Gear
Let’s face it, purchasing skis can feel overwhelming. What size, length, width, and flex pattern will suit your skiing style? What’s the difference between a 14m radius and a 17m radius? Does the construction really make a difference? Which is a better core, poplar or paulownia? Now imagine you’re a gal standing at the ski wall, trying to tell the difference between men’s and women’s skis. Is there even really a difference between them?
Not everyone skis equally. That doesn’t mean ladies can’t rip like (or even outski) the men, it just means women are built differently, and because of that, their gear has to work for them, not against them. Because of this, women may prefer a narrower ski with a softer flex pattern. Ski brands like Blizzard, K2, Black Crows, Nordica, and Elan take that into account when constructing their ladies’ skis. Because women have a lower center of gravity, they actually recommended mounting the bindings a bit further forward than their men’s equivalent. Adjusting the recommended mounting line allows women to use their natural body positioning to connect with their skis. Not only is the mounting point adjusted, but ladies’ skis also tend to be a bit narrower and softer in the tip and tail for better edge control and turn initiation.
Blizzard’s Women to Women (W2W) program is a great example of this. Their W2W program directly impacts the production and design of their ladies’ ski lines: the Black Pearl and Sheeva. With a female-led test team, engineers receive direct feedback from women who test and make adjustments based on that feedback. It’s a ski designed by women for women. Not only are women more engaged in the design aspect, but the program was founded with four pillars in mind: Product, Education, Inspiration, and Community. This global program has created a diverse community of ladies who shred, and inspired two lines of skis built for women by women.
Additionally, ski brands like Coalition are actually founded by women. They’re women making skis for other women. They know what ladies want. Brands like K2, Nordica, Elan, Rossignol, Black Crows, and Volkl have true ladies’ ski lines. They don’t just shrink it and pink it; they’re intentionally designing skis built to perform for women.
While brands are actively making skis specifically designed for gals, that doesn’t mean all ladies will benefit from a women-specific ski. For the aggressive ladies who rip, don’t rule out a “men’s” ski. Most brands don’t manufacture a women’s ski that’s longer than mid170cm. There are a few exceptions, like the Nordica Santa Ana and Atomic Maven, that come in 178 and 179cm lengths.
If you’re looking for a ski bigger than 180cm, you’re going to have to consider a men’s ski. Most ski brands have a “men’s” version, usually a longer, stiffer, and heavier version of their women’s models. Designed for men, the mounting point will be further back. So if you’re a lady considering a bigger ski, you might also want to consider mounting your bindings slightly further forward. That way, it will ski more similarly to ladies’ skis designed for a woman’s center of gravity. It’s not the length alone that determines how a ski will ski. However, it does play a significant role in the engineering of the rest of the ski. Longer skis tend to be a bit wider and have a bigger radius to ensure that it has the same performance as a ski that’s slightly smaller.
This brings up a bigger question: why do they still make men’s and women’s skis? What about a universal unisex ski? The answer is that some brands do, Salomon and their new QST line have done away with the gendered skis. Instead, they’re offering a full range of skis, with two different topsheets, so the consumer themselves can purchase the ski they like the look of without sacrificing construction. So whether you’re a seasoned pro looking for a ski that can keep up, or a moderate leisure skier who just wants a ski they can enjoy on their next trip, the options are endless.
Yes, buying skis as a woman can be difficult. It’s hard to know exactly how a ski is going to ski without testing it out yourself. If you’re in the market for a new ski, check with your local resort; odds are, they may have demos on demand. On the other hand, going to your local shop and chatting with a specialist is another great option. Chances are, they may even have a gal working the floor who can provide personal insight. In the end, the most important part about purchasing a ski is knowing what terrain you like to ski, and how aggressively you’ll do it.
Very interesting to read about the saga of finding the right ski. We have the debate every season on whether to go unisex or continue making women specific models as we develop our line. Every year we survey our team and female skiers around North America and the results always seem to be pretty split between wanting a separate model vs. inclusive sizing. Even our women’s models don’t get a different construction or layup, simply scaled specs to the smaller sizes – same scaling we do for the bigger sizes. Always interesting to hear other skiers experiences and thoughts on this!
4FRNT Skis – Sam
Hi Gabrielle, thanks very much for sharing your experience with searching for skis. My name is Henrik and I work with Faction, based in the Denver office. I wanted to address your question: “why do we even gender skis at all?”
I’d like to start by saying that we arrived at our position on women’s products after years of consideration and research, with leadership from our female employees and athletes. “Equality of quality” is our top priority. Our X Series models have the same-exact construction and world-class performance as the unisex range, just with different lengths and colors. The X Series honors the undeniable X-Factor of our Olympic and X Games champions, including names like Kelly Sildaru, Sarah Hoefflin, Mathilde Gremaud and Eileen Gu. It’s also a bit of a nod to the two X chromosomes. On the whole, the X Series is a celebration of women in skiing.
We believe that women should ski whatever kind of ski they want, within their ability, weight, height, etc. Our team is quite clear on the fact that making a softer ski for women says to the fans, “you’re not good at skiing, so we’re making you a special ski.” That is categorically untrue and not the message we wish to put out into the world.
With this in mind, a number of years ago we considered making the entire Faction collection unisex. We decided against this for two central reasons: first, we lose out on being featured on the women’s wall of ski shops. Even more importantly, we wouldn’t be making the space to speak to women, and to celebrate our courageous female athletes.
If you have just one single range of skis, then you may feel the need to make artwork that is gender neutral that potentially doesn’t strike a chord with anyone. With regards to colors, suggestions of colors (from our fans, designers, athletes, etc) typically come in a spectrum, from neutral greens to pinks and purples. The X Series skis reflect that rainbow. It’s difficult to please every fan and we understand the hangover of pink being perceived as girly, but we’re also excited and encouraged to see pink being reclaimed as a symbol of feminine strength. We always support the females who shred on skis/colors from the unisex range, and equally we high-five the boys who rip it up on a pink or purple ski. We see many guys choosing the X Series models! It’s absolutely your choice and we want you to love the look and feel of your skis. Again, it’s the exact, same, construction.
We are limited with how many skis we can produce, but we will always strive to offer as much diversity across colorways and lengths as we can. Just as one fun example, if you consider the all-new Dancer Skis that are rolling out next month, we have the Dancer 2 and the Dancer 2X. For the unisex version (green) we have it coming in lengths 163, 171, 177, 182, 187. For the Dancer 2X (blue), we have this coming in 155, 163, 171, 177. There’s a good bit of overlap there in the lengths. If you’re looking for something a bit longer than the X Series 177, the unisex 182 is there.
I hope you’ll appreciate that a great deal of thought goes into every product we produce. I welcome any feedback. Thanks very much for your stoke on Faction.
Best, Henrik
To help my wife shop for skis, please provide your insight on this: in the past, women’s skis had the binding mount line forward 1 to 2 cm, is that still happening?
My wife stunned a female sales person at REI when she showed the sales person a men’s pair and a women’s pair of skis from the same manufacturer and the same length, the women’s binding mount center line was two centimeters forward. So we checked a few other manufacturers and in each pair the women’s binding mount was forward. The salesperson said she had been in the ski section of REI for over three seasons, talked with many manufacturers, not once did they mention the binding mount forward thing.
I know I’m late to the Comment party here, but appreciate any input you might have. Thanks!
There are several women’s skis at the top end that are the same construction as the men’s version. Rossignol Rallybird Ti is the same as the Sender Ti. Just one example. There are many more
The next time you want to buy skis, don’t hesitate to reach out ot me personally and I can share some insights.
I had this same problem 2 years ago, and then I found Coalition skis. This ski brand solves literally every issue you were having with finding a decent ski for yourself. Now that I’ve skied them for a full season (also at jhole), I can say with confidence that I’ll only shop Coalition skis moving forward. The companies purpose goes well beyond good skis and boards too- an all around win.
Coalition snow is a fab brand of womxn’s skis. The whole point is to make skis that are for womxn, by womxn, and they’re a solid ski. I ski the SOS in a 180cm, I’m 5’10”, 160lbs, and I haven’t been on anything else in 4 years. I am an ex racer and current patroller and highly recommend Coalition!
Check out Coalition Snow!!! Women owned and operated company. Their skis and snowboards are women specifically designed. They have a good selection for every skier/rider and there’s also a lot of information about skis/snowboards in their « Tips » section. My favorite article is definitely « What ski is right for me ? » Their graph makes it so much easier and it’s quite visual!!!
https://www.coalitionsnow.com/blogs/tips/what-ski-is-right-for-me
Coalition Snow (https://www.coalitionsnow.com/) has a women’s ski for every type of skier and terrain! They even share tips on their website or via email on how to pick a ski that would be right for you. Super cool women owned company to check out! They are definitely not just “pinking up” a men’s ski and calling it a day.
Hoji 4frnt best women’s ski ever!!! Ice, powder anything none of these other skis even compare…. don’t waste your time or money.
Huh. I actually find it incredibly easy to purchase women specific skis and snowboards, because there already is a brand that has filled the exact gap you are speaking of! Have you heard of Coalition Snow? (https://www.coalitionsnow.com/) The company is “a woman-owned and operated ski and snowboard brand.” Their products are phenomenal – coming from someone who lives at the base of Kirkwood Mountain Resort. Their designs are unique, beautiful, and badass. Because of Coaition Snow, shopping for new skis and snowboards, and making recommendations to women friends, family and colleagues, has become easy. The only challenging part is to be sure to buy before they sell out because some models (SOS) and designs (Taken for Granite) sell out quick! What’s even more, is the brand is actively anti-racist, and putting voices of women from all backgrounds (trans, plus size, indigenous) in the forefront through their publication SISU Magazine. This is a brand you want to support, for your own epic powder days, and for the good of our freaking nation.
I definitely agree with Nat. Coalition Snow has a killer line up of skis and boards for women that hold up to high speeds, steep chutes, and technical terrain. As an avy instructor, ski guide, snow science enthusiast and former pro patroller, I definitely feel like I can charge on my La Nieves and the top sheets (Alpenglow) are perfect for my muted yet tasteful style. Definitely go check out Coalition if you haven’t already. The skis are bomber and so is the media content and their voice in speaking out against inequality.
I second this!! I will only support Coalition because they make stiff, long, beautiful, badass skis and are actively working towards a more equitable and inclusive outdoor community:
Reading through the comments & I couldn’t agree more! Coalition Snow SLAYS. You won’t find their “women’s version” at the end of the line – NOPE, its front & center, in your face. Which honestly is why the Myth is the best snowboard I’ve ever ridden. It’s not a “women’s version of the company male model” (aka the same board with pink) – it’s actually just a sick board that truly fits my body and riding style. All of these ski companies making it “hard” to buy women’s gear . . . there’s the issue, buy woman-owned and operated Coalition
Coalition Snow Skis and Snowboards! It a company by and for all Womxn. Its also much more than a ski brand, y’all should check it out. Coalition is doing great things. I love being a part of the community and riding my coalition snowboard.
As a 130 pound 67 year old male with bad knees from 52 years of icy bump skiing (about 20 years of which were on 200 cm skinny skis), I use women’s skis now. I agree that we should do away with gender specific skis. If the skis I buy are pink (Rossi Saffron 7 comes to mind), I paint them black and gold to show I am a Steelers fan.
They look orange to me
Did you know that originally pink meant
‘boy’ and blue meant ‘girl? until it somehow got switched around and has
stuck for generations and is still being perpetuated even today. ?
Unbelievable.