The Best Ski Width for All Conditions According to 5,800 Skiers

In case you missed it, POWDER is all in on polls.

We recently added the ability to add polls across our site, and Instagram adopted the feature for posts. So, we, being the big-brain ski bums that we are, schemed up a fun way to get POWDER readers involved.

“Let’s ask skiers questions. Skiers love to talk about skiing,” I said in a recent meeting. Thus, the POWDER Weekly Poll was launched. Our first Poll, which this article will share the results of, was related to the perfect ski width.

POWDER writer Izzy Lidsky is a diehard 112mm gal, so much so that she thinks it’s the perfect width for all conditions. Her bold proclamation that she could ski 112mm skis, “every day for the rest of her life,” had the entire staff wondering if POWDER readers feel strongly about a particular ski width as well.

We’ll jump into the limitations and shortcomings of our first Weekly Poll (we’re skiers and don’t work for Gallup, after all). Still, I’m thrilled to say that 5,895 skiers participated in the poll on our website and Instagram!

Check out the results below. Keep reading for a breakdown of the stats, a reflection on what we learned, and our plan for the POWDER Weekly Poll moving forward.

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Survey Results

The chart above took me way too long to make for how simple the data was. Further proving my point that there will be some learning opportunities in this whole POWDER Weekly Poll thing, so bear with me!

Let’s break down the results:

Survey Highlights

• Total Votes: 5,895
• Number of Votes on Instagram: 3,889
• Number of Votes on Website: 2,006
• Most Popular Waist Width: 100-108mm (2,981 votes, 50.6% of voters)
• Least Popular Waist Width: 112mm (121 votes, 2.1% of voters)
• Other results:
  100mm or Less: 1,295 votes (22.0%)

  108mm to 112mm: 1,265 votes (21.5%)

  115mm+: 233 votes (4.0%)

There you have it. According to over 5,800 POWDER readers, the waist width range of 100-108mm is the best for all conditions.

Now, let’s break down some shortcomings of our survey and what we learned for future POWDER Weekly Polls.

Mistakes/Lessons Learned

• Izzy really likes 112mm, so we had to include it as an option on the website poll, but Instagram only allows four options per poll. We made the decision to scrap it from Instagram and just include the width ranges. Sorry, Izzy. Future POWDER polls will only have four consistent options across the board.
• As our friends Ross Tester and Jonnie Merrill mentioned in our Instagram comments, 114mm underfoot skis are common and pretty dang sick. Ross loves his Volkl Revolt 114s, and Jonnie his LINE Optic 114s, and we completely fumbled the bag by having one width range end at 112mm and the next start at 115mm. Sorry fellas, that’s our bad.
• There were some discrepancies regarding the duration for which the Instagram and Website polls were active. Moving forward, both will start at Noon PST on Mondays and run through 3 p.m. PST on Fridays. Results will be shared each Sunday in an article and on Instagram.

Observations

• Many Instagram comments took ‘everyday ski‘ out of context. We were hoping to hear about a ski you’d use all year, no matter the conditions. Think of it as your daily driver, if you had to choose one.
• Favorite Instagram comment: “I just came here to use the words playful and quiver.”
• Anecdotally, it seemed that skiers from the East Coast prefer skis that were less than 100mm wide. Skiers out West tended to choose skis in the 100mm-108mm and 108mm-112mm ranges. Ice, ice, baby.
• Our Alaskan, Japanese, and BC-Heli guide readers really made their voices known. 233 skiers said that they would choose a 115mm+ ski for all conditions. We have a feeling their conditions range from deep to very deep, hence their preference. We’re not jealous, you are.
• A common narrative, particularly espoused by the older generation of skiers, formed in the Instagram comments: “I’ve skied two feet of powder on 70mm skis.” Sure, you can do that, but are they the optimal skis for all conditions? POWDER Gear Editor Max Ritter says, “nah”.

Conclusion:

As much as I had hope for a shocking result from this poll, it made sense. With modern ski design and materials, skis in the 100-108mm waist width range offer the most versatility across all conditions.

Long gone are the days of every 100mm+ ski flopping around like a wet noodle. Ski companies actually accomplished what they set out to do when the whole this-ski-can-do-everything-no-really-it-can-ski-powder-as-well-as-bulletproof-ice marketing that began 20 years ago.

Powder skis are still better in powder. Slalom skis are still better at skiing a slalom track. 90mm skis are still better out East. 105mm skis are still better out West. But, at least based on what nearly 6,000 skiers told us, 100-108mm is the sweet spot for the majority of skiers, regardless of where they ski.

Take that information and do with it as you see fit. Just don’t judge me when I rip out my Salomon QST Blanks (112mm underfoot) on hard pack because I want to pretend I’m Izzy for a day.

Check POWDER tomorrow, Monday, November 10, 2025, for our next Weekly Poll. See ya there!

Related: Editor’s Picks: The Best Backcountry Touring Skis of 2026