Volkl

V-Werks BMT 94 Ski

You used to only have two choices: skin up on your big-mountain skis and cry because your legs felt like they were going to fall off, or zip up on your rando toothpicks and cry because you were scared of tumbling all the way down your line. No more. Volkl's come to your rescue with the V-Werks BMT 94 Ski, an amazingly light carbon-fiber charger that flies on the way up, and blasts down the descent. Made out of a multi-layer wood core comprised of lightweight poplar in the tip and tail and stiff, sturdy ash underfoot, the BMT checks in at under seven pounds per pair, thanks largely to a carbon-fiber jacket that wraps the whole ski to add stiffness without any unnecessary weight.

The BMT 94 is the slimmest ski in the V-Werks family, making it ideal for choppy, variable conditions, but with a fully rockered profile and surfy tapered tips, it's still able to hold its own when things get deep. New for this year, Volkl added an ICE.OFF topsheet, developed to stop snow and ice from sticking to your topsheet and weighing you down. Short sidewalls underfoot let you hang onto an edge when the snow firms up, and the notched tail and Volkl's Skin Pin make attaching skins a cinch. Bottom line: if you're looking for a ski that can handle long ascents, fast descents, powder, hardpack, and resort days, the BMT 94 is your ride.