All Types of Skis Quick Guide

In this 3rd Chapter, we’ll find all the different categories briefly explained. This will be helpful, specially for the first timers..

GS. Giant Slalom Skis – Wide turns and high speed. They’re great multipurpose skis if our skills are also high. The penalty will be found on the clean edged short turns, but only when skiing on the more focused models. The best performance will be obtained on the grooms, although they can also be a very good option out of the trails.

The Stöckli Laser GS is an excellent choice to start in this discipline.
© Stöckli Swiss Sports AG

SL. Slalom Skis – For short turns at medium and medium-high speeds. Easy turn entry. There are some models with a high technical and physical demand due to their powerful response. There are some nicer models with a quite decent medium radius turn, although all of them clearly fail at high speed wide turns. They are not polyvalent at all, the piste is their terrain.

The Vist Super Front Tre is probably the best SL ski in the market today.
© Vist

All Round Skis – Many models are skis falling in between the GS and the SL concepts. They are good skis that work quite proficiently everywhere but do not shine in any specific aspect. Depending on the chosen model, some have a more GS-like character (easy wider turns and speed) and some others have a more SL-style tendency (rounder and easier turns). Grooms are their preferred terrain.

The Blizzard G-Power FS IQ is one of the flagship models of this manufacturer. It is a good regular allrounder.
© Blizzard – Tecnica Group S.p.A.

All Mountain Skis – If we grab an all round ski and we make it wider, we’ll already have three quarters of what an all mountain ski is. They are the multipurpose skis’ spice. Medium turns, noble reactions and extra capabilities for facing a wider selection of terrains and snow conditions.

The Stöckli Laser AR is a good example of what a classic All Mountain ski is.
© Stöckli Swiss Sports AG

Fats (low, mid and fat) Skis – These are the skis dedicated to the outbounds and off-piste skiing. Some, as the low-fat models, show quite good manners inside the trails although they do not perform at their best. As we climb up into the range and choose wider shapes, we’ll change the terrain as well as the snow conditions they are built for. The wider the ski, the deeper and dryer the snow has to be.

The Stöckli Y85 is a Low Fat ski that will let us link short turns very easily.
© Stöckli Swiss Sports AG

Freestyle Park / Freestyle Bump – The former are those skis dedicated to aerial maneuvers being performed on half-pipes, rails, etc. The latter are those specialized in bumps as well as acrobatics in special jump ramps.

The Hart Twisted is a perfect example of what a Park ski is all about.
© Hart Ski Corporation

The Hart F17 Classic is, as its name implies, one of the best choices for ripping off the bumps.
© Hart Ski Corporation

Woman Skis – For her. Less aggressive in their response, with a binding position adapted to feminine morphology, as well as a distinguished looks paired to what’s commonly understood as “women style”.

The Vist Snowleopard is a very good example of the new modern woman dedicated skis.
© Vist

Junior Skis – For youngsters and kids. There aren’t many models to choose in between for the smaller kids and what really matters is they can enjoy a nice day with us. For the rest, specially for teenagers, there is an excellent and assorted range to choose from. Quite similarly diverse as the adult ranges.