The best women's skis of 2024

The features to look for in women-oriented skis are no longer just light weight and ease of use. After the last 3-year boom period in women’s ski mountaineering, today’s average woman tourer, and indeed women mountain lovers in general, have reached a level of independence, self-reliance and a well-developed ability to read the terrain they’re touring. For this reason, we’ve selected our awards with a close focus on those who are looking to push their boundaries.

This was the hands down winner: Dynafit Radical 97 W shone as the most well-balanced yet high-performance product, standing out as both a great all-rounder and super light (despite its almost 100 mm underfoot). If we were to test this on the uphill blindfolded, we’d think we were skinning with a light ski, while on the downhill in powder it offers the float you’d expect from a freeride ski. Simply superb.

Last year’s 93 mm version left us a little puzzled: an untamable beast is not easy to fathom. Much to our surprise, this year Nordica have extensively restyled the structure of this line—a fact our testers could finally appreciate—and they declared that the Santa Ana 88 was the ski for women skiers looking to challenge their limits. They take a little leg muscle, but once you get dialed in you won’t be disappointed.

The Wayback 89 W and Salomon MTN 86 W Carbon were both in the running for this award. In the end, the K2 clinched it as the newcomer for 2024. The ski’s been completely overhauled based on advice from athletes and Guides, and is the perfect product for big verticals, but with a firm focus too on downhill fun. We liked its responsiveness —above average in its category—for a product you can drive hard without getting spooked. 

With the introduction of this award, we’ve finally been able to showcase a product we’ve always admired, but one that’s never been considered, as it’s too easy to ski. The Rossignol Escaper W 87 Nano deserved the award because it’s ideal for developing women tourers who are seeking a single product to accompany them as they improve their technique.