Volkl

Shiro Ski

The Volkl Shiro is so good at so many things that it's tough to choose what exactly you want to do. It's happy to slash big, smeary turns down open faces, pivot through the trees, or rip big AK-style lines, so you should probably just do a little bit of everything. The Shiro's full rocker and floaty dimensions—119mm underfoot, anyone?—enable effortless flotation through the deep, and the multi-layer poplar and ash core keeps things light and smeary in the tips and tails and bomber underfoot. The Shiro isn't the fattest ski in Volkl's freeride line—that honor goes to the 135mm-wasited Three—but it charges plenty hard, courtesy of a composite and fiberglass sheath Tough Box construction that keeps the ski stiff when you're putting a lot into it, enabling you to drive the ski as hard as you can without overwhelming it. While it's a rockered ski, Volkl kept the tail pretty flat to let you stomp cliffs and rail turns without feeling like there's nothing backing you up, so you can rally it as hard as you can in the gnarliest terrain you can find without batting an eyelash.