The lines between ski categories are forever blurring, with even hardcore piste and freeride models adding an element of all mountain ability.
To sit in the all mountain category though, a ski has to be versatile enough to genuinely ski the whole mountain. Having said that the spectrum is still stretched to its limits, with skinny waisted piste loving machines sitting alongside fat freeride friendly planks, and jack-of-all-slopes, masters-of-none.
To find out which all mountain skis are the best, we headed to our annual ski test and tried over 80 pairs of all mountain skis, marking each on its various capabilities. The list you see below is our pick of the very best all mountain skis for the 2022-23 season.
Best all mountain skis 2022-2023
Dynastar Speed 4x4 963
Best for Advanced and expert skiers who enjoy skiing perfection
RRP £680
Whatever is inside this ski clearly produces results greater than the sum of its parts. Turn initiation is effortless, but then the power kicks in and produces a smooth arc. Normally a ski that performs in fast, long radius turns wouldn’t feel so lively and snappy in shorter radius turns, but not so here. Playful and light, the Speed 4x4’s zap from edge to edge with a nimbleness that belies their dimensions. At 82mm underfoot they aren’t ever going to be rated as freeride, but what’s so impressive is their ability to suck up chopped-up snow, bumpy terrain, and light powder with ease—a joy to turn in almost every kind of snow going.
Verdict If you’re an advanced to expert skier looking for a solid frontside all-mountain ski at a fantastic price point, then don’t look any further.
Overall rating 10/10
Buy Dynastar Speed 4x4 963 Skis: £768.99 at Amazon
Armada Declivity 102 Ti
Best for Aggressive all mountain skiing in all conditions
RRP £605
The Declivity’s 102mm width underfoot rips through groomed terrain but provides an ideal platform for powder, chopped up snow and crud too, while strong edge grip builds confidence when hitting higher speeds. If you’re lucky enough to get deep powder, the width takes care of float and they are responsive and agile even in the deepest snow. They’re not necessarily built for freestyle though, so don’t expect big pivots and switches to come easily.
Verdict Powerful, damp, but lively all mountain carver that chews up the terrain.
Overall rating 9/10
Buy Armada Declivity 102 Ti Skis: £605 at Ellis Brigham
Atomic Maven 93
Best for Advanced to expert women skiers looking to hit the whole mountain, in all conditions and buy one ski for the job
RRP £600
Atomic have packed the Maven 93’s with high-end tech that makes these feel lively at both slow and high speeds. The core—OMatic poplar wood with triaxle fibreglass and a carbon layer—gives a stable feel on groomed slopes but packs a decent punch when turning edge to edge. HRZN tech in the tip rocker increases surface area by 10 percent, making for easier turn initiation and an element of playfulness. The tips float nicely in powder and they ski wider than their width would suggest. It would be hard to better this ski when faced with a range of conditions throughout the winter.
Verdict Hugely versatile ski for advanced to expert women looking to hit the whole mountain.
Overall rating 9/10
Buy Atomic Maven 93 Skis: £600 at Ellis Brigham
Head e-Shape V10
Best for Skiers from intermediate right up to experts looking for a reliable all mountain ski.
RRP £610
Targeted at advanced skiers who like to carve at all speeds, the e-Shape V10’s are seemingly great at everything. An EMC, or ‘Energy Management Circuit’ converts kinetic energy into electronic, dampening the skis without using heavy materials. This sounds gimmicky but really works, and like all the e-Shape range, the V10’s have a super smooth, vibration-less feel. The tip rocker makes turn initiation easy and at 85mm underfoot, they don’t feel like you need to work them too hard.
Verdict Hugely versatile, not just in the terrain it can cover but also across multiple skier levels, and for good value.
Overall rating 9/10
Buy Head e-Shape V10 Skis: From £1,097.53 at Amazon
Buy Head e-Shape V10 Skis: £610 at Snow & Rock <<Best Deal>>
Rossignol Experience 82 Ti
Best for Intermediate and advanced skiers that like to carve on piste but take the occasional away trip off the sides
RRP £620
A full Poplar wood core—reinforced with titanium and Rossignol’s Drive Tip solution—combines to produce a high-performance ski that also has a nicely dampened feel. These are stable on piste and smooth through bumpier terrain. The All-Trail rocker aids turn initiation and helps a little with float in deeper snow.
Verdict A solid ski that’s perfect for people looking for a comfortable ride and consistent performance on all kinds of different terrain.
Overall rating 8/10
Buy Rossignol Experience 82 Ti Skis: From £718.99 at Amazon
Salomon Stance 96
Men's best all mountain ski
Best for A one-ski quiver for chargers and carvers alike.
RRP £580
A full poplar wood core incorporating carbon flax and a double Ti construction seems to tick all the boxes of a solid all-mountain ski and goes some way to justifying a relatively high price point.
The performance on the mountain goes the rest of the way, and more than justifies the cost. The Stance 96 hits the absolute all-mountain sweet spot in terms of dimensions, stiffness, and turn versatility. It can charge through chop but remains soft enough to be fun and lively. It’s wide enough for powder but narrow enough to be responsive thanks partly to the flex and the progressive sidecut.
It just rails all types of turns, making for a cracking good time.
Verdict High performance both on and off-piste making for a genuine all-mountain ski.
Overall rating 10/10
Buy Salomon Stance 96 Skis: £1,034.65 at Amazon
Buy Salomon Stance 96 Skis: £580 at Ellis Brigham <<Best Deal>>
K2 Disruption 78c
Best for All-mountain skiers with a need for pure, straight-line speed.
RRP £525
Like many brands of late, K2 seems keen to blur the piste / all-mountain / freeride categories. This is probably no bad thing, but 78mm underfoot is a very narrow base for a modern versatile ski, and one suspects K2 simply doesn’t like the ‘piste’ label. There’s no getting away from the fact that this ski is highly piste-biased. That said, it couldn’t be considered a performance, race-inspired piste ski, because, simply put, it’s far too much fun. Soft, playful, poppy, and happy at speed, it’s an awesome all-round performer. It might be a stretch to call it ‘stable’ – but again this is all part of the fun; you might feel close to the edge, but that doesn’t make you want to slow down!
Verdict If hammering down groomers at high speed is your thing, get these beneath your boots.
Overall rating 9/10
Volkl Yumi 84
Women's best all mountain budget ski
Best for Advanced intermediates who don’t want to break the bank.
RRP £525
Völkl’s Yumi features a 3D sidecut and an 84mm waist width, designed to help it float a little easier in powder, without sacrificing any of its carving potential. Despite being marketed to the recreational masses, with a price point to match, the Yumi exceeds expectations of stability. Edge to edge, it’s not just quick, but maintains hold in both long and short radius turns. At super high speeds, stability can start to suffer, with the tip becoming slightly chattery, but that’s not a huge problem.
Verdict There’s a lot of tech for the price here. This is a ski that will help you step up a level.
Overall rating 8/10
Elan Wingman 86 CTi Fusion X
Best for Everyone but the most dedicated powder hunters.
RRP £700
Elan continues the trend of designing all-mountain skis for very specific crossover areas, rather than just using the term to imply versatility. The Wingman collection takes cues from the hugely successful freeride family, the Ripstick, to make a freeride-inspired all-mountain ski. This was the first all-mountain ski on test to make us want to pop off every little hit off the sides of the piste. It’s also incredible fun in the slightest bit of slush. And that came at no detriment to the on-piste performance, which is as good (if not better) than most of the piste-biased all-mountain skis on offer this season. Super stable on an edge and at speed, and narrow enough to be incredibly nimble edge-to-edge while still displaying the character of a freeride ski.
Verdict Predictable, easy to control, and super grippy, ideal for hard-charging skiers.
Overall rating 9/10
Buy Elan Wingman 86 CTi Fusion X Skis: £719.49 at Amazon
Blizzard Bonafide 97
Best for A freeride focussed skier looking for something versatile.
RRP £600
Back in 2021 Blizzard re-classified the Bonafide as an all-mountain ski, and made changes to its core, which now involves a complex ‘mesh’ of stringers made of different densities of different woods. For the skier, that should result in a more smooth, progressive flex – stiffness should taper off towards the tips and tails. In practice, the flex pattern should make the ski a little more accessible and versatile (hence the re-classification as an all mountain ski, rather than freeride). However, this still retains much of its freeride character; it’s a superb, go anywhere ski, with a forgiving flex. The on-piste performance is superb, but this still flies in soft snow.
Verdict A very versatile ski, which handles narrower than its waist width would suggest.
Overall rating 9/10
Buy Blizzard Bonafide 97 Skis: £600 at Ellis Brigham
Volkl Kanjo 84
Best for Those who get up early doors to ride perfect groomers.
RRP £525
Coming in at 84mm underfoot, the Kanjo is a high-tech, all-mountain ski. There’s a glass fibre frame around the nose and a carbon tip for torsional stiffness, and Völkl have also continued with the piece of German engineering that has so enthused us in recent seasons – the triple radius sidecut. Despite being grouped with the freeride skis in Völkl’s range, the Kanjo is definitely piste biased – through dimensions if nothing else. They’re not the best performers in deep powder, but that triple radius design really works, and they’re super fun for mixing up turns on piste and hard packed side-country.
Verdict A forgiving and confidence-inspiring ski, that grips like a vice on an edge.
Overall rating 8/10
Buy Volkl Kanjo 84 Skis: £646.99 at Amazon
All mountain ski Buyer's Guide
What size all mountain ski do I need?
Your skill level will affect the length of the ski to an extent, with shorter skis usually being easier to handle than their longer counterparts. Also, consider that If you're particularly heavy or light for your height you should go up or down a few centimetres in ski length to compensate. As a general rule though an all mountain ski should come to between nose and forehead level.
What waist width ski should I get?
The wider the ski the more likely it is to be able to float in powder due to the bigger surface area, but the trade-off is often responsiveness and turn initiation.
An all mountain ski by its very nature is a compromise but some of the best perform nearly as well as dedicated piste or freeride skis. As the category widens so does the range of waist widths available, but as a general rule, all mountain skis sit within the 85mm to 105mm range. Go wider or narrower and you're really limiting the versatility of the ski.
A narrower waist width indicates a piste focused all mountain ski that will just about handle a bit of light powder, whereas at the other end of the scale a much wider waist indicates an all mountain ski that's tuned towards off-piste performance but will be less than optimal on piste.
What is a turn radius and what should I look for?
Turn radius simply describes the curve as you look down the length of a ski. If this curve continued until it made a circle the circle would be bigger or smaller depending on how deep or shallow the sidecut was therefore the turn radius describes the radius of the circle that the sidecut makes.
If you transpose this circle onto the slope it's obvious to see why a ski with a short turn radius (a smaller circle) is likely to turn much quicker than a ski with a long turn radius (a bigger circle). If you're looking to make quick, short turns then aim for a ski with a turning radius of about 16m or under. For bigger, sweeping GS turns a radius of 20m or above is ideal, with the sweet spot for all mountain skis being a radius of 16m to 20m.
Should I get a rocker, camber, or a hybrid of both?
Which is better, rocker or camber? That very much depends on your type of riding but these days most manufacturers, especially in the all mountain category, are mixing it up in an attempt to offer the best of both worlds.
Camber skis
- Excellent stability
- Precision skiing
- Great edge hold
Rocker/reverse camber skis
- Great flotation in powder
- Less risk of catching an edge
- More forgiving
- More park friendly, especially on rails
The typical 'best of both world's approach is to design a ski with camber underfoot and early rise or rocker in either the tip or the tip and tail.
