Picking skis for the ultimate freeride experience

With the mountain your playground, find out how to pick the perfect skis for the best freeride skiing experience.

After seeing rows and rows of ski equipment at the ski lift line, you’ve finally decided to buy gear dedicated to freeride skiing. If you’re out for big adventure, this is an excellent choice. But you can’t rush into buying the first pair of skis you see. With so many brands, models and technologies, you’ll need a bit of guidance.

Freeride skiing is also known as freeskiing. It's a type of skiing that’s done on big slopes. And not those perfectly manicured slopes. Slopes made by Mother Nature. That’s what makes it exciting. Imagine an epic drop onto a wild mountainside. Only you and your gear against whatever may be. It takes courage and smarts to navigate your way down an unruly runs, chaotic cliff faces and exhilarating couloirs. Somewhere on that mountainside you experience what it really means to feel free. And there you are. In that moment, you begin to think of ways to live like this, every day. That first step after falling in love with that feeling, is to gear up to ride down.

Before you pick out a pair of skis, you need to gauge your skill level. Be honest with yourself, so you can properly assess your needs. Are you a beginner, intermediate or expert level? Once you decide, you can move onto other features of your freeride skis.

• Weight: The weight of your ski will affect your performance. It has to be light enough to move around but if it is too light, your skis might not have stability you need.
• Camber: This is the longitudinal of the ski. Depending on the camber, the reaction of the ski will be different. The rocker tip will help with better floatation and manoeuvring.
• Size: Most beginners will be fine with a smaller ski. Skiers with more experience will be drawn to longer skis for added lift and speed.
• Waist width: Typically, freeride skis have a wider width (90-95mm). Skis with a large waist width make it easy for the skier to float atop the snow, but might compromise performance.

So now that you have an idea of the kind of skis you should get for your next run, take your time to find the perfect pair. Once you click with a set of skis, you’ll be better prepared for your next voyage down a beautiful mountainside.