The best ski for most of your days on the mountain probably isn't the fattest one in the shop. That's the thinking behind SKI Magazine's 2027 frontside ski test, where a crew of testers spent a week at Deer Valley, Utah, putting 21 narrow-waisted skis through their paces on groomers, in moguls and across cut-up snow off the sides of the trails.
Frontside skis — sometimes called groomer skis — sit in the 80 to 90 millimetre waist range, with camber underfoot for grip on hardpack and a touch of tip rocker to keep them forgiving when the snow gets choppy. They're the workhorses for low-snow years out West, icy mornings back East, and anyone who spends most of a holiday on marked runs. Metal layered into a wood core keeps them calm at speed.
The big winner this year was the Völkl Mantra 88 ($850), which took Best in Test for its race-ski responsiveness and smooth edge-to-edge feel. Testers called it damp and reliable in everything from ice to crud, though it's stiff and demanding — better suited to advanced and expert skiers than improving intermediates. It also carries a carbon tip that keeps swing weight down, but that tip can deflect in heavy, chunked-up snow rather than ploughing through it.
For everyone else, the Rossignol Arcade 88 ($750) won Best for Most, with testers praising endless edge hold and stability in chopped snow, plus a huge sweet spot that flatters aspiring carvers. The catch: it likes to turn, so true beginners may find it hooky.
Other standouts give a steer depending on your style. The Stöckli Montero AR Pro ($1,799) topped the hard-snow scores with a near-race feel but a price to match. The Dynastar M-Cross 88 ($700) earned Most Versatile and works as a genuine one-ski quiver across regions and conditions. Fischer's The Curv Noize 85 GT ($1,000) is the responsive one — testers compared it to a Border Collie — while the Atomic Redster Revoshock S Q9.8 ($1,150) is the pick for pure carving. Hard chargers should look at the Blizzard Anomaly 88 ($750), and anyone who wants quick, light and easy manoeuvring should try the Elan Ripstick 88 Black Edition ($900), sizing up a length or two since it skis short.
For travellers renting or demoing gear on a ski holiday, the trend testers flagged was accessibility — this year's frontside skis are more forgiving across ability levels than in the past. And if you're tempted to buy rather than rent, the message from Deer Valley is clear: match the ski to your honest ability level, not your ambitions. The Mantra is magnificent if you can drive it; the Arcade 88 is the safer bet for most
