2024 Touring skis
Veritable vehicles to get you places – and bring you back with a smile on your face
The men’s Touring skis featured in the Gear Guide:
- Blizzard Hustle 9
- Atomic Backland 95
- Black Diamond Helio Carbon 95
- Dynafit Radical 97
- Faction Agent 2
- Scott Proguide 96
For access the full list and in-depth reviews of Touring skis in the mega 2024 Fall Line Gear Guide, click below on the cover to buy the issue (£3.50) and flick through the full roster of men’s Touring skis:
Blizzard Hustle 9 £590
❄ Lengths: 157, 164, 172, 180, 188cm
❄ Radius: 16.0m @ 172cm
❄ Dimensions: 124-92-114mm
❄ Weight per ski: 1,800g @ 180cm without binding
blizzard-tecnica.com
THEY SAY
The Hustle 9 is light on the ups yet packs all the gas you’re looking for when it’s time for the fun part. Whether you’re bagging vert before the sun rises or farming pow until it sets, it’s built to work as hard as you do – and guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
WE SAY
The Rustler 9 has won our men’s Freeride Ski of The Year award this season, and the easier flexing Hustle 9 bags the award for Touring. Whatever the designers at Blizzard are drinking, it’s certainly working. This is not the lightest of the bunch, but the skiing experience is worth every extra gram.
OVERVIEW
If you are about hut-to-hut touring then choose from either of the Editors’ Choice skis, on the following pages, or get a pair of Blizzard Zero Gs. They’re all lighter and are more about the up. We know this is a touring category, but with more skiers entering this world from Alpine skiing, partly down to the pesky pandemic, it feels appropriate that a ski like this can win a touring award. You can also choose from the 102mm-underfoot Hustle 10 and the 114mm Hustle 11. The 9 is the one, simply down to weight and all-round performance, up and down.
SPEC
The True Blend wood core, which we’ve spoken about in other categories, ensures you get a balanced flex along the length of the ski. There’s a sizeable carbon plate under the binding for strength as well as torsional power. In front of this, and behind, runs a set of carbon stringers, so the ski isn’t stiffened up too much. Another layer of carbon at each end gives swift control into the turn. A shallow rocker at each end, along with the sidecut profile, helps when pivoting the ski, so it’s not just about float in the soft stuff.
It’s a barrel of laughs and it’s pleasingly easy to
Lee Hardy
get the best from this ski
PERFORMANCE
Lee had a good time testing the Hustle 9: “This has denser wood underfoot with lighter wood in the tip and tail for a more fluid flex, with incredible engagement into the shovel. The carbon added to the ski gives it a bit more grunt with five flex zones.
“The Hustle 9 is oh-so smooth in variable, chopped snow. It’s a great intro all-mountain and freeride touring ski for the advancing skier. Heading back to the lifts, there’s plenty of grip on-piste. It’s a barrel of laughs and it’s pleasingly easy to get the best from this ski.”
Martin loved it too: “Amazeballs! I didn’t expect these skis to behave in the way they do. A hard model to beat, in so many types of skiing. Masses of camber underfoot with a bit more freeride clout than the Zero G 95, and heaps of fun. Super-fast round steep turns, superbly grippy at speed, then fluid carving on hardpack and piste. Put a lighter pin binding on it and use for everything.”
BEST FOR
If you’re new to the world of touring, and have a fair amount of experience, this is an amazing way to keep the grins wide when you’re earning those first turns. Due to the smooth flex of this ski, you can readily step on it as a moderate or higher intermediate. Advanced and expert skiers will appreciate the fun you have when you put the heels back into ski mode.
Atomic Backland 95
❄ Lengths: 161, 169, 177, 185cm
❄ Radius: 18.0m @ 177cm
❄ Dimensions: 128-95-116mm
❄Weight per ski: 1,370g @ 177cm without binding
atomic.com
THEY SAY
Lightweight and highly stable, the all-round touring ski Atomic Backland 95 features a lower-impact design built to reduce CO2 emissions while skiing it all.
WE SAY
The previous version of the Backland 95 was popular, but this ski is a whole heap better. It skins better, skis better and makes you smile better. It has the new Low Impact Design, so the reduction in carbon footprint over last year’s version is around 30%.
BEST FOR
This ski suits such a broad range of tourers. If you’re serious about going up and down, stick this on your shopping list.
Black Diamond Helio Carbon 95
❄ Lengths: 155, 162, 169, 176, 183cm
❄ Radius: 19.0m @ 176cm
❄ Dimensions: 124-95-113mm
❄ Weight per ski: 1,400g @ 176cm without binding
blackdiamondequipment.com
THEY SAY
Our mid-sized carbon ski that’s built to slay backcountry turns, this ski balances playful, soft-snow performance with precision.
WE SAY
This ski may not have changed from last season, but it still deserves its spot as one of the best touring skis on the market. We’ve used this for many sessions, paired with ATK pin bindings, and that configuration is the one to go for. They don’t need to be ATK pins: just keep everything light, including the boot, for the best experience.
BEST FOR
If you want a touring-specific ski, whether it’s for day touring to find soft snow or for more committed hut-to-hut outings, you can’t go wrong with the Black Diamond Helio Carbon 95. An ideal touring ski for advanced and expert skiers.
For more Touring skis featured online, check out our top pick of women’s 2024 touring skis:
