As a new person of the skiing-loving world, you, unlikely pay much attention to the ski equipment. You tend to wait until the time of being more competently and enthusiastic with the game. At first, any random skis or even rental ones at skiing areas are enough. For you, this option is not a bad idea.
Yes, many people think the same way too. However, you had better shift this thought right away. Lack of skills, experience, and control-ability is quite common for new skiers. The probability of unexpected troubles is much higher as a consequence.
It is unnecessary to buy products which are expensive and pretty identical to the professional player’s ones. Amateurs only need to own the best skis for beginners to ensure safety and to enjoy the excitement fully. Then, the following recommendations will help you to make it real.
Top 5 Best Skis For Beginners
- Nordica NRGY 90 Skis Black Mens
- Nordica Enforcer 100 Skis Mens
- Rossignol Smash 7 Skis w/Xpress 10 Bindings Mens
- Rossignol Soul 7 HD Skis Mens
How are the Best Skis for Beginners?
Being newbies with skiing does not mean all new skiers have the same abilities, bodies, and interests. Their variations lead to their different standards of how the best skis will be. But there are still several common criteria to consider, for example, length, waist width, and profile.
Length
One of the quickest ways to consider the ski length is to base on your height. As for the beginners, I highly recommend measuring from the ground to your chin. You can raise it to your nose when getting the immediate level and to your eyes or forehead if you are an advanced skier.
Many people also prefer longer or shorter than those measurements due to their interests in skiing. The longer one comes with a higher speed, makes turns much broader, and is more suitable for advanced players. By contrast, the shorter brings slower movements as well as better controls which fit well with inexperienced individuals.
Width
The width of a ski includes of measurements at three points: tip, waist, and tail. For instance, 120/88/113 means the tip of 120mm, the waist of 88mm and the tail of 113mm.
Regardless of the tip and the tail, it is quite handy for you to determine the waist width. The narrower the waist is, the more flexible you can turn on the ski. On the other hand, wider skis with the perfect flotation could be potential options for terraces like choppy snow areas.
An ideal ski pair for beginners should have the waist width ranging 70-85mm. It is a safe measurement for simple turns of on-trail performances with superior stability.
Profile
There are two main types of ski profiles: Camber and Rocker. Sometimes, it is the Camber/Rocker combination.
Camber
It is the traditional one shaped with an upward curve at the point of the waist. And the tip and tail are parts contacting with the ground at most.
The curve provides you great pops at every turn after your weight does the pressure on and then propels for next turns, especially useful on the hard snow terraces. So, the cambered skis are generally at the top of choice for professional racers instead of the first-timer.
Rocker
The Rocker profile does not have the middle upward curve like the Camber. It comes with the banana-like-shaped looking. Such form gets a bonus point with its raised tip supporting skiers with better turn initiation.
Like the later version of skis, the Rocker profile makes it more versatile in a wide range of terraces. Thanks to the feature of the flat surface, the ski provides a better contact point while the camber gets only 2 points, one at the tip and another at the tail. That structure promises to offer smooth turns, even for beginners.
Camber/Rocker
Taking a glance, you may see the camber/rocker looks like the traditional Camber version. The difference lies in some changes of curvature at contact points. Some skis are the Camber type with Rocker tip while others feature the Camber profile with Rocker tip and tail.
Top Recommendation: The Best Skis for Beginners
Now you’ve known some basic knowledge of skis; I will recommend some outstanding products to you to add into the consideration of the best skis for beginners.
Atomic 2019 Women’s Vantage X 74
The first product of the list is from the Atomic brand. This ski is a design for both beginning and intermediate female skiers.
The Atomic Vantage X 74 has the length of 152 cm which is almost consistent with the players’ average height of about 160 cm. However, for those who are much taller and keen on the high skiing speed, it is not a good idea.
The measurement is 120/74/98. With the narrow size, you can pitch in basic movements and turns fluently as an inexperienced skier.
Another thing to consider is the profile. Atomic manufactures the X 74 as a Camber/Rocker ski. It is the Camber one with 15% tip Rocker. The Rocker part supports turns with ease while the Camber one creates an impressive performance on hard snow areas.
Rossignol Experience 84 HD 2016
Rossignol Experience brings a ski line matching with all mountain skiing games. This HD 2016 version is available for both male and female skiers with two options of length, 154cm and 170cm. Therefore, there is no problem whether you are a beginner or a professional racer; the skis can fit you all.
The waist wide of these skis are 84mm. The underfoot is narrow enough to face to groomers on the way. And its width is reasonable to float on the terrace. There is a minus thing that you have to buy the binding structure additionally since it does not come with the ski at all.
Rossignol Smash 7 Skis w/Xpress 10 Bindings
Next, let’s turn to another Rossignol ski. This one impresses me with its Smash 7. People usually use this for all-mountain skis. The Smash 7 features a functional structure for skiers at any level. It is lightweight and has a versatile and floats combination for effortless freeride movements.
Two lengths available for this Rossignol are 150cm and 180cm. Its side-cut is 119/92/109 with the Rocker profile. The practical design and bindings allow you to do the quick toe and heel positioning, but its waist width seems not to be suitable for a beginner.
Rossignol Smash 7 Skis + Xpress 11 Bindings
Rossignol highlights their Smash 7 in another ski, but this time with 11 bindings. The product is not only friendly for off-trail skiing but also groomed journeys. The length of 140cm makes it suitable for lightweight beginners with short height.
With a 119/92/109 measurement, the waist is 92mm tagged with 50% Camber underfoot. You can get it as a Camber/Rocker profile ski. The tip rocker is excellent for groomed runs. A nice bonus impression is a binding system which is the same as other top product nowadays.
Salomon XDR 78 ST
First up, this ski is a delightful product with the effortless turn initiation no matter if it is short or long turn. Even when you get the high speed, the edge hold still works well.
Salomon brand launched the ski with three options of length, 140, 150 and 160. The length matching the waist width of 78mm brings the greatness of dimension. The narrow waist and the broad tip are for floating support which is stiff enough to push cruds on the way.
One drawback of this lies in its material. The core of the ski is made of wood while people prefer skis with the foam core to the wood one. The wood-core of Salomon XDR could prevent users from controlling the ski effectively because of the heavy middle parts.
Volkl Kenja Women’s Skis
This product is not necessary the ski lighting up the list of best skis for beginners. But it still shows things matching demands from a lot of newbies. Length options of 149 and 170 cm are enough for both short and long ski size demands.
Players in very first times of skiing can take advantage of its tip and tail rocker. The turn initiation is more accessible as a consequence. Along with this, the jump-pop-off is greater.
Features above somehow satisfy your expectation. But you still need to take the core and biding into consideration. The wood-core causes the heaviness, and you have to buy bindings since it does not come with the ski.
Atomic Vantage X 75 C Ski
The X 75 version ski from the Atomic is for beginners to enjoy groomed ways fully. A wide range of length is from 149 cm to 177cm with the dimension of 120/75/103. Skis with the narrow waist and the flat tail perform well on all-mountain skiing.
Features such as Woven Carbon Tank Mesh and Lithium 10 Bindings boost more strength and reliable edge hold even at high speed.
Rossignol BC 110 Positrack Ski
Designed for off-trail exploration, the BC 110 Positrack ski of Rossignol features the size of 179 cm in length and 78mm in waist width. Its Camber/Rocker profile is the mix of the moderate tip and the low-rise middle point. The structure keeps skiers float on the snow as other things are deep.
It has a wood-air core. The improvement in materials gets rid of worries about the heavyweight for new skiers.
Volkl M5 Mantra Skis 2019
The 5th version of Mantra line, Volkl M5, gets improvements with a new feature so-called Titanal Frame. Metal parts of the ski from the tip to the tail feature with an additional carbon inlay. The innovation makes the product much lighter. You can regard this as compensation for the massive multi-layer wood core.
For sizes, the measurement is 134/96/117mm with the length of 177cm. And the Volkl M5 Mantra is a ski with tip and tail rocker and underfoot camber.
K2 iKonic 84 Ski
If you love challenging yourself with various skiing terrain, don’t ignore this product. K2 IKonic 84 is suitable for all grounds. Its Rocker profile enables users to get excellent versatility and perfect control, especially those who are inexperienced.
The manufacturer creates their skis with the Konic technology Firaspen to minimize the weight. Plus, it also has the marker MXC 12 TCx light with colors giving skiers a modern looking in the game. However, with the side-cut of 133/84/112 and the length of 170, here is not ideal for short new skiers.
Black Crows Daemon Ski
Only the Black Crows Daemon Ski can bring a wide range of size from 170 cm to 188 cm in length. The waist width is 99mm for all length options. Full Rocker profile makes this ski outstanding from the mass. Thanks to it, you can get a fast and responsive turn initiation.
About 60% of the ski is the Titanal layer for the substantially middle part keeping you in safety and stability at high speed downwards the way. Unfortunately, minus points I found here are the wood core causing the heaviness and binding not available in the set.
Armada ARV 106 Skis
ARV 106 is a high-fashion design with unique drawings on the surface. Its dimension is 134/106/124mm in the length of 180cm. From the measurement, I suggest you pick this Freestyle rocker profile ski if you have a considerable height or love features which long skis bring.
There is no binding included. And although the wood core can give you high stability and bonus power, it is quite cumbersome to control.
Nordica Enforcer 100 Skis
A big bunch of size options from Nordica Enforcer 100 provides the greatness for skiers at many levels and different demands. The Camber/Rocker profile always ensures both stability and power.
Titanium Laminates at the core combining with the full wood core adds more energy and grid. This ski is all-mountain friendly and always gives users the speed stability when skiing. However, you have to look for bindings because there is no binding included.
Rossignol 2019 Evo XC 65 Skis
These skis are perfectly suitable for both on-trail and off-trail skiing beginners.
In comparison, they have quite a narrow shape compared to other products in the recommended list. The dimension is 65/53/60 with two length options, 175 cm, and 195 cm. There are pre-mounted bindings included.
Volkl Flair 78 Women’s Skis
Skis of Volkl with the Flair 78 setup can keep every skiing ride go smooth. Such change can get rid of the leg fatigue that you may find with old structures. The leg fatigue mentioned above was from many skiers I discussed.
Bindings included in the pair enable you to position your boots more comfortable. These skis work well, particularly on the groomed skis, driving you from edge to edge much quicker.
Nordica NRGY 90 Skis
It does not matter your ski is on slopes or in hard snow areas; the Nordica NRGY 90 will be a beautiful product for playful off-piste explorations. The skis show the side-cut of 126/90/110mm at 177 cm of length. Tip and tail Rocker as well as the middle point Camber offer the perfect lightweight and add more stability for every float movement on the snow.
Being like a friendly ski, this NRGY 90 fits all levels of user, from newbies to professional. Because of the durability and flexibility, even beginners without solid skills can have smooth drives. Moreover, let’s look at its appearance. Fantastic details on the surface attract much attention all the time.
HEAD 2019 V-Shape V6 Skis
The pair of skis from HEAD with binding included has the measurement of 132/78/113mm at 170cm length. It is an all-ride Rocker ski with the wood composite core. I love this pair since it features the Tyrolia PR 11 GW bindings. It puts the rise into the tip for better turn initiation.
However, I have to say that you had better pick it after a few times of skiing because the V-shape may make it hard to drive at first.
My thoughts
Above is the list of the best skis for beginners I have compiled. And the star of my heart is the K2 iKonic 84 Ski because its length fits my height. I’m approximately 163cm tall. So, a long ski like this will give me amazing high speed with excellent turn initiation. I fall in love with the ski for its color as well. Plus, the included bindings mean I don’t have to waste time to find and buy additional parts for my gear.
That’s mine, how’s about yours? Let’s share it with me and hope that my recommendation counts for you.
