Ski

Elan has relaunched its iconic Ripstick freeride series for the 2024/25 season. At its core is a “lightweight big mountain ski” with new carbon deck technology. Carbon tubes and transverse carbon inserts are built into a Tubelite wood core. This setup is designed to deliver strong rebound and high torsional rigidity. The result is intuitive handling and a smooth, confident ride. The new Ripstick line is available in six different widths and lengths. We had the chance to test the widest model—108 mm underfoot in a 189 cm length—as well as a 182 cm version for a short time. Read on to see how they performed throughout the winter!

A rather aggressive, stiff ski that needs a lot of pressure when initiating the turn - but performs at the highest level if done.

Fischer is entering another new product year with the highly successful Ranger model range and its slogan "Ski more". The first impression of the ski suggests that the Ranger will continue to be one of the best skis on the market in the future. Fischer remains true to its line and presents the Ranger in a simple and appealing design with modern colour variations. Specific women's models are not offered in this series, but each ski length is available in 2 colour variations. This means that the choice of skis is based solely on body size and skiing ability.

Autumn has brought us several weeks of beautiful high-pressure weather and has melted away most of the snow from September, but winter is slowly picking up speed again. Time to pay a visit to the Sport Conrad shop in Penzberg. The shop covers over 2000 square metres and focuses on freeride, alpine skiing, ski touring, snowboarding and splitboarding, especially in winter. Sebastian is already waiting for us, he has been working as a salesman at Sport Conrad for several years.

With the Backland 109, Atomic has added a very wide, downhill-orientated ski in the Backland freetouring line. With the HRZN 3D on the shovel, it is reminiscent of the Bent Chetler series, but in terms of weight it is a Backland. We tested how the wide freetourer performs in action.

The two outdoor brands Atomic and Arc'teryx are joining forces and presenting a limited edition Atomic Maverick 115 CTI in a special design. The Atomic x Arc'teryx Maverick 115 CTI was only produced 56 times in Europe, which are already been sold out - Atomic also only gave away two pairs in North America. Now you have the unique chance to win a pair of these skis exclusively on PowderGuide.com!

PowderGuide partner Atomic has provided us with the new Maverick freeride ski for testing. This is the short test of the Maverick 115 Cti, the flagship model, which has already been tested on the Freeride World Tour.

Atomic is focusing on clearer specialisation of the individual ski series in the freeride sector for 2024/25. Gone are the days of the One Ski Quiver, clear differentiation is back in! The Bent series is aimed at backcountry freestylers, Maverick and Maven are designed for big lines in Alaska and the Backland series comes along on "missions" and downhill-orientated ski tours. The details of familiar models have been optimised and a few new variants have been added.

With the Draco, Black Crows is bringing out an unusual ski. Although it is part of the "Freebird" touring series, it is still a very solid ski with a twin tip that is more suited to big mountain lines and those odd tricks.

Winters with little snow, maximum temperatures and increasingly expensive lift prices: Does it still make sense to teach your children about your passion for two skis? And if so, what is important?

With the Mod9t, Mod8t and Mod9, Original+ is launching its first skis suitable for off-piste and touring. What's special about them is that the skis are customised and built. This is designed to maximise skiing pleasure.

When Nordic philologists hear the term Valhalla, they think of the resting place of fallen warriors from Scandinavian mythology. PowderGuide users are more likely to think of the legendary movie sequence from the ski movies of the same name, in which a mountain full of naked skiers and snowboarders presents itself.