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Another winter is stacking up on the horizon, and we've spent the last few weeks getting this year's touring ski lineup up on the wall and into the demo fleet. This crop covers a lot of ground: a directional driver built to anchor a whole season, a wide and playful powder chaser, a carbon all-rounder that splits the difference between the two, a women's-specific ski built to do it all in a shorter length, and a tried and true all arounder for mid-winter low tide and spring ski mountaineering.
Here's what earned a spot on the wall this season.
The Carbon All-Rounder, Built for Bigger Snow Days
Black Diamond Helio Carbon 102 — $899.95
- Weight: 1,495g (178cm)
- Dimensions: 128-102-116mm (178cm)
- Turn radius: 22m (178cm)
- Core: Engineered poplar wood core with pre-preg carbon fiber layup
- Sidewall: Full-length 5mm beveled ABS sidewalls
- Rocker: Early-rise tip, camber underfoot, rockered tail
- Lengths: 164, 171, 178, 185cm
The Helio Carbon 102 takes everything that makes the Helio Carbon 95 work — the pre-preg carbon layup over a poplar core, the fussier construction that keeps it light without going noodly — and stretches it out to a 102mm waist for the days when the forecast calls for more snow than firm crust. It's still a carbon ski first, so it climbs like one: at under 1,500g per ski in a 178cm length, it doesn't punish you for choosing width over efficiency the way a lot of 100mm-plus touring skis do.
Why We Love It
- Pre-preg carbon construction carries over from the Helio Carbon 95, so this wider version still tours noticeably lighter than its dimensions suggest.
- 102mm waist is a real step up in float over the 95, built for the skier who wants a carbon ski but skis more powder days than firm ones.
- Early-rise tip and rockered tail keep it playful and easy to pivot in soft snow, while camber underfoot still gives it something to stand on when the pitch steepens.
- Four lengths, 164 to 185cm, and a turn radius that grows with size, so the fit scales properly rather than just getting longer.
We've had this one out on Richmond Ridge on deep mornings and it's an easy ski to like immediately — light enough to enjoy the skin track, wide enough to make the descent the whole point of the tour. If you already love the Helio Carbon 95 but keep wishing it were a little wider on the biggest days, this is that ski.
SHOP THE BLACK DIAMOND HELIO CARBON 102
The Playful Powder Chaser
Atomic Backland 109 — $849.95
- Weight: 1,540g (184cm)
- Dimensions: 135-109.5-124mm (184cm)
- Turn radius:19m (184cm)
- Core: Ultra Light Woodcore — poplar and caruba
- Rocker: Powder rocker — 25% tip / 55% camber underfoot / 20% tail
- Sidewall: Dura Cap construction
- Lengths: 176, 184, 189cm
Atomic leaned all the way into deep-day performance with this update to the Backland 109, and it shows the moment you point it downhill. The HRZN 3D tip design uses a perforated core to keep swing weight low despite the wider shovel, so you get a ski that floats and pivots easily without feeling like you're wrestling a plank on the skin track. This is a ski built to be playful first — the kind of shape that makes an average powder day feel somehow better that you thought possible.
Why We Love It
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109mm underfoot with a generous rocker profile means it wants to surf soft snow rather than plow through it.
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Ultra Light Woodcore construction keeps a wide ski from feeling like dead weight on long approaches.
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HRZN 3D tips cut swing weight right where you feel it most — in the shovel, on every kick turn.
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Dura Cap sidewalls add durability without piling on grams.
Take this one to Highlands Bowl on a powder morning and you'll understand the appeal. It's not the ski we'd pick for a firm spring crust, but it’s one we’ll be happy to have for every storm cycle.
Built for the Days You Can't Predict
Kastle TX94 — $949.00
- Weight: 1,410g (179cm)
- Dimensions: 130-94-116mm
- Turn radius: 17.1m (179cm)
- Core: Paulownia wood, carbon and fiberglass wound construction
- Construction: Armoclad sidewall, Hollowtech Evo hollow-chamber tip
- Rocker: Directional touring rocker, low camber, hook-free shovel and tail
- Lengths: 163, 171, 179, 186cm
The TX94 is built for the kind of Colorado day where the forecast is really just a guess — firm and wind-scoured on the skin track, softened up and unpredictable by the time you're transitioning. A 94mm waist gives it enough surface area to stay on top of new or wind-loaded snow without ever feeling like a dedicated powder ski, and the directional touring rocker with a hook-free shovel and tail keeps it calm when conditions change underfoot mid-run. Underneath that is a paulownia core wound with carbon and fiberglass and wrapped in an Armoclad sidewall, so the edge hold shows up exactly when you need it on a refrozen or wind-buffed pitch.
Why We Love It
- 94mm waist strikes a real balance — enough float to enjoy a storm day, narrow enough to stay efficient when the skin track turns firm.
- Hollowtech Evo hollow-chamber tip keeps swing weight low, so the ski stays quick through kick turns despite the added width.
- Paulownia core wound with carbon and fiberglass, backed by an Armoclad sidewall, holds an edge confidently on hardpack and refrozen corn.
- Directional touring rocker and hook-free shovel and tail keep it predictable when a tour crosses several snow conditions in a single run.
- Four lengths, from 163 to 186cm, cover most skiers without forcing anyone into an awkward in-between size.
We've taken this one up McClure Pass on a day that started as breakable crust low and turned to soft, wind-loaded snow up high, and it never felt like it was working against either condition. It's the ski we point people toward when they can't tell us exactly what the day will look like — because with this one, it doesn't really matter.
The Vertical-Gain Specialist
Dynafit Blacklight 88 Flex 70 — $749.95
- Weight: 1,040g (165cm)
- Waist width: 88mm
- Core: Paulownia, full carbon layup, 3D sidewall-cap construction
- Rocker: Tip and tail rocker, scaled by length
- Lengths: 151, 158, 165, 172, 178, 184cm
Dynafit builds the Blacklight 88 in two flex options, and the Flex 70 is the softer of the two — built for skiers who care more about vertical feet gained than absolute stability at speed. A full carbon layup over a paulownia core gets this ski down to fitness-tourer weight without abandoning the sidecut and rocker profile that make it ski like more than a race blank. It won't out-ski the Countach or the Helio Carbon on a bumpy descent, but that's not the trade it's making — this ski is built to disappear on the skin track so you can put up more laps before lunch.
Why We Love It
- Under 1,050g at 165cm puts it near the top of this list for pure climbing efficiency.
- Full carbon layup and 3D sidewall-cap construction keep it stiff enough torsionally to still hold an edge, even at this weight.
- The softer Flex 70 layup is more forgiving at moderate speeds than the stiffer Flex 90 version — a better match for long tours than steep, aggressive descents.
- Six available lengths, more than anything else on this list, means dialing in the right size for your height and style.
This is the ski for the person chasing dawn-patrol laps on Loveland Pass before work, not the person planning to hit the Rock Springs traverse at speed. Know the assignment and it'll reward you every single tour.
SHOP THE DYNAFIT BLACKLIGHT 88 FLEX 70
The One-Ski Season for Her
Dynafit W Radical 88 — $699.95
- Weight: 1,180g (166cm)
- Waist width: 88mm
- Core: Poplar-paulownia wood, full sidewall, single radius shape
- Matched skin: Speedskin Radical 88
- Lengths: 151, 158, 166, 174cm
The W Radical 88 is built specifically for women who want a single ski that covers everything from firm morning skin tracks to an afternoon that's softened up in the sun. Dynafit tuned the flex and sidecut to a women's stance rather than just shrinking a men's ski, and it shows in how the ski holds an edge on hardpack. The poplar-paulownia core and full sidewall construction give it more support underfoot than most skis at this weight, which matters when the descent turns out firmer than the forecast promised.
Why We Love It
- Built and tuned specifically for a women's stance and flex pattern, not adapted from a men's mold.
- 88mm waist and single-radius sidecut make it efficient on the way up and confident on firm snow on the way down.
- Full sidewall construction adds edge hold that a lot of touring-first skis skip in the name of saving weight.
- Comes matched to the Speedskin Radical 88, so sizing your skins is a non-issue.
We put this on skiers who tell us they want to stop switching skis depending on the forecast. Four lengths means it fits a wide range of heights without anyone settling for "close enough."
Choosing the Right Touring Ski
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Everyday touring, one ski for the season: Black Diamond Helio Carbon 102
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Powder days and playful terrain: Atomic Backland 109
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Mid-width all-rounder for variable, changing conditions: Kastle TX94
- Fitness touring and big vertical days: Dynafit Blacklight 88 Flex 70 & Flex 90
- Women's-specific, one ski for everything: Dynafit W Radical 88
The right ski depends on your terrain, your boots, your budget, and how you like to ski on the way down — come in, tell us how you tour, and we'll get you matched up.
Doug Cripple Creek Backcountry