A heavier fatter ski will require more effort going up hill but will be much more fun going down. You have to decide on the balance between up hill and down hill performance.

Most people can only afford one pair of skis so they need something that will cope with off piste skiing, ski mountaineering, ski touring and the odd day on the piste. There is no ski that will full fill all these requirements you will have to choose something that will be stronger in some areas than others. Most of the skis that are designed specifically for touring are of the lightweight variety and are terrible to ski on so we won’t look at them any further.

I would suggest looking at the range of all mountain skis which are designed to cope with anything the mountain can throw at you. The emphasis is towards off piste performance so they won't be that great at carving down icy pistes but they will cope well with powder, crud and everything in between. I wouldn't suggest anything with too much side cut as on steep terrain it is often the case that only the edge at the tip and the tail of the ski are in contact with the snow.

If you look round the shops everything is getting fatter each season which makes things easier in soft snow but the ski's can be heavier and a fat ski will give you much more friction when skinning so you will have to balance easy of skiing with how strong your legs are. Looking at the current market something like the K2 Apache Recon 119-78-105 has enough float for powder but is stiff enough to cut through crud and deal with hard snow but make sure you don't buy the ones that only take the K2 specific binding attachments. There is slightly fatter version for this season the the Apache Explorer. The Black Diamond machine has done well in tests but I found them a bit stiff. The Scott neo is a good compromise and the Dynastar 8000 is popular but you need to stay on top of them or they will through you a about a bit.Looking at Movement the Shamen is a great ski weight for performance and if you are looking for a women specific ski the Dyanster Exclusive Legend Powder is awesome if a bit heavy.

If you want to go a bit fatter I skiied the G3 Reverend last winter and thought it was great they have added the Spitfire for this season which would be an awesome fattish (123 at the tip) ski with a dynafit binding. The Salomon X-Wing Fury has been popular with friends of mine and the Scott Mission get consistently amazing reviews in all conditions. If I can get a pair I will be touring on them this winter. The K2 Apache Outlaw is a fatter version of the Reccon and the Coomba's I used last winter are a great forgiving ski. There is a new Seth this year the Obsethed which big mountain skiiers seam to be enjoying and the Black Crow navis has beena hit as well.

When it comes to choosing ski length, a shorter ski is easier to kick turn going up hill but the reduced float makes going down hill in soft snow more difficult. I weigh about 12 ½ stone and generally ski on something about 182 which gives me enough float when wearing a heavy touring pack. It is worth considering the length choice in relation to your weight rather than height as this will affect how deeply you sink into the snow. Most shops will let you try skis before you buy then reduce the rental cost from the purchase price so it is worth trying different lengths of ski.

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