Piste, All Mountain, and Freeride: The season's swishest new skis tested

Buying skis can feel like a bit of a minefield. The Ski Club of Great Britain's team puts the latest products through their paces, testing the three biggest selling categories: Piste, for groomed runs; All Mountain, for all conditions; and Freeride, wider skis for those wanting to spend most of their time away from groomed slopes. Here, the Club picks out the Top Performers in their categories (TP) and Top Value skis (TV).

The Ski Club of Great Britain offers benefits to its members. To see the full list of ski test reviews visit skiclub.co.uk/skitests

PISTE

Women

K2 Luv Machine 74Ti

£530 with binding

They are lively, playful and easy to use at lower speed. Ramping up the speed on harder snow they deliver a great performance with strong edge hold. TP

Fischer Breeze

£360 with binding

Easy to use, light and well balanced. They feel grippy and responsive, perfect for long carved arcs on groomers. On short turns they feel lively with good edge hold and a responsive character. TV

Men

Blizzard Power S6

£500 with binding

These feel comfortable and lively in all turn shapes and speeds, although at very high speeds they can struggle to hold on. A great ski offering exceptional value for money. TV

Head i.Supershape Magnum

£535 with binding

Exceptionally well balanced skis; you always feel perfectly placed in the middle. The ride is very smooth, with the dampening ironing out any vibrations. They're hard to fault. TP

ALL MOUNTAIN

Women

Blizzard Black Pearl

£420 without binding

The Blizzard Black Pearl gives a smooth, classy ride and drive through anything tricky with ease. It's a ski that takes time to learn, but it rewards with a great range of performance in all conditions. TP

Salomon Gemma

£540 with binding

These like to be skied hard and fast, providing stability and lots of edge grip. In the off piste they skied well, with good float through the tip. TP

Men

Salomon X-Drive 8.8 FS

£520 without binding

Lovely skis with a smooth ride. They're easy to use but are surprisingly capable at higher speeds. In deeper conditions they still work well with great levels of float. TP

Blizzard Brahma

£470 without binding

The flex, shape and profile all work together to deliver a smooth, predictable yet exciting performance. They're impossible to fault as an all-mountain choice. TP

FREERIDE

Women

K2 FulLUVit 98 Ti

£430 without binding

Very reactive on piste with a responsive sidecut and high levels of grip. In deeper, off-piste conditions they've plenty of lift, loads of life and feel happy in all turn shapes. TP

Völkl 100 Eight Pink

£525 without binding

So easy to use. In powder, they instantly rise up and the rockered profile and flex, steer effortlessly. On the piste, they grip well but backcountry powder is their forte. TP

Men

Atomic Automatic 102

£400 without binding

Great value, feeling solid in all turn shapes, with plenty of grip and an easy to predict sidecut. With the rocker they feel quite short so don't be afraid to go up in length. TV

Dynastar Cham 2.0 97

£520 without binding

Wow! The new construction of the Dynastar delivers a super-smooth ride which allows the Cham to feel stable and strong at high speeds while being playful and easy to adjust through the turn. TP