Women’s All-Mountain Skis of 2024
No. of All-Mountain skis featured in the 2024 Gear Guide: 23
No. of testers: 11
Testing location: La Clusaz
The versatile category that’ll take you from the piste to the bumps and trees, excelling in a variety of snow conditions, from groom to powder, through the crud and chop – these All-Mountains have got you covered.
Here we feature our All-Mountain Ski of the Year, plus a handful of Editor’s Choice skis. Alongside Freeride, this is our widest-covered category with a wealth of All-Mountain specs and performance reviews. These might be our top picks, but to make sure you’re looking at the right ski for you, dive in to the in-depth reviews and access the full list of skis featured in our 2024 Gear Guide. Click to buy and browse the digital issue (£3.50):
Also featured in the Gear Guide –
- Dynastar E-Cross 82
- Faction Prodigy 1X
- Line Pandora 94
- Rossignol Experience 82 W
- Salomon Stance 88 W
- Pure Free 90 Ti W
VOLKL Blaze 82
£540 (without bindings)
Lengths 159, 166, 173, 180
Radius 15m @ 173cm, 13m @ 166cm
Dimensions 125-82-107mm
Weight per ski 1,455g @ 173cm, 1,378g @ 166cm without binding
volkl.com
THEY SAY
A super-light, super-manoeuvrable, resource-efficiently-produced all-mountain freerider. The Blaze 82 is recommended for ambitious beginners and intermediates who have fallen in love with skiing and are looking for the right ski for plenty of fun across the entire ski area.
WE SAY
We were utterly surprised by this ski, for both female and male skiers. We really like the wider, original Blaze skis, but didn’t think this easier-going light attitude would work in something this narrow. Völkl talks of this ski being for beginners and intermediates, but we think they’re drastically underselling it. “I was expecting it to not be very responsive and to be quite soft, but it’s quite the opposite. The Blaze 82 is fun and lively with grippy edge-hold on-piste across a range of speeds,” reported Rich.
OVERVIEW
For this season, Völkl has brought out two new Blaze models. Well, it’s technically three, but the Blaze 82 and Blaze 82 W are the same ski, just with a different graphic and length options. The other new model is the 114 width.
Of this, Lee commented: “Super pivoty and feels so much livelier than 114 would have you believe. Also, super damped in the shovel, equating to smooth off-piste skiing and easy transitions through variable snow. What a machine; blaze a path.” While the 114 shares construction highlights with the 94 and 106, the 82 is in-line with the Blaze 86, and aimed more at skiers focused on the piste as much as the powder. Having said that, this ski has an ideal width and weight for getting into ski touring. If you mount it with a modern hybrid freeride touring binding you could do a bit of everything
SPEC
Like the 86 width, the new Blaze 82 features Völkl’s Multilayer Woodcore Light, with denser beech wood under the binding and lighter poplar wood elsewhere. At under 1.5kg for a 173cm ski, it is very low weight, which adds to its nimble and versatile nature.
The TPU inlay around the shovel and tail is designed to help deal with vibrations. The 3D-radius sidecut has a longer radius in the front and rear but tightens up underfoot. For the 173cm model, you get a 28-metre radius in the forebody, slimming to 15m through the centre and then easing to 23m towards the rear. The 169cm ski has 25m-15m-21m. This shape is complimented by the rocker at the front and rear.
Völkl has also invested heavily in the base finish of their skis. The piste skis get quite a deep-cut, intricate structure. For the flat-mount and wide body skis, the structure is far shallower and uniform along the whole ski, to keep them smooth and easy to turn.
PERFORMANCE
The multi-radius sidecut may sound a little complicated or confusing, but it stops the ski being too grabby as you start the turn and allows the tails to release without any catch or being locked into a turn. The tighter shape through the centre helps the grip and performance on firmer snow.
If you’re not carving, the front and rear rocker allows you to easily pivot these planks.
The rocker is also hugely beneficial when you’re bounding into the backcountry. Even though the 82 is quite slim, the Blaze’s smooth, easy flex helps the shovel to rise in softer snow, and the drawn-out shape towards the extremities is a benefit here too.
“Super nimble on broken off-piste and bumpy crud, yet grippy on-piste. Multi-radius sidecut means this can jump about any where on the mountain. Excellent for piste skiers looking for an all-mountain ski that can tour, the Blaze 82 will appeal to intermediates up to higher advanced skiers. Lovely jubbly,” said Lee.
Katie came back in beaming: “Light, grippy and it skis very different to how it looks. Nippy edge to edge, lively and quick to turn. Not what I’d normally choose, but was I surprised by how confident I felt on these skis.”
BEST FOR
These are an ideal ski for intermediate skiers wanting to get into off-piste. They are so much fun on the groomers and can help you out when taking on tighter runs and the odd bump run. These work well with a regular downhill binding, but for extra versatility we’d suggest mounting them with a hybrid binding that you can use for touring too. This will be the sweet spot for advanced skiers, giving one ski to make the mountain fun, whatever the conditions and wherever you’re headed.
ARMADA Reliance 92Ti
£630 without bindings
Lengths 156, 164, 172, 180cm
Radius 16.5m @ 164cm
Dimensions 133-92-116mm
Weight per ski 1,625g @ 164cm
armadaskis.com
THEY SAY
When you don’t know what the mountain is going to throw your way, reach for the Reliance 92Ti. Six inches of fresh overnight? It’s ready. Bulletproof groomers? No sweat. Any day in any conditions, the Reliance 92Ti is ready.
WE SAY
It’s definitely a charger, so you may want to size down to find that manoeuvrability sweet spot. It doesn’t get held up by anything in its path, with tenacious grip thank to the metal laminate. The light wood core helps lighten the load
BEST FOR
Expert female skiers who pin it to win it. It may sound quite full-on, but if you’ve got the power and technique to access the performance of the Reliance 92Ti, then you’ll have one hell of a ride.
ATOMIC Maven 93C
£600 including bindings
Lengths 156, 164, 172cm
Radius 16.5m @ 164cm
Dimensions 126-93.5-110mm
Weight per ski 1,630g @ 172cm
Atomic.com
THEY SAY
Tested and validated by Atomic’s #sheskis ambassador team, the Atomic Maven 93C delivers ultimate performance and versatility for all-mountain skiing.
WE SAY
The Maven 93C is an all-mountain ski with a little freeride flair. The widest model in the Maven line, it floats in the soft stuff, yet holds a line on all but the iciest of slopes. It is such a fun, playful ski for higher level skiers; a joy to have on your feet, no matter the conditions.
BEST FOR
The Maven 93C’s optimal audience are advanced and expert-level skiers who are comfortable approaching the slope with a little speed. There are stiffer skis out there, but the appeal of the Maven is how versatile it is across a variety of slopes and conditions.
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K2 Mindbender 90C W
£485 without bindings
Lengths 148, 154, 160, 166, 172cm
Radius 11.9m @ 160cm
Dimensions 132-90-117mm
Weight per ski 1,550g without bindings (no stated size)
k2snow.com
THEY SAY
The Mindbender 90C W is a women’s-specific ski for intermediate to advanced skiers looking for a lightweight ski that’s comfortable going beyond groomers, at a more approachable waist width.
WE SAY
Even given the changes to this ski, and the fact you get a little more performance, it’s still a guaranteed crowd-pleaser that just wants to have a good time. If you’re in the upper echelons of ski performance-dom, go for the Mindbender Ti. Beware though, you may get envious of the grin on our faces as we skip around the mountains on the C.
BEST FOR
Ideal for intermediates and advanced-level skiers. If you’re a higher level than this but don’t want a metal laminate ski, the Mindbender 90C W is one to look at. It’s not punishingly heavy either, so would work just as well mounted with a freeride touring binding. Pop some skins in your pack, then you’re ready for anything.
