It’s a sad fact of life that the ski industry is set up to serve the mythical average European skier- 120 pound women and 165 pound men, with size 7 and 9 feet respectively. For skiers far off that average in either direction, finding the right gear can be extra challenging. Heavyweights and featherweights have different needs from their equipment, needs that won’t necessarily be answered by every ski, boot, or binding. The key is keeping it proportional.

Skiers in the heavyweight division (say 190 lbs +) need gear that can withstand the application of greater forces. Skis need to be stiffer so they don’t just fold up when you pressure the tip or wash out on hard snow. They must be built with stouter materials that won’t buckle the first time you hit a rock.

The Austrian/German companies like Volkl, Atomic, and Head tend to make the best skis for bigger, stronger skiers, with burly constructions that lighter skiers often find too demanding.  K2 now makes stiffer laminate-construction carving skis that will work well for heavyweights (the Apache series), and their torsion box fat skis like the Chief and Seth Pistol have proven incredibly durable for big skiers who want a soft-flexing ski. Binding plate systems like Marker’s Piston interface can give a lightweight ski more heft and stability, but they don’t make the ski any stiffer.

In keeping with the proportionality theme, if you’re looking for an all-mountain or soft snow ski, remember- bigger skiers will need a wider ski for more floatation. A 95mm-waisted board like the Volkl Mantra may be powder ski for the average person, but for a guy whose 6’ 4� and 235, it’s a perfect all-mountain ski- he’ll need something fatter for a powder-specific ski.

Athletic women over about 140 lbs will probably have better luck on unisex skis, rather than women’s specific models, which are made for lighter skiers. The same goes to a lesser extent for women’s-specific boots.

Skiers in the Heavyweight Division also will need a stiffer boot that doesn’t fold over like a wet newspaper when flexed- even though you may not be an aggressive expert, if you’re big and strong, you’ll need a high-end boot for proper support. Big guys should look for boots with a 120-130 flex index like the Lange WC 120 or the Salomon Impact 10.  Unfortunately, heavyweights pack out liners more quickly than little people- consider and aftermarket liner like the Zipfit when you wear out the liners before the shells- longer lasting and more supportive.

Similarly, go with heavy high-performance bindings; get the ones with a DIN tension scale that goes up to 14-16, even if you aren’t skiing super aggressively. The lighter models (DIN 10 or 12) are built with more plastic and less metal- the plastic flexes under loads more than steel, which can compromise the ski’s handling and edgehold, and contribute to unwanted releases. This is especially noticeable with wide skis on hard snow, causing edge washout and vague turn initiation.