Touring skis of the year 2025
Looking for the best touring skis for 2025? We’ve put this season’s top models to the test, from lightweight uphill machines to freeride chargers built for deep backcountry turns. Dive into our expert reviews to find the perfect setup for your next adventure.
Featured Image: Christian Adam
Want the full lowdown on touring skis? Get your hands on a back issue of the Gear Guide 2025 or download the digital edition for in-depth reviews on the top-performing models.
Sensational skis for backcountry shenanigans – go narrow for speed or wide for float
Best Touring Skis for men and women of 2025
BLACK DIAMOND HELIO CARBON 95
£750 without bindings
- Lengths: 155, 162, 169, 176, 183 cm
- Radius: 19.0m @ 176cm
- Dimensions: 124-95-113mm
- Weight per ski: 1,400g @ 176cm without binding
THEY SAY
Our mid-sized carbon ski that’s built to slay backcountry turns from the Cordillera Blanca to the Canadian Rockies. The Helio Carbon 95 balances playful, soft-snow performance with precision.
WE SAY
Just because it’s not new, it doesn’t mean it’s not newsworthy. The Helio Carbon 95 is an exemplary touring ski that makes the up easy and the down fun. Whether you’re hut-to-hutting or simply slapping skins on to access a fresh line, this ski is brilliant.
OVERVIEW
The Helio Carbon range includes widths from 88mm to 115mm underfoot. For most days, we’d choose the 95, although we’ve spent a decent amount of time on the 104, and that’s a great deep-snow-day ski. They all share the same construction.
ATOMIC BACKLAND 88 touring skis
£500 without bindings
- Lengths: 155, 162, 169 cm
- Radius: 15.4m @ 162cm
- Dimensions: 120-89-108.5mm
- Weight per ski: 1,200g @ 162cm without binding
THEY SAY
Created for those women who seek limitless skiing, the Atomic Backland 88 W offers the ultimate touring experience with a lower-impact design.
WE SAY
The most impressive aspect of this ski is the fact it’s so light yet skis so incredibly well. Pair this with their new Backland XTD boots, and you have a dream setup.
OVERVIEW
The 88 was a new width last season, using the same construction principles as the 85 and 95. You can basically pick your length and colour, as the 85 and 88 are the same for men and women, just with different graphics and lengths. The wider 95 is only available in the unisex/men’s range.
KÄSTLE TX99
£790 without bindings
- Lengths: 167, 174, 181, 188 cm
- Radius: 18.8m @ 181cm
- Dimensions: 135-99-118mm
- Weight per ski: 1,530g @ 181cm without binding
THEY SAY
The innovative carbon fibreglass construction and double rocker technology make the TX99 wonderfully playful moving through powder. This strong ski delivers maximum float with supreme downhill performance at optimised weight. A clever feature is the luminous Hollowtech Evo tip, which provides better safety for night touring.
WE SAY
A fun, floaty, freeride-style touring ski, with enough width and lift through the front to take on even deeper days out the back.
OVERVIEW
The TX 65 WC is a ski-mo race ski, then you step up to 88 and 94 before the widest TX99. The mid-widths are available as unisex TX models and as the women’s Biafo 88 and Pikka 94.
HEAD CRUX 99
ATOMIC BACKLAND 102 Touring Skis
£940 including bindings
- Lengths: 163, 170, 177, 184 cm
- Radius: 22.7m @ 184cm
- Dimensions: 132-99-117mm
- Weight per ski: Approx. 1,725g @ 184cm without binding
THEY SAY
The Crux 99 suits price-conscious skiers for off-piste touring adventures thanks to its easy-to-handle uphill personality and reliable downhill performance.
WE SAY
The Crux 99 was the most user-friendly, well-rounded offering of Head’s new touring range, and it’s a fantastic ski for intermediate tourers.
OVERVIEW
The Crux Pro skis are pretty grunty. The Crux, dropping the top-end tech, is less expensive (£620 for the Crux 99 without a binding, versus £750 for the Pro version) and suits a broader range of skiers. The 81, 87, 93, and 99 come in both Crux and Crux Pro models, but the 105 is only available in the Pro version. Head has also developed a dedicated touring boot range, again called Crux, and, with Tyrolia, has developed the Almonte pin bindings. Find out more in the relevant Gear Guide sections.
K2 WAYBACK 89
£585 without bindings
- Lengths: 153, 160, 167 cm
- Radius: 15.8m @ 160cm
- Dimensions: 121-89-107mm
- Weight per ski: 1,150g @ 160cm without binding
THEY SAY
Break trail and drop in like never before on the Wayback 89 W. Purpose-engineered with input from athletes and guides, the all-new Wayback 89 W touring skis boast a new construction, shape, and profile, with K2’s Titanal Touring Tech, All Terrain Rocker, and Bio Resin.
WE SAY
The copy they have about the Wayback 89 W is the same as last season when it was ‘new.’ They’re not the only brand to fall foul of this. It’s unchanged and is still a cracking width for ski touring. The construction and profile provide a sensational ski down.
OVERVIEW
The Wayback skis have been a hit in recent seasons, and last season K2 brought out the 89 in women’s and men’s versions (same ski, different graphic and lengths) to replace the old 88. For the majority of Wayback models, they lengthened the rocker and started to use bio-resin, which not only improves sustainability but also offers enhanced cold temperature performance. For this season, they’ve dropped the Wayback 80 from their range.
ATOMIC BACKLAND 102 Touring Skis
£640 without bindings
- Lengths: 164, 172, 179, 186 cm
- Radius: 19.0m @ 179cm
- Dimensions: 130.5-102-121mm
- Weight per ski: 1,430g @ 179cm without binding
THEY SAY
For freeride ski tourers seeking big mountain adventure, the Atomic Backland 102 is built to explore, climb, and descend with confidence.
WE SAY
A floaty, freeride fun stick, this is the kind of touring ski you dream of. It not only improves your day’s skiing, but it also does less harm to the planet too.
OVERVIEW
New for this season, you can choose from the 102 or 109 for men and the 101 or 108 for women. Atomic athlete Chris Rubens was involved with the development of these new wide Backlands, and the reduced carbon impact of their lower-impact design pairs with his activism on climate change.
FACTION AGENT 2X
£699 without bindings
- Lengths: 155, 163, 177 cm
- Radius: 15.0m @ 163cm
- Dimensions: 127-96-117mm
- Weight per ski: 1,330g @ 163cm without binding
THEY SAY
Whether you’re after untracked pow or springtime couloirs, the Agent 2X is your go-to when escaping the day-to-day. A lightweight caruba wood core coupled with an all-mountain waist and tip/tail rocker means you can now access a whole different mountain of possibilities.
WE SAY
The Agent skis have always impressed, irrespective of which width you go with. The Agent 2/2X is the ultimate all-rounder of the range, with the mid-90s width working on groomers, in crud and chop, and through to deeper snow days in the backcountry.
OVERVIEW
The Agent 1 and Agent 3 skis have an updated colour for this season, but aside from that, the Agent touring skis are basically unchanged from last season. They’re the only models in the Faction range still available as X models in the shorter lengths. They’re not specifically women’s skis, as they’re exactly the same as the non-X skis, just in a different colour and only in the shortest three lengths for all X models. Last season, Faction listed a 177cm version of the Agent 2X, but it’s not in the lineup this season. If you want it, you’ll have to settle for the green Agent 2.
ARMADA LOCATOR 104 Touring Skis
£750 without bindings
- Lengths: 162, 170, 178, 186 cm
- Radius: 22.0m @ 178cm
- Dimensions: 131-104-122mm
- Weight per ski: 1,425g @ 178cm without binding
THEY SAY
The perfect backcountry partner is someone who is up for anything and will never let you down. Multi-day hut trip in your future? The lightweight construction will keep you going on the skin track. Blower pow in the sidecountry? Ample rocker and a blended tail shape let you point it down the fall line or throw it sideways in bottomless snow on demand. When you need one ski with a soft snow focus that can do it all with predictable performance, the Locator 104 is ready.
WE SAY
A smooth operator that can handle pretty much anything you encounter in the backcountry.
OVERVIEW
The Locator is available as an 88, 96, and 104, each of which comes in a choice of two colours. You can also get it as a 112, but only in one colour. We tested the 96 and 104, and surprisingly, the 104 came out as a better all-rounder, even though it’s a relatively large footprint.
BLIZZARD ZERO G 095
£730 without bindings
- Lengths: 157, 164, 171, 178, 185 cm
- Radius: 19.5m @ 164cm
- Dimensions: 125-95-109mm
- Weight per ski: 1,135g @ 164cm without binding
THEY SAY
The Zero G 095 supplies the performance you need to get down anything safely while enjoying every turn along the way. An ultra-lightweight paulownia wood core paired with Blizzard’s proven Carbon Drive technology provides efficiency on the skin track and a consistent, stable feel on the descent.
WE SAY
A classic, powerful touring ski for good skiers.
OVERVIEW
The Zero G ski line has a lot to offer skiers with a passion for skinning. Blizzard makes a narrow 65mm Zero G Race, the ascent-focused Zero G LT 80, and the popular all-rounders, the Zero G 085 and 095. These are available in women’s and men’s versions, which are basically just alternative colours. If you prefer more flotation, go for the wider Zero G 105.
BLACK CROWS DRACO FREEBIRD
£860 without bindings
- Lengths: 175, 182, 189 cm
- Radius: 21.0m @ 181.5cm
- Dimensions: 138-110-126mm
- Weight per ski: 1,900g @ 181.5cm without binding
THEY SAY
The performance and skiability of a modern ski with fierce ambitions. The Draco Freebird Touring Skis are the only double-rocker model in our touring range, a ski designed to offer joyful adherence, which allows better skiing with less effort. It is light but doesn’t trade weight for sensations, for skiers who want to be wild and creative.
WE SAY
Think of it like a best friend, but a best friend who also likes to party. Don’t worry though, as this party animal is in no way ferocious or scary.
OVERVIEW
Launched last season, this is a wide, twin-tipped touring ski for backcountry adventures.
LINE VISION 96 Touring Ski
£635 without bindings
- Lengths: 154, 160, 166, 172, 178, 184 cm
- Radius: 17.0m @ 184cm
- Dimensions: 131-96-120mm
- Weight per ski: 1,740g @ 184cm without binding
THEY SAY
Whether you’re looking to rally through the freshies, arc on groomers, or motor up skin tracks, the Line Vision 96 is up to the task. It may be one of the lightest skis you’ll get your hands on, but don’t let that fool you; the Vision 96 will rip whatever you throw at it.
WE SAY
If you want a proper plaything for your freeride touring ski, get on the Vision 96; a fabulously smooth ride.
OVERVIEW
Updated for this season, the unisex Visions take inspiration from the Line Optic skis but with a lower weight construction and increased rocker, front and back. The carbon weave has been worked on, so the skis have more power than last season.
