Poll: How Many Pairs of Skis Do You Really Need?

Now might be a better time than ever to own only one pair of skis. 

Thanks to leaps in ski design, versatile, all-mountain sticks are the industry standard. With a mid-sized waist and decent, firm snow performance, they hold up during most—but not all—days on the mountain.

It begs the question: why bother shelling out thousands of dollars to build a fleet of skis? 

Some of the best skis come with trade-offs. Maybe they’re enormously wide, making them a pain in the can when the snow isn’t deep, but when the powder piles up, they provide a ride like no other. Skinnier skis below the 90mm mark, meanwhile, do what powder skis can’t. They rip on the corduroy, leaving neat train tracks on the slopes.

The argument for an expansive quiver, then, hinges on versatility. The counterargument is clear: in this economy, having the right ski for every minute change in the snow conditions isn’t cheap. Plus, with most skis handling a variety of conditions well these days, you won’t miss out too much by shirking specialized tools.

Now, it’s your turn to weigh in. How many skis do you think you need? Welcome to this week’s POWDER Weekly Poll. Chime in below.

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Poll: How Many Pairs of Skis Do You Need?

About the POWDER Weekly Poll

We launch our weekly polls at 3 p.m. EST every Monday. They remain open until 12:00 p.m. EST the following Friday, with the results dropping on Sunday at 9 a.m. EST (schedule changes around holidays are possible). You can participate and see the results right here on our website or by visiting our Instagram page.