It’s hard to beat the feeling of getting new skis, but deciding which pair to buy can be a daunting prospect for some. So to lend a helping hand, we’re proud to present the 2024 Buyer’s Guide, which is supplemented by the suitably-named People’s Ski Test. For the former, we took to the slopes of Red Mountain Resort in Rossland, B.C. last winter to curate reviews on 30 pairs of skis from 12 individuals, who (with the exception of our editor) work regular, everyday jobs outside of the ski industry, and pay full price for skis. Instead of enlisting professional athletes or sponsored ski instructors as testers, we recruited a school principal, hardware store owner, highway operations manager, rope access technician, climate risk analyst, MRI technologist, tree planter, electrical engineer, arborist, geologist and journalist to spend six weeks putting some of the year’s top skis through the paces in a wide variety of snow conditions and terrain. Then, once the lifts stopped turning, we asked them to share their unbiased and impartial thoughts on the skis they liked best in both written and video form, complete with POV footage of them testing the skis. Check out the results below, and discover which ski may just be perfect for you. 

features

WIN A SETUP FROM HEAD SKIS & COLE RICHARDSON!

WIN A SETUP FROM HEAD SKIS & COLE RICHARDSON!

If the name Cole Richardson doesn’t ring a bell, you might want to cover your ears once it does. Originally from Canmore, Alberta, but currently based in Nelson, British Columbia,...

WIN A SETUP FROM HEAD SKIS & COLE RICHARDSON!

If the name Cole Richardson doesn’t ring a bell, you might want to cover your ears once it does. Originally from Canmore, Alberta, but currently based in Nelson, British Columbia,...

FORECAST ISSUE 7.1 PREVIEW

FORECAST ISSUE 7.1 PREVIEW

Now that the heat waves of summer are behind us, it’s time to start thinking about winter, so we’re excited to announce our first issue of the year, which is...

FORECAST ISSUE 7.1 PREVIEW

Now that the heat waves of summer are behind us, it’s time to start thinking about winter, so we’re excited to announce our first issue of the year, which is...

LEADING LIGHT - DAVE ERB

LEADING LIGHT - DAVE ERB

Words by Jeff Schmuck “The concept of being connected to something is what fuels me to be invested in protecting it,” responds Dave Erb when asked what winter and the...

LEADING LIGHT - DAVE ERB

Words by Jeff Schmuck “The concept of being connected to something is what fuels me to be invested in protecting it,” responds Dave Erb when asked what winter and the...

INVISIBLE ARMIES

INVISIBLE ARMIES

Words by Matt Coté When I was a kid, my dad was the general manager of a small, weekend-only ski hill in southeastern Quebec. It was tiny enough that all...

INVISIBLE ARMIES

Words by Matt Coté When I was a kid, my dad was the general manager of a small, weekend-only ski hill in southeastern Quebec. It was tiny enough that all...

CHANGING LENSES

CHANGING LENSES

Words & photo by Kari Medig I was crammed into a secondhand ’70s-era gondola, inching into the headache-inducing altitudes only found in the Himalayan massif. It was 2007. I was...

CHANGING LENSES

Words & photo by Kari Medig I was crammed into a secondhand ’70s-era gondola, inching into the headache-inducing altitudes only found in the Himalayan massif. It was 2007. I was...

DAWN PATROL

DAWN PATROL

Words by Donny O’Neill The alarm blares urgently, springing me out of bed and into a clumsy hunt to silence my phone. The awakening is so jarring I forget why...

DAWN PATROL

Words by Donny O’Neill The alarm blares urgently, springing me out of bed and into a clumsy hunt to silence my phone. The awakening is so jarring I forget why...

INQUIRY - GINNY WHITE

INQUIRY - GINNY WHITE

Words by Dani Baker As a freeskier whose style juxtaposes grace with aggression, aspiring guide who’s palpable bond with the mountains speaks volumes of her family’s profound history within them,...

INQUIRY - GINNY WHITE

Words by Dani Baker As a freeskier whose style juxtaposes grace with aggression, aspiring guide who’s palpable bond with the mountains speaks volumes of her family’s profound history within them,...

PISTE OFF - SOL MOUNTAIN LODGE

PISTE OFF - SOL MOUNTAIN LODGE

Words by Matt Coté | Photos by Steve Shannon In the distance, the sun sets on the Gold Range in its namesake colour. It’s late November in British Columbia's Monashee...

PISTE OFF - SOL MOUNTAIN LODGE

Words by Matt Coté | Photos by Steve Shannon In the distance, the sun sets on the Gold Range in its namesake colour. It’s late November in British Columbia's Monashee...

GOOD FORTUNE FLUTTERS IN THE WIND

GOOD FORTUNE FLUTTERS IN THE WIND

Words by Donny O’Neill Like spiritual guardians, they’re elusive, yet omnipresent in the mountains. They often reveal themselves just when they’re needed, strung above the door of a backcountry lodge...

GOOD FORTUNE FLUTTERS IN THE WIND

Words by Donny O’Neill Like spiritual guardians, they’re elusive, yet omnipresent in the mountains. They often reveal themselves just when they’re needed, strung above the door of a backcountry lodge...

SAM KUCH - THIRD PERSON

SAM KUCH - THIRD PERSON

Earlier this winter, the incomparable Sam Kuch teamed up with ski filmmaking maestro Blair Richmond to put together a highly unique edit in conjunction with Arc’teryx, Third Person, which has...

SAM KUCH - THIRD PERSON

Earlier this winter, the incomparable Sam Kuch teamed up with ski filmmaking maestro Blair Richmond to put together a highly unique edit in conjunction with Arc’teryx, Third Person, which has...

IS DYNAFIT’S SUPERLITE 150 THE BEST MINIMALIST PIN BINDING EVER?

IS DYNAFIT’S SUPERLITE 150 THE BEST MINIMALIST ...

Review by Matt Coté After 15 years of skiing on pins in the backcountry, I’m calling it: Dynafit’s new Superlite 150 is the ultimate lightweight tech clamp. Now, before I...

IS DYNAFIT’S SUPERLITE 150 THE BEST MINIMALIST ...

Review by Matt Coté After 15 years of skiing on pins in the backcountry, I’m calling it: Dynafit’s new Superlite 150 is the ultimate lightweight tech clamp. Now, before I...

THE ORIGINS OF POLE WHACKING

THE ORIGINS OF POLE WHACKING

Words by Donny O’Neill The saying goes that if you’re single in a ski town, and don’t know how to pole whack, you’re going to have a bad time. Pole...

THE ORIGINS OF POLE WHACKING

Words by Donny O’Neill The saying goes that if you’re single in a ski town, and don’t know how to pole whack, you’re going to have a bad time. Pole...