Which skis for off-piste and ski touring?

Skis have developed a lot in recent years, and are now much easier to ski in the different snow conditions for off-piste and ski touring.  Even skis designed for acrobatics have been discovered to give great skiing off-piste.

The new wider skis give great performance in crust and powder, but wider skies are harder to control on ice and narrow tracks.  A waist of between 70-90 cm is good for off-piste and ski touring (around 80 cm will be good for most people).  For ski touring it is best to have climbing skins that are shaped to the ski.

Shorter skis are easier to turn and control (both uphill and downhill), but going too short reduces stability at speed and flotation in powder.

So, there is no such thing as the perfect ski that can turn easily and go fast on ice, breakable crust and powder – but there are some great skis that give excellent all-round performance and are a pleasure to ski off-piste. 

The following chart gives an indication of length of ski for off-piste and ski touring, 5cm either way does not make a big difference, if in doubt it is probably better to go for a shorter ski.