Men's All-Mountain front ski reviews 2019
In the 'All-mountain front' category, we select skis designed for 70% piste, 30% freeride. The qualities we look for are piste performance (initiation, turn performance, grip, stability, rebound, etc.), comfort, overall versatility and good freeride behaviour (float in powder, rotation, performance in challenging snow conditions). These skis generally have between 85 mm and 92 mm at waist, feature a large tip and rocker, and are relatively straight.They're designed for good to excellent riders looking for a highly efficient ski for the groomers (at times performing better than some traditional piste skis), while able to go off-piste when the conditions are right. They're well-adapted to freeride, but less effective than the wider skis from the “All-mountain back” category, especially in deep powder and crud snow.
BEST SKI
Völkl Kendo review 2019
Men's skis 2019 > All-Mountain front Best ski 2019
Last year, the Völkl Kendo lost its "Best Ski" medal by a narrow margin when tested in harder snow conditions, but it managed to get it again back this year. This year, we reviewed a longer model (184 cm vs 176 cm last year), which improved stability and flotation in powder.
The ski once again confirms its excellent reputation and the pro testers gave it rave reviews: "Super ski," "Perfection,"... Read on
AWARD
Stöckli Stormrider 88 review 2019
Men's skis 2019 > All-Mountain front Best Accessibility/Performance!
Kendo's main rival, the Stormrider 88 lost its "Best Ski" medal this year but remains a leader in the highly competitive All-Mountain Front category, where the skis are geared more towards skiing on groomed trails.
On the groomers, the Stormrider 88 performs incredibly well. It is a quiet, predictable, enjoyable, and undemanding ski that does what it is told and inspires the skier with confidence.... Read on
AWARD
K2 Pinnacle 85 review 2019
Men's skis 2019 > All-Mountain front Best Accessibility/Enjoyment!
Our pro testers were enthusiastic about the K2 Pinnacle 85: "A ski with a soul," and it "has a great personality" were some of the comments.
The ski is "very versatile and is more like an all-mountain back ski." It has a lot of rocker so performs very well off-piste.
The ski is very accessible. In all conditions, it is predictable, forgiving, and does what you ask. ... Read on
The testers were impressed by the Legend 88's qualities but were disappointed that the bindings were center-mounted.
The ski has numerous qualities: Accessibility, ease in turn initiation, and ease in pivoting.
However, the central mounting of the binding made it impossible to add forward pressure when turning aggressively. The longer tail also impeded pivoting in variable and heavy snow.
We... Read on
While the Head Kore 93 shone in the All-Mountain Back category, the more frontside-oriented Monster 88 lagged behind the competition who had more versatile skis.
The testers praised the Monster 88's excellent performance on groomers. They described it as "a good frontside ski" that is easy to control, grippy, and especially happy in short turns. The ski is accessible and “easy to handle.”... Read on
While the Enforcer 100 regularly shines in the All-Mountain Back category, the Enforcer 93 lagged behind the competitors in the All-Mountain Front category.
Its overall performance is good on groomed runs as well as off-piste. The ski is great and can handle all conditions.
We got mixed reviews for the Enforcer 93's performance at low speeds. Our expert (non-professional) testers had a very... Read on