Many of today’s skis and bindings are relatively heavy, especially high-performance gear. For the most part, this is a result of the search for vibration control, the key to a smooth ride and solid connection on firm snow. All the various solutions add mass- whether it’s a layer of metal or visco-elastic material (ski-industry marketing speak for rubber) in the ski lay-up, or a mechanical device like the hydraulic damper in Marker’s Piston bindings.
Any skier can appreciate the result of this technology for carving turns on firm snow, but the trade-off is a potentially sluggish ride in other conditions- moguls, trees, powder, and the park. Not to mention lugging a pair of leaden boards from the car to lift: “Jeez these things are heavy,� is a phrase heard daily in our demo shop.
If you’ve got the muscles and the inclination to ski at high speeds or want maximum edgehold and stability, a beefy, heavy set-up is going to be mandatory- but there are other options for skiers who want to shed some pounds on the hill:
Look for skis without metal in the construction. Rossi, Salomon, Dynastar, Fischer, and K2 all have metal-free performance skis.
Avoid heavy integrated ski/binding systems. Tyrolia and Salomon seem to have the lightest systems on the market right now, as well as the lightest performance bindings. The new Salomon Z12 binding is impressive- it’s featherweight but feels very solid.
Ski ‘em short, especially skis with deep sidecuts, integrated bindings, and stout construction. For most skiers, boards like the Rossignol Zenith 9, Volkl AC40, or the Nordica Top Fuel will be more than stable enough for eye-watering speeds in the 170 cm size for men and 160 for women.
Top-of-the-line high performance gear can be overkill. Even if you’re an expert and you like to go fast, if you’re under about 175 pounds, demo some skis that are a step down in the line from the top- they’ll be lighter and easier to ski, and save you a couple of hundred bucks.
Check out the twin-tip skis. A turned-up tail almost always indicates a lighter ski without the sophisticated vibration damping of the performance all-mountain skis. Even if you have no intention of skiing in the park or backwards, the Salomon Foil, the Armada ARV/AR6, and K2 Public Enemy are great all-mountain boards.
Lightweight Performance Skis: anything from Armada, Salomon and Dynastar, Atomic’s Nomad skis, Fischer’s Watea series, K2 Coomba, Public Enemy, & Phat Luv.