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We purchased and tested skis from top brands like Blizzard, DPS, Volkl, and Salomon to guide you toward the best fit for you
Some are brand new and others are from years past, but all of them are skis we tested side-by-side for our review of the best skis available this season.
Our team of female rippers has tested more than 55 of the best all-mountain skis for women over the last decade. We recently purchased 15 of this season's best skis to test side-by-side throughout the season, and our team skied a pair nearly every day. We floated through dreamy soft powder, muscled through thick Sierra cement, plowed through crud and chop, and carved arcs on smooth groomers. We paid special attention to how each ski performs in various snow conditions and across a variety of terrain to assess key metrics like playfulness, carving ability, and performance in powder. Our expert team offers advice on the best ski for intermediates, which pair the pros are using, and which ones present the best overall value. This comprehensive review will make choosing your next ski easier, no matter your price range or ability level.
Editor's Note: We updated our women's ski review on October 31, 2024. There is a new award lineup after adding 5 new skis, including 2024-2025 models from Blizzard, DPS, and Volkl. We purchased these skis before their release date to test them thoroughly over the 2023-2024 season.
We were thrilled to discover the fully redesigned Blizzard Black Pearl 94 is every bit as trustworthy as previous versions we tested. It still contends with other top competitors on-piste, holding its own on steep hard-pack and laying deep trenches on the groomers nearly as well as the Volkl Secret 96. However, the new Black Pearl 94 “has some new pep in its step,” as our lead tester puts it, that really plumps up its versatility as a much more playful all-mountain ski. Despite its mere 94-millimeter waist and relatively subtle rockered tips, this ski also floats shockingly well in powder.
Both its powder performance and playfulness are huge improvements over previous versions. Unlike years past, this new-and-improved version is a fun, accessible ski regardless of your experience level. Much of that comes down to its lightweight build – the Black Pearl 94 weighs only 7.36 pounds per pair. Compared to most other skis in our tests, it is at least half a pound lighter – often over a pound lighter – than other ski we tested, which makes it supremely agile.
From powering down steeps to blasting early morning groomers and everything in between, the Black Pearl 94 is a joy of an all-mountain ski.
Credit: The GearLab Team
The Black Pearl 94 is a total joy to ski in bumps and, really, anywhere on the resort. In every type of terrain, in any snow condition, our testers agreed that this ski excels, just as long as you're making close to a 15-meter turn. Don't worry if this sounds complicated – you're likely making that size turn already. This is the size turn that most intermediate to early-advanced skiers are comfortable with because it keeps their speed under control.
If you're someone who mostly likes to haul tushy down every run while cutting larger radius turns, you'll likely be happier with the aforementioned Secret 96 or the longer carving Fischer Ranger 102 WS if you want to arc big turns in powder. Even though the Black Pearl 94 can manage these larger, faster turns, it simply isn't the turn shape where this ski shines. As one of our testers aptly put it, “If you're happy making quick, agile turns in any terrain, the Black Pearl 94 is a winner.”
Often, our testers feel that certain skis get overlooked during our review process because they don't rank as highly in our metrics. Sometimes, a ski receives a lower overall rating because we use a relative ranking system, but that doesn't mean that it is a bad ski! Not every skier needs or wants something at the top tier of performance. Many skiers – especially intermediates – just want a ski that does everything well, is fun and easy to turn, and is relatively affordable. The Salomon QST Lumen 98 fits that bill perfectly.
As our lead tester points out, “This is an ideal ski for first-time purchasers and folks who are just entering the sport.” It is also perfect for intermediates looking for a ski that can help them develop their skills. Whether that means learning to carve, skiing an easy bump line, or starting to dabble in ungroomed terrain, the QST Lumen 98 is an ideal companion for improvement.
Our team of experts loved skiing the QST Lumen 98 in all conditions, and strongly believe that there is no better option for intermediate skiers to advance their all-mountain skills.
Credit: The GearLab Team
There's a good reason why the Lumen 98 doesn't hit the top of our charts, though. Our testers are very strong skiers and if a ski can't keep up with their demands, it likely won't rank at the top of the charts. The Lumen 98 often wasn't enough ski for the expert-level ladies on our test team – women skiing at this level are likely better suited by investing in a more powerful ski like the Blizzard Black Pearl 94. In contrast to the stable Black Pearl, the Lumen 98 feels a bit squirrely at high speeds and is too soft to offer a smooth ride in choppy snow.
However, if you are just starting to step out into small amounts of fresh powder during and chopped-up snow after a storm, the slightly wider Lumen 98 – which measures 4 mm wider than the Black Pearl 94 at 98 mm underfoot – is more than sufficient for learning how to navigate new conditions. If you're an intermediate to advanced skier looking for an easy-going, affordable ski to start exploring more of the mountain, the Lumen 98 can light your way.
No one was surprised that the DPS Carbon Wailer 100 came out on top as our favorite powder ski among the all-mountain skis we tested (skis that generally measure around 100 millimeters underfoot). It's handmade in Utah by a company with deep roots in innovative design in prized powder skis. What amazed our testers was how this ski transformed the daunting experience of learning to powder ski into something approachable and even fun for newbies.
With a snug turn radius and a penchant for buttery, smeary turns, the redesigned Wailer 100 delivered a joyful experience for intermediates and professionals alike on our test team. With an ability to quickly pivot on a point, this ski dances gracefully through tight trees, “spinning like a little lavender ballerina,” as one of our testers put it. This ability to change direction instantaneously applies to any condition – the Wailer 100 pivoted just as well in fresh, mid-season snow as it did around slushy, springtime bumps.
The fast-turning Wailer 100 is the epitome of playful. From powder to bumps and steep faces, our testers fell in love with this ski.
Credit: The GearLab Team
The advertised 15-meter turn radius is already taut for a 100-millimeter-waisted ski, but our testers measured the true turn radius at an even tighter 12.5 meters. The Wailer 100 does wail and whine a bit when pressed into a larger radius turn – it's a ski that knows itself, and it wants to make short turns. Even though the Elan Ripstick 94 W advertises a much longer 18-meter radius, both of these powder hounds bound down the hill better by keeping your turns short.
It's also important to note that the Ripstick 94 W performs nearly as well as the Wailer 100, yet costs half as much – our testers were certainly wailing when they caught sight of the price tag on these pink powder beasts. But to its credit, the Wailer 100 is a much more versatile all-mountain ski than the Ripstick. If you'd like to learn how to ski powder like a pro, our test team agrees that nothing beats the accessibility of the Wailer 100. And among the professionals on our team, testers were constantly battling over who would take this ski out on a powder day – one, in particular, would get up an hour early just to snag it, claiming, "first out the door, best dressed on the snow!"
Fun accessible even to lighter, less powerful skiers
Affordable
REASONS TO AVOID
Gets bouncy in crud
Slight tip flap at speed
Doesn't carve perfectly on the inside ski
SPECIFICATIONS
Waist Width
94 mm
Length Tested
178 cm
Sidecut (Tip-Waist-Tail Width)
136-94-110 mm
Turn Radius
18 m
Available Lengths
147, 154, 161, 168, 175 cm
We loved a lot about the Elan Ripstick 94 W, but the most impressive was its ability to keep trucking along, no matter how deep or dense the snow. Whether you're a hard-charging West Coast chick who sometimes skis heavier fresh snow with higher water content, or you're new to powder skiing of any variety, this ski gives you a full access pass to the amusement park. While this new Ripstick doesn't have quite the extreme rebound that caused us to issue the old version an award for playfulness, it still gave even the lightest of our testers a thrill with its spring-back.
The Ripstick 94 has an unusual design, which helps it perform well in the powder but means that it's not built well for making perfectly carved turns, particularly on the fully-rockered uphill ski edge. The large rockered tips that kept us cruising in deeper snow were also a bit floppy when brought to higher speeds on harder snow. Our testers discovered that in chunky, chopped-up terrain, the Ripstick wasn't the smoothest ride. A ski like the Faction Prodigy 3X is a pair of powder boards that can handle these mixed conditions a bit better. However, the amazing energy of the Ripstick 94 and the joy it brings while skiing powder made it one of our favorites, while the price tag kept our wallets happy, too.
The Volkl Secret 96 is a powerful ski designed for powerful women. It particularly excels on-piste, earning near-perfect marks on groomed runs. On firm snow, the edges grip fiercely, and the ride is exhilarating. The weight of the ski – which measured close to the top of our charts at 8.42 pounds for the pair of 170 cm skis we tested – helps propel you to maximum velocity while maintaining maximum stability. Blasting down early morning groomers, one of our testers swears she could hear the Secret 96 whisper, “'I've got you' all the way down the mountain.”
Crud performance is a challenging metric for many skis, yet the Secret 96 earns top marks here as well. It makes skiing choppy conditions in the days after a storm feel like you're back on smooth groomers. A slightly softer flex profile helps it dance across the snow and makes this redesigned ski a touch more accessible than any other Secret we've tested previously. However, we want to emphasize the “slightly” in that statement – the Secret 96 remains a particularly good choice for expert skiers who like to ski fast and aggressively and want to know that their ski is on the same wavelength.
The Secret 96 offers an incomparable level of stability at speed, no matter if you're on- or off-piste.
Credit: The GearLab Team
While the softened flex profile was actually a relief for our testers, the more forgiving Secret 96 is still all about speed and strength. It takes a lot of power just to rein in this green dragon. It's not nimble enough for quick, delicate turns through tight trees, and its disdain for flat, pivoted turns made it challenging in the bumps for even the most talented skiers on our test team. For women who love skiing fast groomers and hopping into the bumps, we suggest you stick with the Blizzard Black Pearl 94.
Even though our testers were pleased with the rebound of the Secret 96 compared to older versions, our lead tester quipped that “it's still about as playful as a semi-truck.” The Blizzard Sheeva 9 is a much more energetic ski at the same 96 mm waist width without sacrificing much by way of on-piste stability. The new-and-improved Secret 96 edges closer to this ideal and has certainly become more accessible for lighter-weight, less experienced skiers. However, it is still the ultimate companion for women who love blasting down the mountain at top speed while ripping massive turns.
The Secret 96 is able to tip on edge and drive through carves much like a classic slalom ski, yet has the waist width to make it a versatile all-mountain ski.
Our testers couldn't quite figure out what was so special about the Stockli Nela 88 at first. With the Stockli name and reputation, we assumed it would excel at speed on hardpack snow – which it does. But we didn't anticipate something atypical of a frontside carver: the uncanny ability to maneuver nimbly through a mogul field. Turns out that the Nela 88 is full of surprises, as normally, these two traits are mutually exclusive. Our testers loved that they could blast down a groomed run at high speed and then dart into an adjacent bump line with the same self-assurance in this ski's stability. In our zipper line tests, the blend of progressive flex combined with just the right amount of stiffness kept our testers in the sweet spot in the moguls for far longer than any other ski in our lineup. It also carves a clean arc quite well and holds its own in choppy snow following a storm. And it does all this while remaining accessible to any level of skier – anyone from upper-intermediates to experts will appreciate this ski's frontside versatility.
But the Nela 88 offers little to no rebound at the end of a turn, so don't expect it to feel fun or lively in that traditional sense. This lack of kickback does make it easier to stay in contact with the snow – a technique most skiers find crucial in moguls. If bump skiing is your jam or you're dreaming of becoming a mogul master, then the Nela 88 is the specialty tool for the job. But it does not perform particularly well in more than six inches of powder, nor does it perform as well in the crud as a more off-piste tuned ski like the DPS Carbon Wailer 100. Like DPS skis, Stockli skis tend to be very expensive, and the Nela 88 is no exception. But if you're looking to ski fast, whether it's on the groomers or through the bumps, this ski delivers an exceptional ride.
Strong yet nimble in tight spaces, the Nela 88 makes you feel like a rockstar in the bumps.
Credit: Marc Rotse
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Our dedicated test team spent all of last season testing the newest models ahead of their release date to deliver this comprehensive review just as these skis are hitting the market.
Credit: Renee McCormack
Why Trust GearLab
Our team of experts put these skis through more than 75 individual tests to assess their performance across the board. We test products side-by-side to rank each pair of skis within each metric. These all-mountain skis represent some of the most popular models available, so a low score doesn't mean a particular pair isn't worth consideration. A low score only means that a certain ski didn't perform well relative to the rest of the field, and often, low-scoring models still shine in certain situations.
Our experts have logged thousands of hours on snow testing skis, which helps them highlight every ski's strengths and weaknesses. We design our testing metrics to be both comprehensive and mutually exclusive and assign awards when a ski excels for a particular purpose. We balance performance and price to help you find the best value for your next one-ski quiver.
Our testing of women's all-mountain skis breaks down into six rating metrics:
Stability at Speed (20% of overall score rating)
Carving Ability (20% of score rating)
Powder Performance (20% of score rating)
Crud Performance (20% of score rating)
Terrain Playfulness (15% of score rating)
Bumps (5% of score rating)
Our two lead testers are industry professionals based in Mammoth Lakes, California, USA. Both come from a long history of ski instruction and personal passion for the sport, and each has different styles, preferences, and abilities, which helped us better understand each ski's advantages and faults.
Renee Lemmer McCormack, lead tester and review editor.
Hilary is a powder piggie. We can't believe she stood still for long enough for our photographer to get set up.
Our lead testers, Renee McCormack (left) and Hilary Roache (right).
Lead tester Renee McCormack holds a PSIA Level 3 certification and has been a ski instructor for the past seventeen years at Vail and Mammoth Mountain. Renee is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and 145 pounds. She generally prefers a stronger, stiffer ski with a decent sidecut. She believes that an all-mountain setup should perform in all conditions, including on-piste groomers, where we all end up spending portions of our day.
Hilary Roache grew up in Australia and worked as a ski instructor in Vermont, Colorado, Utah, Austria, and New Zealand before finally settling in Mammoth Lakes eleven seasons ago. Hilary holds PSIA Level 2 and NZSIA Level 2 certifications. Hilary is 5 feet, 3 inches tall, and 120 pounds, so some of the women's all-mountain skis in our test sizes were on the bigger side for her. She enjoys skiing groomers and carving it up when she teaches, but her real passion is powder skiing.
Hilary and Renee will often put their students on the skis they're testing for GearLab to get a wide variety of feedback; they also offer the skis to fellow instructors, coaches, and skier friends to consider their thoughts. Testing the same skis with multiple testers helps us provide you with a fuller picture of how a ski feels.
These gals love skiing.
Some of our dedicated ripper chicks out for a "schuss" together at Mammoth.
Sometimes joy like this is priceless, and worth every penny
From early groomer laps to full powder days, our team skis together so that they can discuss and compare skis on the slopes.
Analysis and Test Results
You are probably a sensible person who only wants to own a single rockin' pair of skis that will take you anywhere on the mountain, any day. Here is the theory behind all-mountain skis: these are skis designed to take you all over the mountain through all types of snow conditions. Certain manufacturers will use different terminology for this ski category; they are usually dubbed “all-mountain” or occasionally “freeride.” For more details, see Choosing the Perfect Pair of Women's All-Mountain Skis.
Regardless, an all-mountain model strives to do it all — carve clean arcs on groomers, maintain stability at speed, withstand crud and bumps, and stay afloat in powder. The top-rated all-mountain skis are all capable of handling a wide variety of conditions, and they all emerged as high-performers within the women's all-mountain ski realm, where versatility is crucial.
What's the Best Value?
Due to the “jack of all trades” nature of all-mountain skis, they are already a cost-conscious skier's ideal purchase. Everyone is looking to stretch their dollars where they can, so we compared each model's list prices and total scores to lock down the best value-for-money purchases. Among all of the specialty “quiver” skis on the market, the sub-category of all-mountain skis – ones that generally measure between 90 mm and 105 mm underfoot – offer an exceptional dollar-per-use ratio because you only have to purchase one ski for every day of the season.
Skis are expensive. Our hope is that by spending some time with our reviews, a thoughtful approach will land you the perfect ski for your needs and budget.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
The Salomon QST Lumen 98 is an affordable, well-rounded option for intermediate to advanced skiers, in particular. Advanced to expert skiers should consider investing in the Blizzard Black Pearl 94. It's a bit more expensive than the Lumen 98, but it offers the power and versatility that higher-level skiers demand, whether that's now or next season.
Even though the DPS Carbon Wailer 100 is an exceptional powder ski in the all-mountain category, its price point may put it out of reach for many skiers. For the cost-conscious powder hound, it's important to point out that the Elan Ripstick 94 W is a wildly playful powder ski that costs half as much.
We also want to highlight the fact that the average cost difference between most of the skis in this review is between $50-$100. We've written in-depth articles on every ski in our review so that you can dig deeper into the differences. It's well worth your time to consider your abilities and goals and match them to the perfect ski rather than just focusing on the cost alone. The best ski for you might not be the same ski for your bestie, even if you're both shopping on a budget.
There are so many skis on the market these days. We thoughtfully curate our selection so that you're only choosing between models that present the best performance for the price.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
Stability at Speed
We want our skis to make us feel like super-heroines while flying down the mountain instead of leaving us tentative or unsure. We want to exert pressure on them, make them bend, and know they won't slip out from under us or chatter around at high speeds. To this end, we examined how each pair of skis performed at higher speeds. Do they offer a smooth and seamless ride, or do the tips flap incessantly? Can they keep their edge when carving through a fast, high-pressured turn, or do they tend to wash out? Are they dampening, softly absorbing bumps, and uneven terrain, or do we get bucked around and launched out of balance?
The Volkl Secret 96 takes the cake as the most stable competitor in the test, earning one of our Top Pick awards based on its performance in this metric. If you like to go fast and feel supported, the Secret 96 is a sure thing. The Blizzard Black Pearl 94, Nordica Santa Ana 98, and Stockli Nela 88 are all quite stable as well. Like Volkl, Nordica, and Blizzard (among many other companies) add carbon to increase stiffness, while Stockli has put their faith in titanal. However designers choose to reach this point, stability-focused construction translates to success in this metric.
If you want to go fast regardless of terrain or snow conditions, the Secret 96 is one of the most stable skis we've tested in years.
Credit: Renee McCormack
Most of the skis in the all-mountain division now have rockered tips, primarily intended to help the skis stay afloat in deeper, fresh snow. When skied on groomers at high speeds, these rockered tips often appear unstable (as they flap their wings). The Coalition SOS has such extremely rockered tips that it becomes difficult for them not to flop vertically when moving quickly on hard-packed snow.
The Nordica Santa Ana 98 is reliable at any speed in any terrain.
Credit: Scott Rokis
However, some skis, like the Santa Ana 98, have enough sidewall underfoot that despite their slightly flapping tips, you still maintain enough edge hold and stability underfoot. The discussion of edge-hold is also related to the carving metric. Like the Secret 96, some have carbon in the tips to help dampen the ride.
Unlike other skis with more pronounced rocker profiles, you can confidently push the Black Pearl 94 through fast turns without fear of tip-flap.
Credit: Renee McCormack
Weight
The weight of a ski can play a significant role in overall stability, and this becomes particularly apparent at speed. Depending on a ski's dimensions and the choice of materials laid up in construction, a ski can feel stable and reliable, wild and unpredictable, or somewhere in between. Unfortunately, it does seem common that when a ski is very stable at higher speeds, it also tends to be stiffer, heavier, and perhaps a little unwieldy for lighter, less powerful skiers.
Despite a revised construction that makes it more accessible than ever before, lighter-weight testers still found the relatively heavyweight Secret 96 more difficult to bend and maneuver. While it excels at barreling down a run in large, high-speed turns, it lacks agility.
A lightweight ski like the Blizzard Black Pearl 94 can also be appreciated when post-holing through thigh-deep spring slush and clambering across boulders to “get the shot”. Or just for the slog from the parking area!
Credit: Nate Greenberg
The Blizzard Black Pearl 94 manages to break the mold – it's a lightweight ski that's still incredibly stable underfoot. Not only did our smaller testers have an easy time flexing this ski through turns, but everyone agreed that it felt light underfoot, agile, and fun in all types of terrain. The QST Lumen 98 also surprised our testers. While its relatively heavy weight adds stability, at the same time, it felt light under our feet and was incredibly easy to ski, even for less experienced skiers.
At only 7.2 pounds per pair, the Atomic Maven is one of the lightest skis we tested, making it fun and lively but not necessarily stable at speed.
Credit: Scott Rokis
Some models, like the particularly lightweight Atomic Maven 93 C and Black Crows Captis Birdie, feel unstable at speed and flap crazily down the hill. Maybe designers are trying to make these skis lighter or softer for a female skier. Whatever the case, they are a less comfortable ride at speed, not instilling the confidence we desire to reach our maximum velocity threshold.
Even though they are super lightweight and quick to pop edge-to-edge, the extra-soft Black Crows Captis Birdie is not the ski we would choose to let loose on wide open groomers.
Credit: Scott Rokis
Carving Ability
If you love shredding fresh corduroy and leaving two deep trenches in your wake, then it's critical to choose a ski that performs well in this metric. We asked ourselves: How easy is it to turn each competitor? Will the skis turn when requested, or do they prefer to go straight ahead? Can you tip them on edge, have them engage, and ride the rail? Do they stay engaged when you do? What is the turn radius, and does the ski feel like it wants to make a tighter or larger turn?
Models with a smaller turn radius are sometimes better at carving, but this is not a given. Turn shape and size are mainly products of a ski's sidecut, though they are also affected by the ski's flex pattern (the way it bends as you ski it). If a ski has a pronounced hourglass shape (wider at the tip and tail and skinnier underfoot), it will likely offer a smaller radius turn. Conversely, a ski with a straighter design from the tip to the tail, like the Coalition SOS, can result in a larger turn radius.
The turn radius of the Stockli Nela 88 felt a little longer than advertised.
Credit: Marc Rotse
Another factor within the carving metric is a ski's agility when moving from one set of edges to the other. Edge-to-edge quickness is often a function of a ski's waist width (skinnier skis are generally faster to switch edges). Still, it's also related to the sidecut and the turn radius. Some skis will rock quickly over from one edge to the next, instantly engaging the new edge and initiating a new turn. Other contenders are a bit more sluggish.
The Sheeva 9 is a joy to carve, thanks to its combination of edge grip, rebound, and smaller turn radius.
Credit: Marc Rotse
One of the slimmest skis, the Black Crows Captis Birdie at 90 millimeters, was, in fact, quick from edge to edge, but its lack of grip strength and flimsy construction meant that we couldn't offer it high ratings in this metric. Edge-hold within a turn is an important element of our carving metric. Can we trust the ski's edge to lock into the snow when we're railing turns? If we turn at speed, will these planks hold their course through the turn, or will they stutter or slip away?
The Secret 96 locks its edge and doesn't release until directed to do so.
Credit: Renee McCormack
The top two skis in our carving tests are very different skis and earned their spots for very different reasons. The Volkl Secret 96 is more of a classically powerful front-side carver with a tenacious grip that likes making large, sweeping turns. Contrastingly, the Black Pearl 94 is quick edge-to-edge, with a razor-sharp edge hold that promotes tight turns. The Santa Ana 98 also loves laying down tracks and can easily hold an edge throughout the turn, but it is able to blend its turn shape a bit better than the other two. Carving each of these skis is a blast, but your experience will feel significantly different on each ski.
Even though the Black Pearl 94's turn radius feels tighter than the advertised, this ski can still make nice sweeping carves.
Credit: Renee McCormack
Turn Radius
The Coalition SOS has the least amount of sidecut in our review by far, and its 25-meter radius feels barrelling compared to the rest of the group. Interestingly, the Captis Birdie and the Atomic Maven 93 C have shorter sidecuts and longer turn radii. Yet, with their soft nature and ability to bend, they turn more easily than much of the group.
The printed turn radius was not always accurate in our tests. Both the DPS Carbon Wailer 100 and the Black Pearl 94 felt even tighter than the claimed 15-some-meter radius. The Secret 96 also claims a 15-meter radius, but it felt quite a bit longer on snow – our test team agreed that it felt closer to 18 meters.
The Volkl Secret 96's radius felt a fair bit longer than the printed 15.2-meters, but the solid construction and tenacious edge-grip create an impressive large-radius carved turn.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
Powder Performance
If you've only ever skied on rental skis or skis less than 90 millimeters underfoot, then all of the skis in this review are going to blow your mind in powder. Most of them will make even the seasoned fat-ski chick feel like a superstar in the soft stuff. These boards all do a decent job of keeping you on top of the snow, therefore making powder skiing feel effortless (not an easy feat). In general, the wider the tips and waist, and the more rocker in the tips, the more the ski will help you float closer to the surface of the deeper snow, making it easier to maneuver as there's less resistance. Sometimes, the skinnier skis in this review were decidedly harder work in the powder since they sink within the mire, making it tougher to make that turn happen.
The Elan Ripstick 94 W makes powder skiing feel like flying through the clouds – its unique Amphibio profile helps smooth out any turbulence. The high-rise rockered tips on the DPS Carbon Wailer 100 help even novice powder skiers stay on top of the fluff, while the ski's geometry helps it pivot on a dime. Even though all of the skis in our review are a huge step up compared to a standard rental ski or a race ski, there is an equally huge jump in performance between these and a true powder ski (skis that generally measure 110 mm and above in the waist). When the snow gets really deep, many of these all-mountain models just can't hang.
The Amphibio profile of the Elan Ripstick 94 means that the downhill ski grips while the uphill ski skids, providing a smooth ride and easier transitions in powder.
Credit: Marc Rotse
The shape of a ski's tip certainly plays a role in its keenness to float. By setting the widest part back from the end, more tapered tips seem to have a better glide in powder. Once again, Ripstick 94 is a prime example. Thanks to their rockered and spatula tips, the relatively narrow waist doesn't inhibit its powder prowess at all. We were pleasantly surprised by their powder performance, even on the deepest days.
The DPS has both a wider waist and an extremely defined early-rise rockered tip, creating a fabulous pow-skiing combo.
Credit: Scott Rokis
The Wailer 100 has a similarly shaped tip with even more rocker, plus an extra 6 mm underfoot to boost buoyancy. There are quite a few pairs of skis in this review that acquire floatation through their well-designed, wide tips, such as the Volkl Secret 96 and the Fischer Ranger 102 WS. At 106 mm underfoot, the Faction Prodigy 3X is easily one of the widest skis in our review, and you might expect that it performs well in the deep stuff, too.
The Blizzard Sheeva 9's rockered tips stayed afloat in fresh snow up to about eight inches deep.
Credit: Marc Rotse
Waist Width
A ski's performance in powder is related to its waist width (wider equals more floatation) as well as the amount of rocker it has in the tips. Additional rocker (the more a ski's tip turns upward away from the snow at a certain point along the length of the ski) helps a ski float without the addition of extra width.
Every ski in this review has a variation on a rockered design, which shifts the contact area between the ski and the snow towards the center of the ski, effectively shortening the “skiable” length. This “effective edge” length is felt more on groomers, but a ski with an “early rise rockered tip” is likely going to feel shorter than expected for a given length. For instance, if you normally ski a 160-centimeter on-piste ski, you may want to consider getting something in the 170-centimeter range if you're buying something with an early-rise rocker. The Prodigy 3X is one of the widest skis, while the Coalition SOS has some of the most prominent rocker of all the models in our review.
The Prodigy 3X loves taking on the mountain at high speed, even in powder.
Credit: Marc Rotse
Our favorite powder ski, the Wailer 100, on the other hand, is remarkable in this metric because it is not the widest ski in this review. With a pronounced, early-rise rocker, it has all the markings of an ideal powder ski. However, its more reasonable waist width of only 100 mm allows a skier to turn easily and quickly in deep snow without your tips diving. Its ability to turn quickly makes it super fun for experts in the trees while at the same time welcoming novices to the joys of powder skiing.
The pink DPS tip clearly rising above the rest (and rising sooner, too, if you look at where it leaves the snow).
Credit: Nate Greenberg
Our other winner in this metric, the Elan Ripstick 94 W, does not have a particularly wide waist nor an exceptional amount of rocker. It has a very unusual design, which the manufacturer calls “Ambibio Technology,” where there are dedicated left and right skis. The inside edge of each is built with a regular camber to provide edge grip on harder snow. The outside edge has a fully rockered design, shaped like a banana, with each end lifting off the snow, allowing for more flotation in powder and agility in soft snow. Perhaps this rockered edge sets the Ripstick apart in its powder performance and makes it ski like a dream in the freshies.
The Elan Ripstick has exceptional powder prowess, especially considering its mere 94 millimeter waist.
Credit: Marc Rotse
Crud Performance
For our review, we refer to “crud” as any version of variable snow (but not powder) on an ungroomed (or groomed too long ago to be noticeable) trail. Many days in springtime, the snow will be frozen sheets of ice in the morning and then forming giant slush waves by the mid-afternoon. But in mid-winter, you will sometimes find breakable crust in one spot and fun chalky wind-buff around the corner. Will your trusty toys blast through the irregularities, whether you're in soft or hard snow? When even the groomers are busted up, will you still feel like you're carving and crushing?
The Volkl Secret 96 easily manages choppy snow like a bully on the playground. This ski can blast through the rough terrain, and it's damp enough not to get tossed around in chunky snow. The meaty Rossignol Black Ops 98 W also carries enough weight to bust through most choppy conditions, but a lighter-weight construction makes it a bit less powerful than the Volkl.
Similar to driving on a washboard dirt road, often pinning it through chunky snow is the best way to avoid feeling all the undulations. The Secret 96 is the best for this style of skiing.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
Other skis take an alternative approach to the chop, using their lightness and agility to skim the surface – the Ripstick 94 W and Black Pearl 94 use this method. However, it isn't as effective as the more aggressive tactic, so they don't score quite as highly in this metric.
The Black Pearl 94 deftly navigates steep, chunky snow, providing you with ultimate confidence despite its lighter-weight construction.
Credit: Renee McCormack
The QST Lumen 98 isn't burly enough for experts to charge through crud at high speeds, but its more delicate management of choppy conditions makes it great for novices just stepping into ungroomed terrain for the first time. We were slightly disappointed by the Black Crows Captis Birdie in this environment. It neither barged through it nor sucked it up, throwing us around and resulting in some minor humiliations.
From cruising groomers to stepping out into new terrain, the QST Lumen 98 is sufficiently damp to handle most conditions.
Credit: Marc Rotse
Terrain Playfulness
We're evaluating how fun the ski is to use in this metric. This metric can certainly be a bit subjective from one tester to another and across skier types as well, depending on your ability level, height and weight, and preferences for turn shape and size. Playfulness can also be a fairly simple measurement — do you have fun on this ski? Are you looking forward to taking them on the hill and playing around on them — riding switch, maybe, or jumping off small features?
The ski's rebound is one element of playfulness that seems consistent throughout the models that excel in this metric. A ski with a nice rebound will release quickly and smoothly after you bend it (at the end of your turn), creating an energetic and exhilarating transition from one turn into the next. After you've pressured the skis through the turn and you let go, do they pop back and spring easily toward the next set of edges? Or are they listless and lack energy and responsiveness? Overall, a more traditionally cambered ski will tend to excel in this regard, yet we did find that the Ripstick 94 (with a bizarre Amphibio profile) had an exceptional rebound.
The Ripstick 94 easily flexing through a trough in the bumps.
Credit: Scott Rokis
The Captis Birdie provided all our testers, regardless of their size, with a very exciting rebound that made it fun to ski within appropriate terrain – nothing too steep, deep, or choppy. One tester called the Black Pearl 94 a bouncy ball of fun, given its propensity for popping in the air and springing easily in new directions.
We loved getting airborne on the Wailer 100, and its rapid responses to your movements make it a riot to ski for all ability levels.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
The Faction Prodigy 3X stands out as a high-energy ski in the same way, reacting quickly when flexed and springing back into shape with an explosive rebound. On the other side of the coin, the Santa Ana 98 isn't exactly “playful” in a conventional manner. But the feeling of confidence granted by this ski inspired us to attempt new stuff, which is always fun in and of itself.
The Black Pearl 94 is so lightweight and snappy, we couldn't help but pop off nearly every feature.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
Some of the highest-rated skis in this metric – namely the Black Pearl 94, Wailer 100, and the Sheeva 9 – have more to offer than just excellent rebound. All three have an impressive ability to pop airborne of practically any feature, and the former two feel like they can spin on a dime. There is a special sensation when it feels like you have nothing at all on your feet. Our testers all derive great pleasure from lightweight, playful skis like these.
The Blizzard Sheeva 9 is near the top of our charts in this metric due to its liveliness, agility, and rebound.
Credit: Marc Rotse
Other skis, such as the Rossignol Black Ops 98, just felt like dead boards under our feet and didn't make us feel much joy while skiing them. This outcome was particularly disappointing in the case of the Rossi, as the discontinued Rossignol Soul 7 HD W was one of the most responsive and playful skis we've ever tested.
The Black Crows Captis Birdie loved to pop into the air, and our testers felt tons of fun rebound on it.
Credit: Scott Rokis
Bumps
Most skiers have a love or a hate relationship with them, but regardless, moguls are a fact of life while resort skiing. Even if you plan to avoid them at all costs, if you're skiing past noon, you'll often find yourself atop a pitch of bumps, possibly cursing the Olympic skiers who make them look so easy. Models with a tighter-feeling turn radius, such as the Wailer 100 and the Black Pearl 94, tend to perform better in tight, firm, evenly spaced bumps.
The Stockli Nela 88's combination of agility and stability makes it second to none in a mogul field – the narrow waist, shorter length with a less prominently rockered tip, and the lack of rebound create a ski that dominates in this arena. The lightweight Ripstick 94 frolicked through the bumps and outperformed many other competitors in this metric.
The Stockli Nela 88 is our choice for bumps for its uncanny ability to keep skiers in the zipper line.
Credit: Marc Rotse
While we appreciated the Atomic Maven 93C in softer, smaller moguls, we wouldn't be thrilled to ski it through firmer Volkswagon-sized bumps. Despite its penchant for higher speeds and larger turn shapes, the Santa Ana 98 can still hold its own in a mogul field. Even our smaller testers found it manageable and quick in the bumps.
You can actually see the Wailer 100 smearing as it pivots across these chunky spring bumps, flattening the snow behind it.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
If moguls are only starting to form in fresh snow, it might be wise to choose a ski with better crud-busting capabilities, like the Volkl Secret 96. However, we would say that if you plan to spend any more than 5% of your time purposefully seeking out moguls, you may want to research more on-piste-specific models.
Lightweight, playful, and poppy, the Black Pearl 94 makes fast work of a bumps run.
Credit: Renee McCormack
A Note About Versatility
We chose not to specifically rate the women's all-mountain skis on their versatility because the most versatile and well-rounded skis will naturally perform well across all of our metrics and rise to the top of the podium. The least versatile skis tend to specialize in a particular zone, thereby making performance sacrifices in other areas.
The most versatile contenders in our review are the Blizzard Black Pearl 94, the DPS Carbon Wailer 100, and the Volkl Secret 96. The Volkl ski is particularly adept at high speeds and in tough snow conditions. The DPS is a powder hound but is also wonderfully frivolous, both on-piste and off. And the Blizzard is a nearly perfect ski, excelling in every metric but particularly so for its playful nature – meaning it might not be the right choice for folks who like to keep their feet on the ground.
A versatile ski makes us smile, no matter what terrain we find ourselves in.
Credit: Scott Rokis
Conclusion
If you're seeking the perfect ski to handle whatever goods Mother Nature throws your way, we have you covered in this women's all-mountain ski review. Whether you're looking for planks to help you stay afloat in soft powder, shred the groomers, or plow through crud, our top-ranked skis have the versatility to excel in all kinds of conditions and take you anywhere on the mountain.
