Magazine Awards Rundown
Add to Del.icio.usby Jason Whitehouse
The Fever Hit Early This Year
If you're like us, you've been dreaming about that first dump of the season on the mountains. We might not be able to put snow on the mountains, but we can give you a rundown of this year's award-winning skis to tide you over. We scoured the pages of the leading ski magazines to figure out what's hot. So for all of you opting for ski boots instead of slippers for around-the-house relaxation, take a look at these award-winning toys—careful, you may need a drool cloth.
Big Mountain
- Skiers' Choice Award – Powder Magazine
- Ski Test Finalist – Skiing Magazine; Powder Specialty
Tired of getting pushed around in the steep and deep? The Atomic Thug knows how to push its weight around. This big mountain monster hungers for big open lines and backcountry booters. The Thug's huge 120 millimeter waist floats out any deep powder diving. Huck, haul, and hold the mountain hostage with this bad boy. Atomic beefed this ski up with burly DuraEdge edge construction and super-tough base materials for a ski that destroys the mountain—not the other way around.
Frontside Carver
- Best in Test – Skiing Magazine; One Ski Quiver Expert category
- Best Soft Snow/Powder – Ski Magazine; All-Mountain Expert category
The Volkl AC4 Titanium alpine ski's burly titanium strength and sexy shape are made for hardcore all-mountain carving. Nothing holds a candle to this shredder when it comes to tearing across the hard pack and ice. Ideal for East Coast ice and those who like to carve on-piste, the AC4 Titanium performs like and Indy car on the mountain. Double titanium sheet construction provides amazing strength and the dynamic Marker binding system ensures full flex and power as the ski arcs in and out of turns. Let your hip get acquainted with the slope as you rip these bad boys down the mountain.
Pure Powder Ski
- Skiers' Choice Award – Powder Magazine
- Best Pure Powder Ski – Ski Magazine
- Best in Test – Skiing Magazine; Powder Specialty category
Mammoth float and a design as freaky as Frankenstein's monster, the K2 Pontoon has started a wildfire of talk about the next generation of powder skis. Designed by big-mountain deity Shane McConkey and the folks at K2, the Pontoon takes powder skiing to a whole new level. The Pontoon comes with a warning printed on the ski: “Attention! In the likely event of a powder landing your ski cushion should be used as a flotation device.” If you're planning floating the deeps, don't leave home without the K2 Pontoon.
Park and Pipe Ski
- Editors' Pick – Freeskier Magazine and
- Skiers' Choice Award – Powder Magazine
In only its second year of production, the Salomon Foil has already made a big name for itself among the freestyle community. Praised for being super-light and extremely easy to spin, the Foil kills it in the park. The secret behind its lightweight strength is Salomon's Isocell complex core. The core is extremely light, but has the strength and pop to put it at the top of many riders' lists as a hardcore park destroyer.
- Editors' Pick – Freeskier Magazine and
- Skiers' Choice Award – Powder Magazine
A mean contender in the park and a surprising standout in all-mountain performance, the Volkl Karma ski kills it all over the mountain. The Karma's wood core serves up plenty of pop and the lightweight fiberglass construction spins better than Michelle Kwan. Once you've stomped everything in the park, let the Karma give the rest of the mountain what its got coming to it. If you're a park rat looking to see a little bit more of the mountain when the park has been overrun by gawkers, the Karma is ready to take you for a ride.
Telemark/AT Ski
- Skiers' Choice Award – Powder Magazine
Big, light, and ready to tackle the meanest lines, the Black Diamond Verdict ups the ante in the backcountry. Whether you're on a telemark setup or going AT, the Verdict promises easy touring and monster performance in the deeps. The Verdict's feather-weight Densolite core makes it one of the lightest powder skis on the market. Don't let the Verdict's weight fool you—its burly Formula One construction gives awesome torsional rigidity for holding a hard line in boilerplate conditions in the backcountry or at the resort.