How to Choose Your Perfect Pair of Backcountry Skis

Whether you're brand new to the sport or a resort regular looking to step out of bounds, choosing your first pair of backcountry skis is a big deal. Read on to learn more about what makes for a good backcountry ski, and when you're ready, head over to our review to pick out your perfect pair.

The All-Around Backcountry Ski

When you're touring, you spend about 90% of your time climbing uphill under your own power. Once you reach the top, you're skiing down “wild” snow, which isn't groomed or controlled like a resort. Backcountry skis are designed to be light enough for the long walk up, but sturdy enough to handle any conditions you might experience on the way down. In this guide, we're mainly focusing on “all-around” backcountry skis that offer the best balance of these two competing attributes.

Specialty Backcountry Skis

Most people starting out want a “do-it-all” setup, but it's important to understand a few different types of specialty skis we'll recommend as Top Picks in our review.

Powder Touring Skis

Instagram makes it look like the backcountry skiing is 100% powder skiing. In reality, you'll encounter everything from ice to “crud”, variable, chunky snow that's difficult to ski. Big, wide powder skis are a blast in deep snow, but as you add width, you add weight – weight that you'll have to lug uphill. Powder-specific touring skis are usually 110 mm underfoot or wider, and unless you live somewhere that gets massive amounts of snow, you probably don't need these as your first pair.

Ski Mountaineering Skis

This is the other side of Instagram – it looks like everyone else is climbing highly technical peaks with ice axes and ropes before skiing down something incredibly steep. While our specialty recommendations work well in this regard, these skis also tend to be great for the more beginner-friendly version of ski mountaineering.

Many people wait until the springtime to set their eyes on the high peaks, when the snow has entered its “freeze-thaw” cycle – warm during the day, and freezing at night – and when avalanche conditions are much easier to manage. These slightly narrower, superlight skis are ideal for skiing “corn”, those large, loose ice grains that are smooth, stable, and so much fun.

Even though “SkiMo” is short for “ski mountaineering,” these are more like the trail running shoes of skis. While this type of gear is amazing for moving fast through the mountains, it's highly specialized, and not something we review here. But we bring it up because this sport is gaining recognition, especially after it was introduced at the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina in 2026 – the event where everyone was wearing spandex and all their skis were tiny and paper-light.

Why Weight Matters

How much a ski weighs is the biggest factor in how much you'll enjoy the uphill part of your day. Which, of course, makes the biggest difference for how much energy you have left for the way down. We break down backcountry skis into three weight classes:

• Ultralight - These weigh under 1200 grams per ski, or generally less than 5.5 pounds per pair. They feel featherlight on your feet and are great if you plan on doing massive, all-day climbs. In the past, these were fragile, but modern tech (like carbon fiber) has made them much tougher. Every SkiMo style ski falls into this weight class.
• Standard Weight - A single ski weighing between 1200 and 1600 grams is the sweet spot for an all-around backcountry ski. That translates to roughly between 6 and 7 pounds per pair – you'll notice that the majority of the skis in our test fall within this range. These skis are light enough that they won't exhaust you on the climb, but they still feel stable when you're skiing down. This is the ideal balance for a pair of backcountry skis, and the weight class we recommend for beginners and experts alike.
• Heavyweight - These single skis weigh 1600 grams and up, or are generally heavier than 7 pounds per pair. At this weight, you're getting close to how a resort ski feels. They are great for the downhill, but you'll definitely feel the extra weight every time you lift your leg on the way up. If you're a strong skier who mostly cares about the descent, this might be your zone.

How to Choose the Best Ski For You

Even though you're likely looking for a do-it-all pair of backcountry skis, they're expensive, so it's important to take a step back before just choosing what we deem as the most versatile pair on the market. Here are some key questions to ask yourself when deciding on your backcountry setup:

How Often Will You Use Them?

Are you planning on using these for 2-hour “fitness laps” before work at a local hill? Or are you aiming for big mountain missions? If you're honest about how you'll actually use them, then you can easily home in on the best value:

• Occasional users should look for an affordable pair, first and foremost. But you should also consider how “forgiving” a ski is – how stable they are, and how easy they are to turn.
• Regular users need one ski that can do everything. This is who our reviews are mostly written for – the person who balances backcountry and resort skiing, and perhaps makes a big backcountry trip once a year. You should really focus on balancing weight and downhill performance.
• Hardcore user usually ends up with a “quiver” (multiple pairs of skis) for different types of snow or different objectives. This is the type of skier who will likely focus on our specialty recommendations.

What's Your Ski Ability?

Backcountry skiing is generally harder than resort skiing because the snow conditions are unpredictable. There isn't a clean translation from green (beginners), blue (intermediates), and black (experts) to backcountry skiing, because it's not just about the type of terrain, it's mostly about the snow.

Again, be honest with yourself here – it's not just about the gear, it's about staying safe and picking the right skis to maximize your time out ski touring, so that you can continue to build on the skills you already possess:

• Beginners: In the backcountry, a “beginner” is someone who can ski the whole resort, but is new to “wild” snow. That's not to say that you can't learn to ski in the backcountry, but it will be a steep learning curve. Like the occasional user we describe above, you will be best served by a forgiving pair of skis. Aim for something about 100-105 mm wide, which will give you extra floatation in powder and a bit more stability.
• Intermediates: You're a resort expert, but you're probably used to heavy, stable skis that can cut through any type of snow. Don't be afraid to go a little bit lighter than you think – you could likely save some weight by looking at skis in the 90-100 mm range. Your good technique will make up for the lighter ski, and the weight savings will help you get in more laps to keep working on your skills.
• Experts: If you've spent years in untamed snow, you already know what you like. That said, we stand behind our top recommendations for all-around backcountry skis – whether it's a lighter weight pair in the 90-100 mm range, a versatile pair in the 100-105 mm range, or something slightly fatter to satisfy your penchant for powder skiing, our award winners highlight the best of the best.

What's Your Fitness?

There's no way around it: walking uphill to go skiing is much harder than riding a chairlift. Independent of ski ability, your cardiovascular fitness has a huge impact on your backcountry skiing. What constitutes a “big day” is dependent on your fitness level. No matter what that is, lightweight skis certainly make human-powered skiing easier.

However, everything related to backcountry skiing has tradeoffs – it's not always “lighter is better”. While lightweight skis make it easier to walk uphill, they require much more strength to maintain control on the way down. Again, a mid-weight ski strikes the perfect balance here. But of course, you can decide for yourself: Where do you want to put in the effort, on the way up, or on the way down?

Where Do You Live?

Not all snow is created equal, and there are some pretty major regional differences. We break those regions into three main "snow climates":

• Maritime climates are close to the ocean, and the snow falls warm, wet, and plentiful. Since our weather in North America comes from the west, maritime snowpacks are found along the West Coast. Skiers in New England are in a special Arctic Maritime climate – it's colder, still just as wet, but with far less annual snowfall.
• Continental climates are far away from the ocean, and the snow falls cold, dry, and comparatively less than in Maritime climates. In North America, the Continental snow climate follows the Rocky Mountain chain.
• Intermountain climates (also known as Transitional climates) are somewhere in between: sometimes snowfall is closer to a Continental climate, and sometimes it's closer to a Maritime climate. Think about the Wasatch or the Tetons: sometimes it's warmer and snows a lot, and sometimes it's bitterly cold and doesn't snow as much.

It's important to provide that context, because it defines an even more important question:

When Do You Ski?

Do you head to the backcountry only after the lifts have closed for the season? Do you head out of bounds in between storms, to hunt fresh snow after it's all tracked out in-bounds? Or are you out in the backcountry exclusively? While you might not fit nicely into one of these bins, we can make some helpful generalizations that may help you narrow down your selection:

• Spring Skiers: If you only go out when the sun is out and the snow is firm, a narrower, lighter ski is great. For folks living in Maritime climates, this may be in between storms. For others living in Continental or Intermountain climates, this likely means waiting until spring for the annual freeze-thaw, or “corn cycle”.
• Regular Backcountry Skiers: If you're out all winter, you'll experience every type of snow. You may be venturing out from the resort on a powder hunt, or you may be out in the backcountry every day. Either way, a versatile, mid-width ski (around 95-105mm) is your best choice.
• Traveling Skiers: You may know the snow climate, but if you're booking a trip months in advance, you don't know what the weather will do. Again, a versatile, all-around backcountry ski is the safest bet for a good time, no matter how the weather shakes out.

Ski Construction (Briefly) Explained

It's hard not to get bogged down in marketing buzzwords. While ski materials, construction, and shape are important, it's hard to suggest that a particular attribute of ski construction will improve performance. (Weight excluded.) That's why we're talking about these nitty-gritty details last. But as you dig into the details, let's explain some common construction terminology:

• Width - The width of the ski varies from tip to tail, but generally when we say “width”, we mean the width “underfoot”, or the part of the ski directly under your binding (also commonly referred to as the “waist” of a ski). This is commonly measured in millimeters (mm), and when you see a number attached to a ski name, like “Backland 95,” it's the width of the ski underfoot.
• Sidecut - This is the overall shape of a ski as viewed from above. When we list dimensions, we list the width of the tip, waist, and tail (generally listed as tip/waist/tail width). The larger the difference in width between the waist and tip or tail, the more sidecut, and the easier a ski will turn when tipped on edge.
• Turn Radius - If you could tip a ski on edge and have it turn independently, this is the radius of the circle it would turn. Typically, this varies with sidecut, but not directly – the stiffness of a ski also makes a difference.
• Flex - How easy is it to bend a ski? Skis with a “stiff” flex require a lot of power (or weight) to force them to bend – as a ski bends, you can change the natural turn radius. Skis that are easier to bend have a “soft” flex, and because they're easier to flex, you can more easily adjust the shape of a turn.
• Camber - If you lay a ski flat and look at it from the side, a “cambered” ski will naturally have a large arch underfoot. Classically, this allows for a ski to make consistent contact with the snow when you apply your body weight to the center of the ski, which helps the edge “grip” the snow.
• Rocker - This is the opposite of camber – sometimes referred to as “reverse camber.” If you look at a fully rockered ski from the side, it will form a slight U-shape, like a smile. Since the ski naturally tapers upward at either end of this U shape, this design improves flotation. It also has a shorter “effective edge,” or how much of the metal edge comes in contact with the snow when you weight it – the less edge you have on the snow, the easier it is to turn.
• Profile - It's no longer as simple as just cambered and rockered skis. Designers incorporate rocker and camber in different zones of a ski to adjust the “profile” of the ski, or the shape of the ski when viewed from the side. A common profile these days is rocker/camber/rocker – rocker in the tips improves floatation and makes it easier to initiate a turn, camber underfoot improves edge grip, and rocker in the tails makes it easier to disengage a turn.

Ski Design, Generalized

To make it even easier to navigate this jargon-heavy sport, here are some plain-English rules of thumb:

• Wide skis are easier to ski in poor snow conditions. Like powder skiing, width helps keep them on the snow surface, which makes a huge difference when skiing in crud.
• Narrow skis grip better on ice and firm snow.
• Rockered skis help you float in powder and make it easier to start a turn, but the lack of “effective edge” can make them feel less stable on firm snow.
• Cambered skis help you edge in and grip on firm snow.
• Stiff skis are stable when you're going fast, but take a lot of effort to ski.
• Soft skis are much easier for beginners to control, because they're easier to turn.
• Carbon skis are stiff and lightweight, but they can also make the ride feel a bit “jittery” on hard snow.

Putting It All Together

Remember, the skis are just one part of the puzzle. You'll also need backcountry boots, touring bindings, and climbing skins (the “carpet” you stick to the bottom to go uphill). Check out our other reviews to build your perfect kit.