Verdict Ski

Before they sentence you to two years' hard labor for excessive funtimes, make sure the Black Diamond Verdict Ski is safely hidden away so it'll be ready to ride when you get released early for good behavior. It's certainly a ski worth protecting, with its amazing combo of high-speed stability, low-speed comfort, and all-snow performance. Black Diamond designed it with traditional camber underfoot and a rockered tip and tail, so you can hold an edge on hardpack but float easily through powder, and built the ski up around the 3D CNC-machined paulownia wood core for a light, maneuverable feel that's quick and nimble when you're skiing tight tree lines or chutes.

The Verdict's inspired by easy-turning "fun-shape" skis, so it's a breeze to handle at low speeds, but has been hooked up with a pre-preg fiberglass laminate, Titanal stringers, and a triple-ribbed Formula One design to keep it stiff, solid, and torsionally rigid when you're mobbing through chop and chunder. All together, this creates a ski that's more playful than Black Diamond's bigger Zealot, but narrower and more directional than the Amperage; a solid do-it-all board for east- and west-coast rippers alike. It's tough, too, with 8mm ABS sidewalls, Power edges, an ABS tail protector, and rocks a P-Tex 4000 sintered base that's crosshatched for better wax retention and higher speeds, because who doesn't like to go fast?