Intro
Over the past several weeks, we’ve published a bunch of our reviewers’ selections for 5-ski, 4-ski, 3-ski, and 2-ski quivers. Now we’re finally down to the hardest question of all — what single ski would you pick for all the skiing you do?
As we state in all our quiver selection articles, there is no single perfect quiver for everyone. It all depends very much on where you ski and how you ski. So our selections below should not be viewed as our answer to the question, “What are the best skis out there?”
Instead, these are our reviewers’ personal picks, along with their rationale for why they would choose them.
As always, we’re interested to hear what you’d pick for your own quiver, so let us know in the Comments section at the bottom.
More Ski-Quiver Guidance
For more general suggestions — as opposed to what we personally would pick — check out our Winter Buyer’s Guide.
And if you’d like to get our recommendations for assembling your own ski quiver, then become a Blister Member, submit your question via the Blister Member Clubhouse page, and we’ll help you decide.
Six Questions
For each of our reviewers, we asked them to answer the following questions:
I. What’s your 1-ski quiver for where you ski most (backcountry and resort), and why?
II. If you didn’t do any backcountry touring, what would your 1-ski quiver be for inbounds-only skiing?
III. If you only skied in the backcountry, what would your 1-ski quiver be for backcountry-only skiing?
IV. What’s your 1-ski quiver for the next 3 years, regardless of location?
V. What ski was the most difficult to leave off your list?
VI. What ski do you imagine has the greatest likelihood of making your list, if and when you get to ski it, or get to ski it more?
Dylan Wood
(5’10.5”, 155 lbs / 179 cm, 70 kg)
I. What’s your 1-ski quiver for where you ski most (backcountry and resort), and why?
The 1-ski quiver is almost unfathomable for a gear nerd like myself, but it’s the very practical solution for a huge portion of the skiing population. For my personal 1-ski quiver, I’m keeping in mind that I ski mostly inbounds but still log several touring days every year; however, my touring time isn’t quite significant enough for me to want a true 50/50 ski here (i.e., it’d be more of an 80/20 or 90/10 setup, with the bias toward resort laps).
Whitedot Altum 104, 187 cm + Cast Freetour Look Pivot 15
The Altum 104 is a pretty stiff all-mountain freestyle ski that rarely feels clearly out of place, and I think that if I were to boil down all my ski preferences to their core ingredients, the result would look something like the Altum 104. It handles soft snow well for its width but still has a good backbone for firm days. It’s a solid carver, and it also feels at home in the park. Sure, it’s not the most damp, but I am ok with shedding some grams here to make for a more enjoyable touring experience. I would be mounting on the recommended line here, and I prefer the Cast-Freetour-equipped Look Pivot 15 for a hybrid binding due to its mostly metal construction and 2 heel risers.
II. If you didn’t do any backcountry touring, what would your 1-ski quiver be for inbounds-only skiing?
Great question. The Sego Big Horn 106 would usually be my answer here, but that ski is sadly gone from the market. I’m also tempted to pick the Rossignol Sender Free 110, but that ski is a bit wide for everyday use in CB (you could probably get away with it in high-snow areas, though). So instead, I think I would go with the 185 cm Line Blade Optic 104 here. I’m curious if I’d like the 190 cm Blade Optic 104 better, though.
III. If you only skied in the backcountry, what would your 1-ski quiver be for backcountry-only skiing?
This is even harder. The Hoji has been my dedicated touring ski in the larger quivers, but that ski is pretty heavy for a touring ski, and pretty wide for everyday use. I’ve gotten around this by having a narrower ski in the quiver with the option of using Daymaker adapters; no such luck here. So, instead, I think I would opt for the 190 cm Moment Wildcat Tour 108. With a lighter construction, narrower waist, and the addition of camber underfoot, relative to the Hoji, this ski should handle more touring days in a wider variety of conditions.
IV. What’s your 1-ski quiver for the next 3 years, regardless of location?
Still sticking with the Altum 104 here since it is pretty middle-of-the-road as far as the conditions it can comfortably handle, and it hasn’t presented any worrisome durability issues in our time with it.
V. What ski was the most difficult to leave off your list?
The Moment Wildcat 108 was hard to steer away from, but I think that ski is perhaps a tad wide for the conditions I ski and I feel stuck between the 184 and 190 cm lengths, whereas the 187 cm Altum 104 is ideal length and width-wise. I also think the DPS Koala 103 could be a blast as a 1-ski quiver for me, but again, its offered lengths of 184 and 189 cm have me marooned somewhere in the middle, and we still need to try the slightly tweaked 23/24 version.
VI. What ski do you imagine has the greatest likelihood of making your list, if and when you get to ski it, or get to ski it more?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the ON3P Woodsman 108! We’ll be solving some ON3P mysteries this winter, though.
Kara Williard
(5’9”, 170 lbs / 175 cm, 77 kg)
I. What’s your 1-ski quiver for where you ski most (backcountry and resort), and why?
Choosing a theoretical 1-ski quiver is always a tricky task, especially for people in our (very spoiled) cases where we have the opportunity to test so many of the options. I would be asking a lot of this ski each day and expecting it to handle everything from early season groomers to hardpacked steeps, resort powder / chop days, and all the conditions in between. It is also a ski I would use for several days in the backcountry, but like Dylan, the ratio of backcountry-to-resort days for me isn’t enough to warrant a backcountry-specific setup. With that in mind, here’s what I think I’d go with this year:
K2 Mindbender 106C, 176 cm + Duke PT
This is a pretty well-rounded pick and one that I feel would work well for a majority of my ski days. It’s a bit lacking in stability and suspension, relative to some of my favorite resort-only skis, the Mindbender 106C makes up for this in the form of liveliness and maneuverability. It’s also not too demanding, which is something I appreciate, given that I’m not always looking to ski super hard during every single day in a season.
II. If you didn’t do any backcountry touring, what would your 1-ski quiver be for inbounds-only skiing?
Peak 104 by Bode, 178 cm + alpine binding
I spent a lot of time on this ski last season and it impressed me in a huge range of conditions. For a resort-specific ski, I want a ski that will feel a bit more damp and precise, especially on groomers and firm or chalky off-piste snow. The Peak 104 by Bode checks those boxes for me, but it also feels fairly accessible and quick. It also carves really well, which will keep me engaged on groomers, given that they are a huge part of our daily skiing at Mt. Crested Butte.
III. If you only skied in the backcountry, what would your 1-ski quiver be for backcountry-only skiing?
Nordica Santa Ana Unlimited 104, 179 cm + Marker Kingpin
This felt like a fairly easy choice; I’ve found this ski to be really predictable, reliable, and versatile. My biggest thing in the backcountry is wanting a ski that feels pretty smooth and intuitive, even in unpredictable backcountry conditions. And while soft turns are usually the objective, this is far from the reality 100% of the time, so I think sticking to something that is maybe a tad heavier, not super wide, but more well-rounded is a good strategy for me.
IV. What’s your 1-ski quiver for the next 3 years, regardless of location?
I am not sure my answer changes much, given that all my choices were thought of in the context of both really firm and really soft days. There’s a chance I would prioritize carving performance and edge hold a bit more to factor in lower-snow regions, in which case I would opt for the Peak 104 by Bode.
V. What ski was the most difficult to leave off your list?
There were several very close contenders, especially the Salomon QST Stella 106. For my preferences, the QST Stella 106 was almost interchangeable with the Mindbender 106C W, but I went with the Mindbender 106C because it just offers a little more in the way of playfulness and flotation.
For a resort-specifc setup, I also considered the new Volkl Secret 102, since it’s a ski that I have really been enjoying. Its suspension is phenomenal, but it’s also reasonably accessible, intuitive, and feels pretty great in a variety of terrain. I opted for the Peak 104 by Bode since I wanted something a little more forgiving and nimble.
VI. What ski do you imagine has the greatest likelihood of making your list, if and when you get to ski it, or get to ski it more?
Same as in my bigger quiver selections, the 176 cm Salomon Stance 102 is very intriguing to me and seems like it could make for a good 1-ski quiver…
David Golay
(6’, 170 lb / 183 cm, 77.1 kg)
I. What’s your 1-ski quiver for where you ski most (backcountry and resort), and why?
Moment Countach 110, 188 cm + CAST Freetour
If I have to do all my skiing on one setup, I think this is about the best compromise I can think of. It’ll be heavier than I’d ideally like to tour on and the CAST Freetour is a bit fiddly to transition, but there isn’t another tourable binding that I’m all that interested in skiing inbounds, so here we are. If I’m allowed to do inserts and swap bindings, I’d do a Pivot 15 / Moment Voyager XVI combo, but that’s probably cheating.
I feel pretty good about the Countach, though. It’s stable and damp enough that I won’t be mad about skiing it inbounds when things get chopped up, while not being super heavy for my touring days, and it’s a pretty versatile shape that can handle a lot of different conditions fairly well.
II. If you didn’t do any backcountry touring, what would your 1-ski quiver be for inbounds-only skiing?
I’ll revert back to the Blizzard Cochise 106 for all the reasons that I picked it as my lone resort ski in my three ski quiver.
III. If you only skied in the backcountry, what would your 1-ski quiver be for backcountry-only skiing?
I guess it’s still the 4FRNT Raven, given that I don’t currently have a slightly wider / floatier option that I’m super happy with. See what I wrote in the two ski quiver article for more on that.
IV. What’s your 1-ski quiver for the next 3 years, regardless of location?
If I’m randomizing my location, I’m going to assume I want something a little narrower and firmer-snow-oriented than I do at home in the Pacific Northwest, and also that my use case is going to be biased a bit more toward skiing inbounds if I’m in unfamiliar areas with fewer regular touring partners. So I think I’d be quite happy with a Volkl Mantra 102 here. It’s a heavy ski to do a ton of touring on, but I’d have a great time on it inbounds in most conditions and just work a bit harder when I do go touring.
V. What ski was the most difficult to leave off your list?
Not much, this was actually not that hard a call.
VI. What ski do you imagine has the greatest likelihood of making your list, if and when you get to ski it, or get to ski it more?
I bet there’s a mid-weight build of a Folsom Primary 110 or Folsom Giver that I’d be pretty into as a 1-ski quiver.
Sascha Anastas
(5’1”, 105 lbs / 155 cm, 47.62 kg)
I. What’s your 1-ski quiver for where you ski most (backcountry and resort), and why?
Selecting one ski to check all the boxes in terms of locations and conditions is really tricky. I tend to spend the majority of my days skiing inbounds in Colorado, mostly at Crested Butte Mountain Resort and Aspen / Snowmass. I have not had a lot of extra time to explore the backcountry where I live in the middle of the Sawatch Range, so I opted for a more resort-oriented setup with 50/50 capabilities:
Salomon QST Stella 106, 173 cm + Salomon Shift
The QST Stella 106 was the first ski I grabbed way back at Blister Summit 2022 and was really impressed by its maneuverability, stability, and ability to surf powder. I was so impressed that I had to keep myself from just continuing to grab it throughout the rest of the Summit. Compared to another one of my top contenders, the Nordica Santa Ana 104 Free, the QST Stella 106 is a bit more forgiving, more maneuverable, and I’d say it has slightly better suspension. So for all those reasons, I’d be pretty happy using it as my single ski for everything.
II. If you didn’t do any backcountry touring, what would your 1-ski quiver be for inbounds-only skiing?
I’d still stick with the QST Stella 106, but I would swap out the Salmon Shift binding for a dedicated alpine binding. I tend to get along well with the Marker Griffon binding so that would probably be what I go with here.
III. If you only skied in the backcountry, what would your 1-ski quiver be for backcountry-only skiing?
The Line Pandora 110 would be a solid contender, given how light and versatile it is for its size, but over the past few years, I have preferred a narrower ski in the backcountry, especially in the spring. The Nordica Santa Ana Unlimited 93 could work pretty well, but I think my ideal ski would be a bit wider and more stable for the often variable and unpredictable conditions encountered in the backcountry. The Santa Ana Unlimited 104 could hit the sweet spot but, since I have not spent a substantial amount of time on that ski, I’ll settle on the slightly heavier (but super versatile) Line Pandora 104 + Marker Alpinist 12.
IV. What’s your 1-ski quiver for the next 3 years, regardless of location?
I wouldn’t change my answer — sticking with the QST Stella 106 + Shift binding.
V. What ski was the most difficult to leave off your list?
Every ski mentioned in my bigger quiver selections is hard to leave off my list — especially the Nordica Santa Ana 104 Free and the Line Pandora 110. But I ultimately chose the QST Stella 106 since it is slightly more forgiving and playful than the Santa Ana 104 Free, and I think choosing a ski that is 110 mm wide for a 1-ski touring quiver in Colorado is a bit ambitious, given the often long dry spells between storms.
VI. What ski do you imagine has the greatest likelihood of making your list, if and when you get to ski it, or get to ski it more?
Again, I think the K2 Mindbender 106C W has a lot to offer and, based on what Kara has said, I think the 106C W could check a lot of boxes for me. The newest iteration is especially interesting, since it’s reportedly more maneuverable and a bit more stable than prior versions.
Noah Eckhouse
(5’10”, 210 lbs / 178 cm, 98 kg)
I. What’s your 1-ski quiver for where you ski most (backcountry and resort), and why?
As I’ve noted before, given my East / West bifurcation in skiing locales and the fact that I mostly ski via lifts, choosing a 1-ski winner is easier for me than others. Especially without a ski locker to store multiple ski options, often I choose just one ski to stick with for a day or entire trip.
For now, that ski is the 178 cm Rossignol Sender 104 Ti.
The Sender 104 Ti has the width for soft snow and crud but can still be a blast to carve on hard snow. This may not be an ideal bump ski (unless in powder or soft spring conditions), but it’s my choice for an all-round ski.
II. If you didn’t do any backcountry touring, what would your 1-ski quiver be for inbounds-only skiing?
That’s basically me. See above.
III. If you only skied in the backcountry, what would your 1-ski quiver be for backcountry-only skiing?
This is a tough one. I’ve previously mentioned that I’d choose something very light and sacrifice downhill performance for reduced schlepping uphill. However, if you’re really threatening to turn me into a backcountry-only skier, I’d assume: (1) my fitness would improve throughout the winter, making uphill sections easier and (2) the quality of my downhill turns would become much more important to me.
So I’m going to go with the Nordica Enforcer 104 Unlimited in a 186 cm length, mounted with Marker Kingpin bindings (knee / leg protection is very important to me, so this extra weight is worth it).
I go longer in length on a pure backcountry ski because I’m a fireplug build and don’t float on top of fresh snow the way that some of my Blister colleagues do… but I know more rugby songs to sing on the way up!
IV. What’s your 1-ski quiver for the next 3 years, regardless of location?
I’ll stick with my selection above (Sender 104 Ti) but also want to point out that modern skis are so amazingly versatile that this is a much easier choice than it was 40 years ago. Between materials, shapes, construction techniques, rocker profiles, etc. — these skis are infinitely better than my high school race skis (203 cm Dynastar Omeglass II). And I skied *everything* on those boards back in the day.
V. What ski was the most difficult to leave off your list?
It’s really fun to have a pure powder / soft-snow ski at the ready, so that would be my next call: Volkl Blaze 114, 184 cm.
VI. What ski do you imagine has the greatest likelihood of making your list, if and when you get to ski it, or get to ski it more?
I arrive in Crested Butte in early January and I’m going to make that question my New Year’s resolution. Come find me at Blister Summit 2024 (February 4-8) and let’s haggle it out over a Whistle Pig Whiskey!
Luke Koppa
(5’8”, 155 lbs / 173 cm, 70 kg)
I. What’s your 1-ski quiver for where you ski most (backcountry and resort), and why?
This question always makes me slightly jealous of my much younger self, who happily skied a single ski for a few seasons and had a great time. Working at Blister has definitely spoiled me, and I’m always grateful for that.
Anyway, my 1-ski quiver for my current self would need to take care of 100+ days in the resort, as well as some mid-winter touring days, and many more days of skinning in the spring. No single ski is going to be amazing for every single day of that season, but this question is all about deciding which compromises you do and do not want to make, and at least right at this moment, this is what I’d pick:
RMU Apostle 106, 184 cm + CAST Freetour
As I’m sure all of our reviewers did, I hemmed and hawed a lot here. I debated going narrower, in order to prioritize enjoyment on piste and when conditions are ultra firm. I thought about going even wider, to really maximize fun on the good days. I considered heavier skis that would handle rougher inbounds conditions and higher speeds better, as well as lighter alternatives that would feel nicer on a skin track.
In the end, I think I arrived at a pretty nice middle ground. The Apostle 106 carves quite well for what it is, and it also floats very well in deep snow without requiring it to be deep at all to be a blast. It’s light enough to not totally discourage me from dragging it uphill for extended periods of time, but it’s not so light that I’d avoid skiing it when it’s firm in the resort.
The real X factor that pushed it over the edge is just that, for me personally, the Apostle 106 is really, really fun. It’s far from ideal in a lot of scenarios, but because of how playful (yet versatile) it is, I just find it easy to have a good time on this ski, given my skiing style and preferences.
I’d throw CAST’s Freetour system on it since I think it’s the most reliable of the hybrid bindings out there in terms of handling daily inbounds laps. It would not be a light touring setup, but hopefully by the time I’m ramping up my touring in the spring, my legs are plenty strong from a season of lift laps and I just need to work on my cardio.
II. If you didn’t do any backcountry touring, what would your 1-ski quiver be for inbounds-only skiing?
I’d opt for something a bit heavier, mostly to deal with the brutally firm days and heavy chop on storm days. I don’t absolutely love my answer, but I think I’d opt for:
Salomon QST 106, 181 cm + alpine binding
The QST 106 is a bit like a slightly heavier and stiffer Apostle 106, so it seems like a good fit for my resort-only 1-ski quiver. My main hesitation is that 181 cm x 106 mm seems a bit small for my preferences when it comes to resort pow days, but I’m trying to remind myself just how small 3 cm is, and that the QST 106 floats quite well for its width.
But I’d be pretty happy with this ski for most of my resort days. The QST 106 is very fun to carve on all but the firmest groomers, and it’s quite maneuverable and playful off piste. Its bit of extra heft, relative to the Apostle 106, will be appreciated when I feel like skiing faster, the snow is harder, and/or there are chunky / variable conditions. But it’s not so big or heavy that it feels particularly sluggish when I’m trying to ski dynamically in tight and techy terrain.
III. If you only skied in the backcountry, what would your 1-ski quiver be for backcountry-only skiing?
Same as with my pre-Blister 1-ski setup for the resort, I also spent two seasons skiing 90% in the backcountry with a single ski. And I imagine that, if I were to do that today, it’d look pretty similar — hunting powder in the trees during the middle of the winter, and then hitting bigger, steeper, and farther-away objectives as Colorado’s snowpack settled in the spring.
With that in mind, I think I’d opt for:
Salomon QST Echo 106, 181 cm + ATK Freeraider 15 EVO / Moment Voyager XII EVO
Now, I’m gambling a bit here, both on the ski and the bindings. But so far, the QST Echo 106 has struck me as a really good all-round touring ski for where and how I ski — for pretty much all the reasons that I selected its heavier variant as my 1-ski quiver for the resort. I haven’t yet skied the QST Echo 106 in super low-angle, very deep snow, so that’s the only thing I’m a bit worried about, but I suspect it’ll be good enough; if it’s so deep that I’m genuinely being frustrated by the ski, (1) I’m pretty spoiled, and (2) it’s probably time to grab the pow surf board.
As for bindings, I know I love the ATK Raider 12 / Moment Voyager 12, and while I haven’t yet tested the new EVO versions, they seem like they feature several worthwhile upgrades without seriously deviating from the proven platform. If I was buying a pair of bindings for a dedicated touring ski right now, I think they’re what I’d buy.
IV. What’s your 1-ski quiver for the next 3 years, regardless of location?
I’m just gonna stick with the RMU Apostle 106 + CAST Freetour. When selecting skis for the skiing I do right now, I’m factoring in everything from icy man-made snow to very deep conditions. Given that this question opens up the possibility to encounter conditions and terrain at any extreme — and a better chance of spending time in the middle of the bell curve — I feel content with sticking with my original choice.
V. What ski was the most difficult to leave off your list?
I considered sticking with the 180 cm Armada Declivity 102 Ti that was in all my bigger quivers, but between its length, width, and rocker profile, I think I’d be kicking myself a bit when the snow finally does show up. Given that pow days — however frequent or rare, deep or shallow — are typically some of my favorite days of the season, I wanted to cater a bit more toward them, at the expense of some edge hold and stability at speed on a daily basis.
I almost chose the 192 cm Dynastar M-Free 108 as my 1-ski quiver for the resort, but I don’t want to ski something that big and heavy every single day. Similar story for the 188 cm Moment Countach 110 (more in terms of size than weight); I also just need more time on the 188 cm length of that ski.
The resort-only 1-ski quiver probably had me debating between the most skis. Other honorable mentions include the Black Crows Atris (also for my true 1-ski quiver), Line Blade Optic 104, Whitedot Altum 104, 4FRNT MSP 107, K2 Mindbender 106C, and Rossignol Sender 104 Ti.
As for the touring-only slot, I was mostly wringing my hands over the QST Echo 106 and the 183 cm Line Vision 108. The 184 cm Moment Wildcat Tour 108 was also in the conversation, but I want something a bit more engaging when carving on edge. I have more time on the Vision 108 and know I love it in mid-winter scenarios (especially moderate-angle slopes with soft snow), but if I was only touring for a whole season, I hope I’d be a lot stronger and fitter than I typically am, and could therefore justify bringing a slightly heavier, more stable ski that handles higher speeds and firmer snow better.
VI. What ski do you imagine has the greatest likelihood of making your list, if and when you get to ski it, or get to ski it more?
The redesigned 4FRNT MSP 107 is a contender for my resort-only quiver, once I get more time on it. I doubt it’ll be quite playful enough for my preferences, but we’ll see. The tweaked DPS Koala 103 could vy for the true 1-ski quiver for everything.
Over the summer, we got an RMU Apostle 96; I’ve never skied the narrower Apostles, but given how much I enjoy the Apostle 106, I’m really curious to see how I’ll get along with its narrower sibling. I’ll be mounting it up and getting it on snow shortly…
I’ve also been intrigued by my discussions with the folks at Icelantic. They’re updating the longstanding Nomad and Maiden series for the 24/25 season and the updates I’ve heard about are almost exactly what I would suggest in order to maintain what makes those skis so easy to recommend, while also adding a bit more personality and excitement. I’m excited to try them at Blister Summit 2024 (and of course, you can too, if you register).
Paul Forward
(6”, 200 lbs / 183 cm, 90.7 kg)
I. What’s your 1-ski quiver for where you ski most (backcountry and resort), and why?
This one is really tough for me because, as I’ve said earlier, my season on snow includes everything from heli ski guiding to lots of backcountry touring, lift-served days at Alyeska, and, increasingly, days spent chasing my 4-y/o around the hill.
Because having the right tools for my guiding work is so important to me, I’d probably pick my favorite heli-ski, the Folsom Rapture, which I’ve mentioned throughout this series, and just make do the rest of the year. I’m not a huge fan of any “50/50” bindings and haven’t spent much time with the Duke PT, Shift, or CAST because none of those systems make sense for where I live, the types of skiing I do, and my personal preferences. If I had to pick, I’d probably go for the Shift, but that’s not based on much.
If I was excluding heli skiing, it would be a pretty easy to go with the Folsom Giver 110. It feels like a skinnier Rapture and does everything pretty well, except for floating in deep powder. I’ve been looking for a ski like this for a long time and am quite happy with the pair I have. That said, I’d have the same binding conundrum.
II. If you didn’t do any backcountry touring, what would your 1-ski quiver be for inbounds-only skiing?
I’d stick with the Folsom Giver 110.
III. If you only skied in the backcountry, what would your 1-ski quiver be for backcountry-only skiing?
I’d go with that Armada Locator 112, which really impressed me last year. I live in a snowy place with big mountains and a 112mm-wide ski is a very versatile shape for what I do. I’m looking forward to getting more days on it later this week!
As for bindings, I vacillate between the Dynafit Superlite 150 and the Moment Voyageur XVI, depending on whether I want to prioritize brakes and more elasticity (Moment / ATK) or just weight and retention (Dynafit).
IV. What’s your 1-ski quiver for the next 3 years, regardless of location?
I’d stick with the Folsom Giver. My Folsom Raptures have taken a beating and still work great, so I’m pretty confident in their durability.
V. What ski was the most difficult to leave off your list?
I’m pretty content here.
VI. What ski do you imagine has the greatest likelihood of making your list, if and when you get to ski it, or get to ski it more?
I seem to have a penchant for skis with shallow reverse-camber profiles and relatively long sidecut radii. The ski I’m hoping to try this year that best meets those criteria is the Heritage Lab FR110. It looks like it will be too heavy to tour on but could be a good lifts-only 1-ski quiver.
Jonathan Ellsworth
(5’10”, 180 lbs / 178 cm, 81.5 kg)
I. What’s your 1-ski quiver for where you ski most (backcountry and resort), and why?
Wagner Summit 106, 186 cm + Shift 13 Binding
Last year I picked the Salomon QST 106 here, but I spent more time on the Summit 106 last season than I did on the QST 106, so the Summit 106 currently feels like the safer bet to me. All of us were impressed by how versatile this ski was in tough, scraped-off conditions at Crested Butte, and in good conditions, this ski is easy, intuitive, and predictable, with a nice combination of maneuverability and stability (at least, for me).
II. If you didn’t do any backcountry touring, what would your 1-ski quiver be for inbounds-only skiing?
Nordica Enforcer 104 Free, 186 cm + Tyrolia Protector PR 13 GW Binding
I believe this is the 3rd year in a row I’ve gone with this ski for my resort 1-ski quiver. Stable, solid, forgiving, confidence-inspiring. It’s not the quickest ski out there, but the quickest skis out there are typically a bit too twitchy or don’t provide the good suspension that I prioritize, and that the Enforcer 104 offers.
III. If you only skied in the backcountry, what would your 1-ski quiver be for backcountry-only skiing?
4FRNT Raven, 184 cm + Shift 13 Binding
I’m sticking with my tried-and-true setup here. But see my answers to question VI.
IV. What’s your 1-ski quiver for the next 3 years, regardless of location?
Wagner Summit 106, 186 cm + Shift 13 Binding
The more I travel to different places to ski, the more I like this setup, primarily because of its versatility. It’s good on groomers, great in moguls, comfortable in tight trees, predictable on refrozen crud, and good in 12-18” of pow. In deep snow, a longer and wider ski would be more fun, but hey, that’s the tradeoff here.
V. What ski was the most difficult to leave off your list?
Maybe the Salomon QST 106, but see below re: what I had to say about the length question.
VI. What ski do you imagine has the greatest likelihood of making your list, if and when you get to ski it, or get to ski it more?
2nd Place: Salomon QST Echo 106, 181 cm + ATK Freeraider
This is a contender for question III above (touring-only 1-ski quiver). It’s good enough to make me consider cheating on the 4FRNT Raven. But there is the slightest bit of a Goldilocks problem here, which Luke alluded to: for my touring skis, I really like a ~185 cm length. I’ve gotten along great with the 181 cm QST Echo 106 so far, and haven’t been on the 189.
1st Place: Folsom Giver 110, 185 cm
I’m going to be building up a custom pair of these this season, and we’ll be talking about that soon in an upcoming GEAR:30 episode. But a well-executed pair of Givers that is tailored to what I’m looking for out of my touring ski, well, it seems obvious why it might end up making my list next year.
Curious what percent if Blister members Tour primarily, Occasionally or almost never?
What would you guess?
(Also, I’m curious why you’re interested? I.e., if you knew the answer, what would it change / what should it change?)
My guess is 10% tour full-time or part-time. And then I would guess that a larger portion have toured and maybe bought the gear but are mostly lift serviced skiers? I’m sure Blister can gauge the interest by looking at number of views for touring only gear vs. resort skis and gear and can tailor their approach to content accordingly?
I too am super curious about the size of the touring folks and how it fluctuates year over year. I know locally it seems like for most it’s something they get into for a few season and then the gear just sits in the garage and gets dusty….
They really should sell it.
Yes! Too me, at a steep discount. I needs me a lighter spring setup but the wife goes all budgety on me when I threaten to drop $2k on gear I won’t realistically use more than 10 days a year. What’s a working stiff and backcountry lover to do??
Aspirational: K2 Mindbender 99ti.
Reality-Based: K2 Mindbender 89ti.
Home area average snowfall: 300 or so inches.
I bought Mindbender 89ti this season, got them out at Sugarloaf opening day. Could ski them every day I ride lifts all season on the ice coast and be totally happy. Manueverable, energetic, and strong on edge. They are also light enough that I wouldn’t feel at all crazy about mounting them with shifts and touring on them. Awesome ski, really glad I bought them.
If I lived in the west I’d have gone for the 99ti for better performance in mixed soft snow conditions and bigger, more open terrain.
I think of the skis I’ve personally tried, if I had to pick a 1-ski resort quiver for anywhere in the world it would be the Nordica Enforcer 104 Free. I’d mount it with CAST Freetour but I’d suffer up the hill.
Masterblaster 187 or enforcer 104
I’m excited to see that Luke’s 1 skis quiver is the Apostle 106. I just got a great deal on a pair and am excited to try them out in my two ski quiver with the Liberty Origin 96. i have never skied either, but have been on the BC Camox since 2017 and was ready to try out something different. If I don’t like them I’m planning on trying to find a deal on J Skis, Moments, 4frnt of a different BC. I find that buying and selling slightly used skies is cheaper and better than demoing from a shop.
I demoed the Justis last year in Utah and even though it seems to get some hate online and is stupid expensive, I’m considering it for my one skis.
Also, i will be in CB for the alley loop in early Feb, i know the blister summit is right after, but hope to see you guys on the mountain or in town for a beer! Happy winter.
One ski quiver? Now you’re just being silly.
Did anyone consider just giving up on either backcountry or the resort (e.g. David). If you primarily tour doing that on a hybrid binding imo is such a gigantic pain in the butt, I would rather just give up resort skiing. If you ski primarily in the resort I can see why a cast system is not much of compromise, but kind of seems like a shift is? Plus one ski quiver for most people means a 1 boot quiver and at that point just choosing a sport makes sense to me. By the time the best touring is ready in CO you can just start biking / kayaking / running / climbing anyway. If you did these only allowing 1 boot would that change the answer?
Anyway, one ski quiver for me is vision 108 with some atks and some 1000gram boots that walk like a champ.
Good question — I think I’d have to actually do a full season on my 1-ski quiver to decide. For the touring I do, I think I’d still be fine with doing my touring on a fairly heavy setup, but if I only had one ski for a full season, I might find myself eventually just wanting to stick to one and tweaking my setup accordingly.
We’ll be doing a 1-boot quiver article in the coming weeks. But I do think having 2 boots would drastically improve the versatility of a true 1-ski quiver. If I was doing all my touring on a fairly heavy 50/50 setup *and* in a fairly heavy 50/50 boot, it would definitely affect my motivation to go skin, but at least for the first season, I think I’d still want to go the 50/50 route on my skis, bindings, and boots, just since I don’t like the idea of eliminating the option to tour, especially later in the season.
Makes sense! I would be going the cast route for sure if I lived in CB :)
Yeah, I thought about going for just a dedicated touring setup if I had to pare things down to one. I just struggled to find a quiver of one touring ski that I was fully stoked on, even taking resort skiing out of the question, so that gave me pause. (The Raven is close, but it’s a little narrower than would be ideal. The K2 Dispatch 110… or mayyyyyybe even 120 might have done it for me if they were still around this year.)
And I’m with you in that I see CAST as having very minimal downsides as a resort binding (apart from cost, I guess) but having more drawbacks for me as a touring binding. I’m not sending 40 footers in the backcountry and don’t need a touring binding that burly most of the time. It’s just still the best compromise I’ve tried for something that I’m also happy to ski inbounds.
I didn’t go this far into the weeds, but the ease of switching between AFD norms on CAST is part of its appeal for me here — provided that the BSLs are closeish, it’s easy to go back and forth between my alpine boots (Head Raptor 140 RSs) and a GW touring boot with minimal fuss. In my head I’m using a two boot quiver here still. I’d love it if they had a better option for running a full rubber touring sole, but so it goes.
Heck ya, the extra content I was looking for. I suspect part of my “gigantic pain the butt” comment also comes from location. In CO most of winter its a lot of walk for a couple miles, ski the same 300-500 foot 24 degree slope a bunch of times, go home. Having to take skis off and fuss every transition would get really old really quickly. If I was transitioning less and skiing bigger terrain, a CAST would be passable.
The new rustler 10’s might be a strong contender for resort only 1 ski quiver
skied them at the summit last year. Liked them. A lot. totally different design and feel on the snow.
I think a safe choice would be the Blaze 106 for me. That said, I just got some Free 99s for my daily driver, but I have a powder ski for deeper days.