![]() ![]() Chad JacobĪge: 41 | Height: 5′10″ | Weight: 195 lbs If he’s not in the shop, he’s ripping laps at Washington’s Crystal Mountain. The son of Sturtevants Sports’ head buyer, Tracy Gibbons, Otto has basically lived in the ski shop his whole life and has worked there for the past seven years as a hardgoods buyer. Gibbons has spent 22 of his 23 years on this earth on skis. These days, you’ll find him ripping around Copper on his trusty Nordica Enforcer 100s. Though he still gravitates towards playful and wide all-mountain skis, he’s developed a more open mind when it comes to skis since joining SKI’s official gear test crew six seasons ago. He now lives in Colorado and calls Copper Mountain his home hill. (Photo: Ray J Gadd) Jon SexauerĪ self-proclaimed gear nerd when it comes to skis and mountain bikes, Sexauer grew up skiing in Northern California, spending the majority of his time getting loose and sendy in terrain parks. Section divider Meet the Testers Tester Jon Sexauer grabs one of the 21 all-mountain wide skis on tap during our 2024 SKI Test in Sun Valley. The skis that impressed us the most with their ability to float through pow, charge through crud, and hold steady in variable conditions made this list of the best all-mountain wide skis of the year. Lucky for us, we didn’t have to make do with stale powder during our test in Sun Valley-it was nuking on the day of our All-Mountain Wide category test. When judging an all-mountain wide ski, we primarily assess well it performs in deeper snow, be that fresh pow or days-old crud. But how many of them can still hang when the conditions get tracked out? We know most all-mountain wide skis can handle the pow. At the end of the week, we have enough hard data on the 100-plus pairs of skis tested to make your head spin, and we use it all to bring you these reviews of the best skis of the year. We ask our crew of 24 testers to identify a ski’s primary strengths, its weaknesses, who it’s designed for, and what terrain and snow conditions it’s most adept at. The mission: Jump on every pair of skis entered into our five categories (Carving, Frontside, All-Mountain, All-Mountain Wide, and Powder), put them through their paces all over the mountain, and then fill out a digital scorecard with comments and impressions of how each pair of planks performed across various skill categories-from carving chops and crud performance to stability at speed and responsiveness. So our testers took them into the glades, back bowls, and into the Burn at Sun Valley to see how well they handled the deep stuff. With wider waists and more rocker, all-mountain wide skis are designed for deeper days. As in the past, we invited a crew of seasoned industry professionals-ski instructors, ski shop employees, coaches, and former World Cup racers-to join us for a week-long gear test in Sun Valley, Idaho, a resort known for its steep and manicured groomers, legendary bump runs, perfectly gladed tree runs, and of course, “the Burn,” sidecountry terrain that powder dreams are made of. SKI has been running its annual ski test for decades now, but we’re always tweaking and perfecting the process. Looking for the best women’s all-mountain wide skis of 2024? You’ll find those here. If you find yourself in that camp, check out the 15 unisex all-mountain wide skis that performed best at SKI’s 2024 gear test in Sun Valley, Idaho. ![]() With a wider waist and more rocker, you sacrifice some edging capabilities, but many skiers think the crud-busting and surfing abilities you get in return are well worth the trade-off. ![]() Wide all-mountain skis are ideal for skiers who are lucky enough to ski deep, soft snow more often than not, but they also cater to East Coast powderhounds and Western skiers who prefer float over finesse. The skis in the All-Mountain Wide category are slightly girthier than your typical all-mountain ski-typically 100-110mm-and usually feature a more pronounced rocker profile than their all-mountain counterparts. If you’re a soft-snow connoisseur or just prefer a wide platform for everything you encounter at the resort, you need an all-mountain wide ski in your life. Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! ![]()
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