Intro
We recently published several of our reviewers’ selections for both 5-ski and 4-ski quivers. Now, we’re once again asking them to cut those down, this time to three skis.
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 for more detailed info on the specific skis we discuss in these quiver articles, be sure to click around to read our reviews of the individual products.
If you’d like to get our recommendations for assembling your own ski quiver, then become a BLISTER+ Member, submit your question via the Member Clubhouse page, and we’ll get you sorted out.
Four Questions
For each of our reviewers, we asked them to answer the following questions:
I. Which currently available skis would you pick for your own 3-ski quiver, and why?
II. What skis were the most difficult to leave off your list?
III. What skis do you imagine have the greatest likelihood of making your list, if and
when you get to ski them, or get to ski them more?
IV. If you had to choose a single brand from which to build your 3-ski quiver, which company would you pick?
Luke Koppa
(5’8”, 155 lbs / 173 cm, 70 kg)
I. Which currently available skis would you pick for your own 3-ski quiver, and why?
Cutting down my 4-ski quiver to 3 skis, I’m opting to trim off my dedicated touring ski and make two of my other skis ‘touring capable’ but still pretty resort-oriented. As I’ve outlined before, most of my touring involves skinning at the resort during the winter and then a lot more backcountry days after the lifts stop spinning in April. However, my lift-riding days significantly outnumber my skintrack-walking days, so I’d prioritize reliable inbounds downhill performance over minimum weight for my uphill time.
Ski #1: Armada Declivity X 102, 180 cm + Cast Freetour
Same as before, the Declivity X 102 is my daily driver for the resort. There are lots of skis I can have a great time on for most days at Crested Butte, but the Declivity X 102 satisfies enough of my little nit-picky preferences to separate itself from the others.
In this quiver, rather than any normal alpine binding, I’d mount the Declivity X 102 with the Cast Freetour system to allow for some uphill travel. I think I’d also be fine with the Shift2, Marker Duke PT, and Tyrolia Attack Hybrid systems; however, given that this ski will likely see 50-70+ days at the resort, I’m going with the hybrid binding that I have the most confidence in on the durability front.
Ski #2: Black Crows Mirus Cor, 178 cm + Cast Freetour
This ski returns as my ‘fun carver’ for firm groomer days, more casual and/or playful off-piste days, and any other scenario where I want to maximize fun without maximizing the speed or steepness of the skiing / runs.
I’m putting the Cast Freetour on this ski as well, mostly for on-resort skinning laps. The main reason I opt to skin at the resort is for the exercise, but unlike some of the folks who lap me on a regular basis, I also very much enjoy actually carving turns on the way back down. The Mirus Cor is phenomenal for that part.
Ski #3: Rossignol Sender Free 118, 186 cm + alpine binding
Still keeping my favorite resort pow ski. This is what I’d bring any time there’s more than a few inches of fresh snow, or when I just want to go fast and take chances. I could probably just mount this up with the Cast system in the event that I end up wanting to haul one of the heaviest possible ski + binding systems on the current market up a skin track. But if the snow in the backcountry is that good, I’d probably just be grabbing my powsurf board.
II. What skis were the most difficult to leave off your list?
The Majesty Superwolf, Salomon MTN 96 Carbon, and Line Vision 96 are all excellent dedicated touring skis that I love for most non-deep conditions. I’d miss them for longer days of skinning.
Then, most of the other skis I’ve mentioned in the bigger articles also apply here:
Dynastar M-Free 112, for nearly all the same reasons I love the Rossignol Sender Free 118.
For Ski #1: Salomon QST 100, K2 Mindbender 99Ti, Salomon QST 94, Faction Studio 2, Volkl Revolt 101, Stockli Stormrider 95
For Ski #2: Volkl Peregrine 72, Rossignol Forza 70°, Line Blade, Head Supershape e-Magnum, Fischer The Curv GT 85, Romp Sidehit 89
For Ski #3: Moment Wildcat 118, Volkl Revolt 114, Head Kore 118 Ti, Icelantic Nomad 112, Line Optic 114, RMU Apostle 114
III. What skis do you imagine have the greatest likelihood of making your list, if and when you get to ski them, or get to ski them more?
We just got some more of Liberty’s Scope skis, and they do make a pretty compelling argument for 50/50 setups, given how light they are, but we’ll see what I think after long-term testing.
And then I don’t think they’d fit into how I’ve laid out this quiver, given how heavy they are, but I am very eager to get on the new Heritage Lab AM100 and AM110 that we just mounted up.
IV. If you had to choose a single brand from which to build your 3-ski quiver, which company would you pick?
Now that we’re down to three skis, this feels easier, but each of these has at least one major compromise. Some top contenders:
Armada: Declivity X 102, Declivity 92 Ti, ARV 112 (or Whitewalker 116?)
Volkl: Revolt 101, Peregrine 72, Revolt 114
Salomon: QST 94 or 100, Addikt Pro 76, QST X
Line: Optic 96, Blade, Optic 114
David Golay
(6’, 160 lbs / 183 cm, 72.6 kg)
I. Which currently available skis would you pick for your own 3-ski quiver, and why?
Ski #1: 4FRNT Raven, 184 cm + ATK Freeraider 15 Evo
Holding steady here. The Raven sticks around as my primary all-round touring ski, for all the same reasons that it’s in my 4- and 5-ski quivers, too.
Ski #2: Moment Countach 110, 188 cm + Look Pivot 15
I’m going to one primary resort ski now that we’re down to just three total. The Countach 110 is pretty versatile for a relatively wide all-mountain ski, making it a good 1-ski resort quiver for my high-snowfall home mountain. I’ll definitely miss the Volkl Mantra 102 from my bigger quivers on firmer days, and I’d probably like the Countach 110 a little better if it were a bit heavier and more damped, but it’s a ski I like a lot in a pretty wide range of conditions.
Ski #3: 4FRNT Renegade, 191 cm + ATK Freeraider 15 Evo
Now that we’re down to three skis, I’m shuffling things a bit and consolidating my fatter skis into one 50/50 (really more like 80% touring / 20% inbounds) option. The Renegade is a bit heavier than I’d ideally want for a powder touring ski, and it’s not as stable in deep, heavy chop as I might like for resort duty. But 50/50 skis are always a compromise, and the Renegade hits a middle ground I’m pretty happy with.
If it’s not cheating, I’d put inserts in the Renegades and swap between ATK Freeraider 15 Evos for touring duty and Pivot 15s for skiing inbounds (and could share the Pivots with the Countach 110 if I need to keep the total binding count at three); if that’s not allowed, I’d prioritize touring performance and stick with the Freeraider. I’d ski the Renegade inbounds a lot less in that scenario and only break it out early in the day on really deep ones.
II. What skis were the most difficult to leave off your list?
There are a bunch of skis that I could slot in place of the Countach 110 and be pretty happy. The 4FRNT MSP 107 is high on that list (especially if I can swap bindings on the Renegade; the MSP 107 isn’t a great pow ski). The K2 Mindbender 108Ti would also work well overall, but I prefer the stiffer shovels of the Countach 110 in heavy, soft chop, which is the main reason it got the nod.
If I had a current dedicated powder touring ski that I was totally thrilled with, I’d likely swap that for the Renegade and forgo skiing that ski inbounds entirely. In that scenario, I’d be tempted to swap the Countach 110 for the Prior Husume (which is more soft-snow-biased overall), but that might be a little aspirational conditions-wise, especially with the slow start to the season we’ve had in the PNW.
III. What skis do you imagine have the greatest likelihood of making your list, if and when you get to ski them, or get to ski them more?
There are a bunch of skis that I can imagine taking the place of the Countach 110. The Dynastar M-Pro 108 Ti is very intriguing (though I do wonder if I’d find myself wanting a size between the 182 and 192 cm lengths on that one). I’m pretty confident that I could come up with a customized version of the Folsom Giver that I’d like, and the Heritage Lab AM110 looks promising, too.
IV. If you had to choose a single brand from which to build your 3-ski quiver, which company would you pick?
4FRNT: Raven, Renegade, MSP 107
Mark Danielson
(6’2”, 210 lbs / 188 cm, 95 kg)
I. Which currently available skis would you pick for your own 3-ski quiver, and why?
As noted in the previous quiver articles, my focus this year is on optimizing my skiing in Crested Butte, with its tight, steep terrain. So when it comes to choosing just three skis, my short trips to Telluride and Breckenridge aren’t important enough to justify compromising the vast majority of my season at Crested Butte.
To trim my quiver from four skis down to three, one of my two widest skis becomes expendable.
Ski #1: Rossignol Sender Free 110, 191 cm + Marker Jester 18 Pro
Yep, I’m sticking with this pick as my favorite all-round ski at CB.
I love it in soft-ish inbounds conditions at CB, across a wide variety of terrain, whether I’m skiing fast or slow. I can ski it playfully and slash all over the mountain, or get more serious and directional when the terrain allows.
I’d use this ski most days at CB, and its 191 cm length should provide plenty of stability at speed for trips to the more open terrain at Telluride and Breckenridge.
Ski #2: Nordica Enforcer 104, 185 cm + Marker Jester 18 Pro
This pick returns in the exact same role as before — a shorter, more maneuverable, more forgiving option for firmer conditions or tight spaces. As I wrote in the prior articles:
“At Crested Butte, if the 191 cm Sender Free 110 starts to feel like ‘more ski’ than I want in tight terrain or on firmer snow, the Enforcer 104 will bail me out…
On firm, groomer days at CB, this ski would be the strongest on-piste performer of my quiver, although its relatively short turn radius and length aren’t ideal for sustained Super-G speeds.”
Ski #3: Rossignol Sender Free 118, 186 cm + Tyrolia Attack 17 GW
With only one pick left, I had to cut one of my two widest skis.
While the 189 cm K2 Reckoner 124’s length and width provide excellent flotation for me in deep powder, it can feel a bit cumbersome in CB’s tight steeps — which is precisely where I don’t want to compromise this year.
So I’m keeping the shorter, more agile 186 cm Rossignol Sender Free 118 and accepting that it feels a bit short for me on the deepest days. As I explained in the previous articles:
“And its substantial tip and tail rocker — paired with my favorite mount position at -4.5 cm from true center — makes it easy to pivot and maneuver in confined spaces. Despite all that agility, this heavy ski remains composed in high-speed runouts.
Even on some firmer days, I can make this short (for me) 118-mm-wide ski work in tight terrain. The low-stack, non-demo Attack bindings also seem to offer enough lateral rigidity to help maintain edge grip when needed.”
II. What skis were the most difficult to leave off your list?
Moment Countach 110, 188 cm: I really enjoy the versatility and fun of the Countach 110 in spring and summer conditions, but I prefer the Sender Free 110 for winter snow.
Moment Wildcat 118, 190 cm: At most ski resorts, I appreciate that the Wildcat 118 is longer than the 186 cm Sender Free 118. However, for Crested Butte’s tight terrain, I’m choosing the shorter Sender Free 118 — and I also prefer its heavier weight.
Nordica Enforcer 99, 185 cm: To me, this ski feels very similar to the Enforcer 104. The main reason I’m choosing the Enforcer 104 is its slightly heavier mass, along with its looser feel in steep moguls.
III. What skis do you imagine have the greatest likelihood of making your list, if and when you get to ski them, or get to ski them more?
Prior Overlord, 188 cm (Quad Glass heavy build): The 188 cm version is 117 mm underfoot, so it could potentially replace the 186 cm Sender Free 118 in this 3-ski quiver.
IV. If you had to choose a single brand from which to build your 3-ski quiver, which company would you pick?
Rossignol: Sender Free 118, Sender Free 110, Arcade 94
But here are a few other brands that would also work pretty well for me at Crested Butte:
Prior: Overlord, Husume 193cm, Husume 188cm (all built with the heaviest Quad Glass construction)
Moment: Wildcat 118, Countach 110, Deathwish 104
K2: Reckoner 124, Reckoner 110, Mindbender 99Ti
I love Marks dying passion for the Prior lineup but they have actually changed their core profiles and core construction and it’s not for the worse but the 188cm CBCs I have weighed in at 2100 grams each and the 183 Overlords weigh 1980 and 2010 respectively. I’m did demo the 188cm Overlords and I can promise they don’t weigh anything close to 2200 grams. I can say for certain they are still some bombing skis and need another look by the fine folks at Blister
I’ve been thinking lately, now that I’m in my mid 50s, about downsizing some of my skis because I don’t have quite the same power as I did 10 years ago. It would be interesting to read the testers age, or approximate age – within a 5 year range, in their stats (height and weight). I believe this would also help readers get the right size ski. 20 years ago I had a difficult time even considering anything shorter than 195cm. Now it’s much shorter.