A season's worth of storm-chasing across Utah, Colorado, Washington and British Columbia has produced SKI Magazine's powder ski picks for 2027 — and the headline finding is refreshingly simple: width alone doesn't win. Testers put 16 skis with waists between 110 and 120mm through their paces after storms dropped 10 to 14 inches of fresh snow, rating them on flotation, playfulness, stability and more.
Taking top honours is the all-new Armada Antimatter 114 ($950), Editors' Choice thanks to a rare blend of float and energy. Designed with Freeride World Tour skier Max Palm, it pairs a poplar core with a Titanal layup underfoot, giving it a planted, confident feel on landings without feeling dead on groomers or chop. Two catches: it only comes in 181, 187 and 193cm, so smaller skiers are out of luck, and it's genuinely too much ski for intermediates.
Runner-up, the Atomic Maverick 115 CTi ($900), is the crowd-pleaser of the group — stable, predictable and forgiving in variable snow thanks to its poplar-ash core with carbon and Titanal laminates. Testers called it easy and dependable, though slightly less nimble than some rivals.
For resort powder days, the Rossignol Sender 110 ($900), formerly the Sender Free 110, returns unchanged and remains the pick for charging through afternoon crud at speed. It demands a strong, skilled pilot — one tester bluntly warned it's not for "a skier with a big ego and zero skills."
Blizzard takes the remaining two spots on the podium. The Canvas 118 ($900) is an all-new, playful departure from the brand's typically demanding lineup — light, quick in the trees, and surprisingly un-fat for its 118mm waist, though it trades away some outright stability. The women's-specific Sheeva 11 ($900) wins the women's category for its balance and confidence in choppy mixed conditions; testers found it rips when driven hard but isn't the most playful or floaty in ultra-light snow.
Beyond the top five, two skis earned special mentions. The Nordica Unleashed 120 — the widest ski in the test — delivered the best flotation of anything tested while staying surprisingly nimble and stable at speed, with the obvious caveat that it's hopeless on firm snow. The Fischer Nothing also impressed as a smooth, dependable option in chop, if less agile in tight terrain.
Why should a holiday skier care? Because this list maps neatly onto real buying decisions. If you're an advanced freerider booking a deep-powder trip, the Antimatter or Unleashed 120 make sense. If you mostly ski resorts and want one ski that handles fresh snow plus the leftover chop by lunchtime, the Sender 110 or Maverick 115 CTi are safer all-round bets. And for skiers who see powder days as a chance to spin off side hits rather than straight-line everything, the Canvas 118 is the fun pick. All five top skis sit in the $900–$950 range, so budget accordingly — and remember bindings are rarely included.
Story via Ski Magazine.
