The Best Number of Skis To Own, According to 4,500 Real Skiers

Welcome, welcome, welcome. The hardworking scientists at POWDER’s Department of Polls and Skier Opinion have returned with another trove of insightful results.

This time, the eggheads asked the skiing masses about how many tools they need to get the job done. The results, while hardly shocking, might help you better understand your fellow skier. Have you amassed more skis than others? Are you getting by with a smaller quiver than most?

Find out below.

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

Poll Highlights

• Total Votes: 4,591
• Number of Votes on Instagram: 1,813
• Number of Votes on Website: 2,778
• Most Popular Ski Total: 3-5 Pairs (2,238 votes, 49% of voters)
• Least Popular Powder Day Total: 1 Pair (405 votes, 9% of voters)
• Other results:
  2 Pairs: 1,527 votes, 33% of voters

  6+ Pairs: 422 votes, 9% of voters

Poll Observations

• We saw it coming, but our favorite comments were those that made the classic n+1 one joke. The joke being that the perfect amount of skis is always one more than you already own. The more the merrier, right?
• Still, the winning result was the relatively modest 3-5 pairs category. Your average diehard skier has two main bases to cover with corresponding setups—resort and backcountry—and the 3-5 group leaves some wiggle room for fun bonus skis. Given how versatile skis are these days, this result makes sense.
• The 1 Pair and 6+ Pairs categories arrived at the finish line neck and neck (they weren’t the same votes-wise, but came close). At least among the skiers we polled, the hoarders and the spartans were in the minority. Most fell somewhere in between.
• One lingering question we have that could make for a future poll: how often do people buy skis?

What We Could’ve Done Better

• What constitutes a need? Technically, nothing, when you’re talking about skiing. We suppose frostbite counts as a need—or medical emergency that requires a response—but mostly, when you’re skiing, it’s about wants. That extends to amassing a ski quiver; no one’s going to die if they don’t get a new pair of skis. Several commenters made this point, addressing the wording of our question. We agree. That said, those of us living out West might feel like we need a powder day right now. You could say the same about some spiffy new sticks.
• Rounding percentage issues struck again, this time on the website—darn it. Again, we won’t bore you with the nitty-gritty, but some votes got lost in the ether and didn’t land where they should. Hopefully, we’ll be able to view exact numbers on the backend in the future. In the meantime, the results you see here weren’t dramatically impacted. To view the more exact uncombined total percentages on web and socials, click here and here. 

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 that 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.