Best Freeride Skis For 2022 | Big Mountain Skis To Shred The Steep And Deep - Mpora

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Best Freeride Skis For 2022 | Big Mountain Skis To Shred The Steep And Deep

Here are the best freeride skis designed to take on everything from powder bowls to alpine couloirs

Finding the best freeride skis for you is your one way ticket to opening up a whole new world of skiing that the confines of piste markers and monotonous corduroy simply cannot match. From the alpine couloirs of the Chamonix valley, to the pillow lines of British Columbia; freeride skis need to be versatile enough to take on just about everything a mountain can throw your way while remaining poised and confident through all conditions.

This need for versatility means that freeride skis come in a wide range of shapes, lengths and widths that can, more often than not, become a seemingly endless list of skis. It’s always a good idea to have a think about your ability level, budget and, most importantly, where you aspire to spend the most time on the mountain, to first whittle down what type of freeride ski you’re looking for.

How To Choose A Pair Of Freeride Skis

Ski Widths Explained
How To Choose The Right Ski Length
Ski Shapes Explained
Ski Camber and Rocker Explained

To give you somewhere to start, our selection of skis feature waist widths of 100 mm and up, all featuring a mix of camber and rocker (both in the tips and tails), and most likely feature a toughened up construction for a confidence-inspiring ride through even the most tricky snow conditions. After testing and reviewing a wide range of freeride skis on the market, here’s our selection of the best freeride skis for this winter.

Best Freeride Skis For 2022


Scott Pure 109Ti

Lengths (cm): 182, 190
Sidecut (mm): 142 / 109 / 128 (190 cm)
Radius: 23m (190 cm)
Price: £590 / €650

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The Scott Pure 109Ti has been designed from the ground up by none other than the freeride skiing legend, Jeremie Heitz. Jeremie’s main goal when designing the Pure 109Ti was to have a single ski that he reached for in his garage that’s able to take on everything from steep high alpine Himalayan faces, to tree runs at his home resort in Switzerland.

Our test team was blown away by the rowdy spirit of the Pure Pro 109Ti while blasting them around Damuls, Austria. The skis felt like a true pair of chargers that were super stiff and powerful. We were throwing them off every bit of terrain in sight and the Pure Pro 109Ti barely flinched.

At 1,850 grams (for a 182 cm), the Scott Pure 109Ti would make an ideal big mountain touring ski as much as they would a freeride-specific resort focused ski. This combination of a relatively low weight and uber-responsive ride means that they will want to be piloted by a pair of capable legs. That goes without saying though; these are Jeremie Heitz’ skis after all.

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Selected for the 21/22 Mpora Ski 100. Check out our full Scott Pure Pro 109Ti Review here

K2 Mindbender 108 Ti

Lengths (cm): 172, 179, 186, 193
Sidecut (mm): 136 / 108 / 125
Radius: 22.9m (186 cm)
Price: £650 / €715 / $750

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The K2 MIndbender 108 Ti combines a contoured sheet of titanal with creative shaping to create a ski that’s powerful when you need it to be, yet is still more than capable of keeping things loose and pivotable for 3D snow and quick slashes. If you think the Scott Pure 109Ti might be slightly too stiff or powerful for you, then the Mindbender 108 Ti is a nice step down.

We tested the Mindbender 108 Ti in Austria and found they offered a bucket load of power and stability for intermediate to expert riders looking to explore the entire mountain. The Mindbender 108 would be a great pair of skis for someone who loves to charge around the mountain, while seeking out fresh powder spots when the fresh snow arrives.

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Selected for the 21/22 Mpora Ski 100. Check out our full K2 Mindbander 108Ti Review here

Line Vision 108

Lengths (cm): 175, 183, 189
Sidecut (mm): 142 / 108 / 128
Radius: 19.5m
Price: £565 / €665 / $750

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Line stayed true to their freestyle roots in the design of the Vision 108. Featuring a mid-fat waist width, heavily rockered tips and tails, and a playful flex profile, the Vision 108 would make an ideal pair of freeride skis for those who love to mix up their skiing – both forwards and backwards.

We found the Vision 108 to be bags of fun throughout pretty much every type of terrain and conditions you could find in the resort and beyond. The Vision 108 felt surprisingly good on the groomers, gripped incredibly well and loved to turn and mix things up on the side hits – all while carrying enough width for the powder days.

Similar to the Vision 98, we feel the Vision 108s are a pair of skis that many people will get on with thanks to that approachable flex rating and hybrid playful/backcountry shaping. The best of all this? They only come in at 1,600 grams per ski.

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Selected for the 21/22 Mpora Ski 100. Check out our full Line Vision 108 Review here

Head Kore 111

Lengths (cm): 177, 184 & 191
Sidecut (mm): 140 / 111 / 127 (185 cm)
Radius: 21.1m (184 cm)
Price: £750 / €850 / $875

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The Kore series from Head sees a slight overhaul for the 21/22 season. This update resulted in a totally new construction process that binned the use of Koloryd and replaced it with a full-spanning wood core in an effort to keep performance at the heart of the construction. The Kore 111 is also a new shape for the series, but has already graced a Freeride World Tour podium or two thanks to the skills of Hedvig Wessel.

Head has taken all the experience from creating previous iterations of the Kore line and channelled it into this finely tuned freeride ski. If you put a lot of value into having a powerful ski that’s still able to remain lightweight for touring, then the Kore 111 is going to be the pick of the bunch.

Selected for the 21/22 Mpora Ski 100. Check out our full Head Kore 111 Review here

Salomon QST Blank

Lengths (cm): 178, 186, 194
Sidecut (mm): 138 / 112 / 127
Radius: 17 m (186 cm)
Price: £750 / €750  / $750

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The QST Blank from Salomon might be one of the most exciting skis of the 21/22 winter season. By giving their athletes a ‘blank’ slate to design a ski from the ground up, Salomon have produced a surprisingly (given the 112 mm waist width) versatile pair of freeride skis that perform impressively well over a range of snow conditions.

Relatively heavy tapering in the tips and tails has all led to a slightly tighter radius (15 – 18 metres, depending  on the length you go for), compared to the QST 118. When you combine this radius with the tapering, the QST blank promises to be quite loose and turny when you need them to be (which is also a characteristic we’ve found similar to  the QST 118, after testing those skis).

Selected for the 21/22 Mpora Ski 100. Check out our full Salomon QST Blank Review here

DPS Koala 103

Lengths (cm): 168, 176, 183 & 189
Sidecut (mm): 129 / 103 / 119 (184 cm)
Radius: 22m (183 cm)
Price: £699 / €699 / $699

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DPS first released their Koala range of skis, with the Koala 119, back in 2019. Named after their athlete lineup – the DPS Koalas – the Koala 119 brought an extremely damp, playful and symmetrical build that was a far cry from DPS’ directional carbon roots.

Now for the 2022 winter season, DPS are releasing a new Koala to the lineup in the Koala 103. It carries the same playful yet damp design that was at the heart of the original Koala, but just in a 103 millimetre waisted mid-fat freeride package.

The Koala range is a really exciting new development from DPS Skis. DPS has taken their methodical approach to building skis and applied it to an extremely fun and playful shape. This results in a package that can rip every square metre of the resort.

Selected for the 21/22 Mpora Ski 100. Check out our full DPS Koala 103 Review here

Blizzard Rustler 10

Lengths (cm): 164, 172, 180 & 188
Sidecut (mm): 133 / 102 / 122 (180 cm)
Radius: 17.5 m (180 cm)
Price: £550 / €550 / $700

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Released in 2017, the Rustler 10 was designed to replace the old Peacemaker ski. The Peacemaker sat within Blizzard’s freeride ski category, offering the antithesis to the directional and aggressive style of the 106 mm waisted Cochise – and the same can be said about the Rustler 10.

And ever since their release, we’re glad to say that they’ve been a success. The wider Rustler 11 is frequently found on the FWT podium while this, the 104 mm waisted Rustler 10, offers a playful ride in an extremely versatile all-mountain package.

The Rustler 10 can go anywhere in the resort, in any conditions and will leave you with a permanent grin on your face. If you’re someone who prefers to carry a little more speed while remaining locked into turns you may want to check out the more directional Cochise, but if you value high-performance skis with a playful spirit, then the Rustler 10s would work well as a single quiver ski, or command the centre of your quiver.

Selected for the 21/22 Mpora Ski 100. Check out our full Blizzard Rustler 10 Review here

Black Diamond Impulse 112

Lengths (cm): 181 & 186
Sidecut (mm): 139 / 112 / 126 (186 cm)
Radius: 21m (186 cm)
Price: £700 / €700 / $799

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The all-new Impulse range of freeride skis replaces Black Diamond’s previous Boundary range of skis. The Boundary range was stiff, heavy and sported a long turn radius. All of that resulted in a ski that was pretty demanding for all but the hardest chargers out there. Now for 2021/22, BD have looked to rewind the difficulty dials of the Impulse range just a touch.

This update results in a range of skis that’s generally easier to ski than the more demanding boundary range, while still offering confidence at high speeds, through poor conditions. The Impulse 112 sits at the top of the range, for those who favour soft snow maneuverability and a wider platform for stomping airs.

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Selected for the 21/22 Mpora Ski 100. Check out our full Black Diamond Impulse 112 Review here

Atomic Backland 107

Lengths (cm): 175, 182, 189
Sidecut (mm): 137 / 107 / 124 (182 cm)
Radius: 18.5m (182 cm)
Price: £600 / €699 / $850

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As a freeride ski with a weight of 1,550 grams and a waist width of 107 mm, the Atomic Backland 107 strikes a phenomenal surface area to weight ratio. But, is this at the expense of power and stability? Well, given these skis are the choice of freeride legends Sage Cattabriga-Alosa and Nick McNutt, we’d bet not.

The Atomic Backland 107 is one of the highest performing touring-specific freeride skis on the market right now. While the Line Vision 108 offers an extremely playful ride at a similar weight point, the Backland 107 provides a powerful ski for those who prefer to keep things directional. Add a binding like the Shift, or Duke PT 16, onto these and you’ve got a freeride setup that’s capable of taking on some of the most technical terrain out there.

Selected for the 21/22 Mpora Ski 100. Check out our full Atomic Backland 107 Review here

Black Crows Atris Birdie

Lengths (cm): 160, 169 & 178
Sidecut (mm): 136 / 108 / 123
Radius: 20m at 169cm
Price: £590 / €690 / $840

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Similar to the Atris (just lighter and a little more flexible than its unisex counterpart), the Atris Birdie is Black Crow’s answer for a big mountain women’s specific ski. It’s no surprise, then, that it’s the ski of choice for iconic freeride queen Michelle Parker. The Atris Birdie works perfectly as a women’s freeride ski that’s made for wide open powder fields. We found the Atis Birdie offers confidence in steeper technical terrain, chopped up snow or narrower tree runs.

Predominantly made for those deep days, due to its consistent flex, rapid edging and moderate ski to snow contact, if you find yourself with a lack of soft snow or you’re taking an afternoon for some piste skiing it’s not going to throw you around as much as you might think. Fast, powerful and still playful, this ski can take you everywhere.

Selected for the 21/22 Mpora Ski 100. Check out our full Black Crows Atris Birdie Review here

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Topics:

Atomic Black Crows Black Diamond Blizzard DPS Skis Gear Head Skis K2 Skis Line Skis Salomon Scott Skis
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