Tips For Choosing Touring Skis

Maybe you’re brand new to backcountry skiing, or maybe you’ve been touring on your inbounds skis for a few years, regardless of your background, choosing touring skis can seem like a complicated process, but these tips will help you choose a touring ski that you can have just as much fun with on the way up as on the way down.

There is a huge range of touring skis on the market, from skinny mountaineering skis, to huge powder boards, with just as large a range of weights, materials, side cuts, and shapes. So the most important information you can have when you’re choosing touring skis isn’t any specific details about any specific ski. Instead, you need to know what sort of skis you already like, and then how you want your touring ski to preform. So choosing a new touring ski is actually a two step process: First, ask yourself a few questions about what you want from a ski, then, once you’ve got a rough idea in your head, look at what design features will help a ski meet your expectations.

Questions to Ask Yourself

Before you pick the skis with your favorite graphics and cut your climbing skins for them, it’s helpful to do some introspection. Working through these questions can help you decide what you should be looking for:

Where will you be skiing? You’ll want very different skis for the tight glades of the Northeast and the wide bowls of Alaska.

What kind of conditions will you be skiing in? Wider skis are more fun in powder, but if you’ll mostly be skiing spring corn you’ll want something narrow that can hold an edge.

How long of tours will you be going on? If you’re just going for short laps outside the resort gates you’ll probably want wider, and heavier skis than someone who’s doing multi-day trips.

How much will you be skiing my touring skis inbounds? Many people’s touring skis do double duty as inbounds and touring skis. If you think you might fall into that category, look for “50/50” skis that bridge the gap between inbounds and touring. They’re usually a little heavier than a pure touring ski, but lighter than most inbounds skis, so they’re still fun on icy groomers, but don’t hurt on the skin track. The Head Skis Kore series is a good example of skis like this that help split the difference.

What boots and bindings will you be using with these skis? Think of your touring gear as a complete package. It doesn’t make sense to get super light skis if you’ll be using them with heavy frame bindings and inbounds boots. Try to match your skis to your boots and bindings. Like running up mountains and have the super light boots and bindings to match? Go lightweight. Just getting into the sport and will be using your inbounds boots? Well, it doesn’t make sense to shave grams off your skis then.

What do all your favorite inbounds skis have in common? Does every ski you’ve ever liked have a rearward mount point, a stiff flex, and a huge sidecut? Then look for something similar in a touring ski. You’ll be much more comfortable on something familiar instead of trying to switch to a playful, jibby, centered ski when you tour.

General Guidelines for Touring Skis

Heavier skis will be less fun on the way up, but more stable on the way down. The heavier your skis are, the more weight you’re hauling up the hill. But heavier skis do a better job smoothing out rough snow. So think about how you answered those questions earlier. Just planning on doing short sidecountry laps? A heavy ski will be more fun, and the weight won’t matter as much. Planning on touring long days and camping in the backcountry? You should prioritize lightweight over all else.

Most people prefer shorter skis in the backcountry. This isn’t an absolute truth, but it’s a good generalization. Most people are skiing a little slower in the backcountry, and don’t need the long skis they use to bomb around inbounds. Sizing down a few centimeters from your usual size means you’ll be on a slightly lighter ski, that’s easier to maneuver on tight skin tracks and awkward kick turns.

If you find a ski you love inbounds, see if there’s a touring version available. Some brands, like DPS Skis make some of their models with several different layups and materials, so that you can have a similar ride at different weights. Moving to the touring version of an inbounds ski you already like is one of the best ways to make sure you’ll have an easy time adapting to your new touring ski.

Finally, if you can’t find a touring ski that matches well with what you like from your inbounds downhill skis, consider just buying another pair of the same inbounds ski, and putting touring bindings on them. Sure, they’ll be a bit heavier, but that extra effort on the way up will be totally worth it when you get to shred your favorite sticks on the way down.

So read through those questions, figure out what you actually want from a ski, and then narrow down your choices for your new backcountry ski based on these guidelines.