Mountain skis to suit your mountain activity

Ski equipment is often a jungle, and the range of mountain skis is no exception. To help you find the right skis for your particular mountain activity, we've gathered all the necessary information on four different types.

Different types of mountain skis

For your convenience, mountain skis are categorised into different types, depending on the activity you want to do:

Top tour skis - For summit and downhill skiing in ungroomed snow
Touring skis - For cross-country skiing in ungroomed mountain terrain
Backcountry - For off-piste skiing
All mountain - For the whole mountain

Top tour skis

If you dream of untouched powder on a mountain top, a pair of ski touring skis is the right choice. The purpose of ski mountaineering is to get up the mountain and then go down again. It's sweaty going up and challenging coming down. No matter how good a skier you are, your legs will be shaky by the time you've made it all the way to the top.

In appearance, this type of mountain ski is similar to a slalom ski, as you need to be able to ski down the mountain once you reach the top. Otherwise, we recommend that you keep these three characteristics in mind:

Lightweight - On a summit tour, your skis are your only means of transport - in other words, you don't want to carry unnecessary extra weight.
Flexible - Skis that are slightly shorter than your height are easy to get up with, while being stable on the way down.
Adapted for unprepared snow - When choosing mountain skis for touring, it is important to choose one that has very good floating properties in the snow.

Touring skis

Unlike summit skiing, where the goal is to get to the top to ski down, touring is about enjoying the views of the mountains between the peaks. A touring ski is specifically designed to be the optimal choice for long mountain tours, expeditions or hunting in winter terrain. In other words, they are not a good choice for downhill skiing.

In appearance, this type of ski is similar to a cross-country ski, but is often equipped with a steel edge to withstand the icy parts of the mountains. When it comes to touring skis, there are two characteristics that are particularly important, namely:

Carrying capacity in the snow - Obviously, you want to be able to move smoothly between mountain peaks without sinking. The load-bearing capacity is therefore very important.
Slide and bracket - To move smoothly, it's important to have a ski with perfect glide and grip - just like in regular cross-country skiing.

Backcountry

Do you like to take the lift up and then have your sights set on the snow outside the piste? Then it is the so-called backcountry ski you should invest in.

In appearance, this type of ski resembles a shorter and much wider slalom ski. In terms of characteristics, we would like to emphasise these two areas in particular:

Width - Choose a wide ski that floats easily through the snow.
Soft - For off-piste and powder skiing, you often need to put your weight straight on the skis to get a good float, so it should be soft.

All mountain

As the name suggests, an all-mountain ski works equally well in all types of mountain terrain, from groomed piste to untouched powder. A great option for those who only want to invest in a single ski.

In appearance, this is similar to the carving ski, but they are slightly wider. This means that you have more opportunities to choose the best rides. In addition to the width, we want to point out a feature you should pay extra attention to:

Both stable and agile - The whole purpose of an all-mountain ski is to make you feel stable, but at the same time be able to move very quickly and smoothly.

In conclusion

That's it! Now we hope you've got more clarity on which mountain skis are best suited to your mountain activity! To find the right mountain ski for you, we always recommend that you ask for professional help. You can do this in our ski shop, for example

Then, when you want to take your skis for a spin, you're welcome to do so with us in Stöten. We offer you Sweden's best skiing, whatever your favourite ski style!