. Fortunately for all concerned,  Kastle does not work that way. The Kastle MX 88 has been the flagship of the collection since its inception, has not really changed at all and yet it still sells out early every year. There are some very good reasons for this with the primary one being the construction and feel that sets Kastle apart from other brands.

Most ski companies tout their technology and construction and of course they should. A lot of times the new “whiz bang” tech that is “going to change everything” is just smoke and mirrors. With Kastle it is a different program. Kastle utilizes design and construction techniques that give their skis a unique and highly desirable feel, they tune the build and flex for the target customer, put on a

Dynastar has been a major player in the race world with many Olympic and World Championship medals as well as World Cup titles in their long history. This racing pedigree really shows in the Dynastar Speed Course TI. The Course TI wears race graphics, carries a racing binding plate, and shares the wood/metal construction characteristics of the World Cup skis. Despite this, it is in fact a pretty different animal than a pure race ski.  A wider waist width and rounded tail are the first visual clues that this is not just another race ski. The Course TI has a tight 15m turn radius in the 171 size and it is available in sizes as short as a 159 and as long as 183. This is a very good dual event race ski for non-FIS level competitors and also makes a great “cheater” GS ski for Masters racers. The Speed Course TI is even more than this though. This is a very good ski for someone that doesn’t race at all and is looking for a hard snow biased ski for everyday use.

The first runs I took on the