Skiing in the terrain park has become one of the most popular things in the last decade.
From rails to jumps to half pipes, there’s a large variety of options and features and a ski to complement each. Not to mention getting freestyle on piste or even off piste.
A lot of different things make up a freestyle ski, from their extra pop, shorter length, or the full twin tips. Many companies have different standards as to what a freestyle ski is so we are going to break down/generalize them and boil it down to what we at ski profiles categorize as a freestyle ski.
This particular post will look at freestyle skis but you can check out this post for a summary of how we classify each category. We will also be doing separate posts going into detail for each category.
What to look for in a Freestyle Ski
Length
You tend to size a little smaller for freestyle skis. This makes them easier to throw around for spins and easier to press.
Flex
Freestyle skis tend to be softer than other skis. This helps to make them more maneuverable and easier to press and throw around. How soft you want to go will depend partly on personal preference and partly on the type of freestyle skiing you want to do. For a more jib heavy style, softer is often better but if you’re throwing XL jumps, then a little more stiffness can help, when you’re going big.
Waist Width
Just like the length, you don’t want the width of your ski to be too big either. We recommend looking for something that is 100mm or less in the waist width, as this is optimal for making sure the skis are still light and softer flex-wise.
Even 100mm is wide for a freestyle ski, but some can be wider these days. Being wider does allow for a large landing platform for big jumps. Or if you’re looking to do some backcountry/sidecountry freestyle stuff.
Camber/Rocker Profile
It is basically mandatory to have tip and tail rocker in freestyle skis. It provides you with more maneuverability, because the rocker in both ends essentially allows the sidecut of the ski to be engaged with less effort. Secondly, it makes skiing on features like rails or boxes less-catchy edgewise. Likewise with landings on jumps or in the halfpipe.
Sidecut Radius
Most park skis are shorter to begin with and they have a smaller sidecut. This is ideal for freestyle skiing because it allows the skis to react to movement faster, due to the energy transfer being so quick. This allows you to make quick last minute adjustments before jumping onto a feature or taking off a jump.
Shape
Like the profile, the shape of a freestyle ski should almost always be twin tip. The reason why is most freestyle skiers will be riding switch (backwards) a lot and need the ski to be identical in the tip and tail. This helps the skis to ride smoothly and be less catchy/unpredictable when skiing backwards. It also provides you with even more maneuverability, which is necessary when riding in the park.
Comparison to other ski categories
PISTE | ALL-MOUNTAIN | ALL-MOUNTAIN-WIDE | FREERIDE/BIG MOUNTAIN | FREESTYLE | |
WAIST | <85mm | 85-99mm | 100-110mm | 110mm+ | <100mm |
CAMBER | Traditional camber or tip rocker | Can be traditional camber but typically tip rocker or tip and tail rocker | Typically always has at least tip rocker and often has tip and tail rocker | tip rocker or tip and tail rocker | tip and tail rocker |
SHAPE | Flat Tail or Partial Twin Tips | Can be anything but typically Partial Twin Tips | Can be anything but typically Partial Twin Tips | Flat Tail or Partial Twin Tips | Full Twin Tips |
TURN RADIUS | Short to Medium | Varies, but typically medium | Varies, but typically medium | Medium to Long | Short to Medium |
FLEX | Mid-stiff to stiff for more advanced piste skis and mid-soft to medium for piste skis more aimed at beginners | Mid to mid-stiff | Mid to mid-stiff | Typically Stiff | Mid-soft to Mid |
Conclusion
The sheer amount of freestyle ski options on the market can be quite overwhelming because so many are made for specific features now.
The term “Freestyle Ski” means many things now and its good to understand what makes one, before purchasing. This article was made to further explain what we here at ski profiles think should be the top things to look for in a freestyle ski and hope it helps with a future decision.
Leave a Reply