Remember when 90 underfoot was fat?
SKIS
Fat skis used to be the outliers—you used them for big dumps or once a year on that heli trip. But as waistlines grow even thicker, big skis are only getting more responsive. That means it’s become pretty easy to return to the old quiver-of-one ethic. That said, here are our top picks for 2010-2011. Even the fattest will work as your one ski for the season.
1. Völkl Kenja
There was a time when women’s skis were soft and pretty—and useless. No safe, little lady-board, the nimble, wood-core Kenja simply slices through the untracked. The big shovel pushes sloppy snow out of the way and offers float, but there’s still enough sidecut to make quick turns and bomb goormers at full bore. 129/86/105 in a 156 cm.
$649; volkl.com
BEST FOR: Women who Shred
2. Blizzard Magnum 8.7 IQ Max
For a few years, old-school alpine manufacturers like Blizzard had fallen behind the big-ski curve. No longer. This is the ideal Colorado ski: adept underfoot for top-to-bottom leg-leg burning on sunny days yet big enough up front to mash in chewed up powder. In other words, it’s a frontside ski that can run with fatties. 128/87/113
$1,000; blizzard.com
BEST FOR: A quiver of one
3. Salomon XW Enduro
Forget the distinction between powder ski and frontside board. At 85 underfoot and armed with Salomon’s Powerline dampening technology, the Enduro can hold an edge on the hardpack or shimmy through ugly tree lines. But it’s also equipped with rocker for float in powder, crud-crushing and, believe it or not, better bump skiing. 127/85/112 in a 184 cm.
$700; salomon.com
BEST FOR: Full-speed ripping
4. Rossignol S3
Rossi’s big S7 got so much media love last season that the slimmer S3 slipped under the radar. More managable at 98 underfoot, the S3 combines camber and reverse camber for a ski that’s easy to spin around—whether floating in wild snow, flying through the woods, mashing bumps or playing in the park. And the wood core makes it nice and lively. 118/98/128
$600; rossignol.com
BEST FOR: Freeriding versatilty
5. Liberty Double Helix
Liberty’s Helix was our favorite do-it-all fat board last year. The Double Helix is even fatter, making for absolute dominance on big, aggressive lines in pow. Yet, the truly amazing thing about this rockered board is just how well it handles everywhere. These fat skis swing around quick—even in tight tree lines.150/121/140
$759; libertyskis.com
BEST FOR: Pow, POW, pow
6. K2 Coomback
The late, legendary Doug Coombs signature ski was built to be equally adept at touring and turning. It suceeds on both fronts—built with a light wood core for easier trudging uphill, it can do most anything on the way down thanks to a massive shovel that elevates the boards and smooth-turning sidecut. 135/102/121
$650; k2skis.com
BEST FOR: Slipping out the gates
7. G3 Mass Transit
The fatter cousin to G3’s popular Rapid Transit, this assymetric board is a workhorse with perfect dimensions to take on all terrain inbounds or switch to tour mode and slip out the gates. It will carve if you step on it, and slight rocker lifts it up in the untracked.125/95/114
$640; genuineguidegear.com
BEST FOR: Resort-to-sidecountry freaks
