Top Powder Skis 2013: Blizzard Gunsmoke
BLIZZARD GUNSMOKE
The Gunsmoke is a great option for powder newbies, mostly because it's surfy while still offering incredible stability and a soft, quiet ride. Like the rest of the skis in Blizzard's Free Mountain series, it uses Flipcore 3D technology—the bamboo woodcore is turned upside-down during manufacturing—to add naturally exaggerated rocker to both tail and tip, so it floats in the deep stuff. It got the nod from nearly everyone, including Men's Journal, Outside, Freeskier ("one-ski quiver"), SKI and Powder, who called it playful and, poetically (we guess?), "lightning in a bottle."
Best For: Balance and stability to handle stash, glades and bumps
Overall: 3.89 | Float: 4.18 | Stability: 3.95
Length (cm): 179, 186
Tip/Waist/Tail (mm): 140-114-130
$850; blizzard-ski.com
Buy It ($700 at backcountry.com)