Top All-Mountain Skis 2013: Dynastar Cham 97
DYNASTAR CHAM 97
These powerful rock-solid skis, named for Dynastar's hometown of Chamonix, are exactly the kind of high-quality, hard-charging sticks you'd expect from this company. Featuring five points of contact on the sidecut and a flat pintail for stability, they can blast through just about anything. And you don't have to be afraid to, what with their virtually unbreakable titanal-laminated wood cores. Wide, rockered tips help them float in the deep stuff, though carving hardpack isn't their strong suit (some reviewers reported flutter in the tips). Consider these a top pick for hard-driving powderhounds, and one that's surprsingly nimble. Outside bestowed them with its Gear of the Year Award and called them "(some) of the most versatile all-mountain skis we've ever tested." We wouldn't go that far, but suffice it to say they're very solid skis.
Best For: Hard-driving runs through any snow you want.
Overall: 3.91 | Carving: 3.65 | Float: 4.3
Length (cm): 166,172,178,184
Tip/Waist/Tail (mm): 133/97/112 (@177)
$800; dynastar.com (on sale for $700)