Skiers are a funny bunch when it comes to the lore surrounding a few choice pieces of legendary equipment.
Related: Reasons To Ignore The ‘End Of Season Ski Sale’ And Keep The Boards You Have…
Obviously when considering legacy gear– we’re talking skis. From McConkey innovation to the quintessential hotdogging planks of the 70’s, here are the 7 most mythical skis of all time.
*If any of these company’s design teams have a clue– they’ll relaunch a few of these gems in the coming years…
7) Powder Plus, Atomic [1995]
There’s just something about the black top-sheet and white bases….
Coming in just under 95mm underfoot, the Atomic Powder Plus was one of the first ever ‘fat skis’ to hit the market. The ski itself was a symbolic departure from the super soft powder skis of the late 80’s and subsequently moved the market towards stiffer planks.
6) Equipe 3G, Rossignol [1988]
Heavy f*cking metal!
While K2 ruled the ski market stateside, in France things were different. Rossi was cementing itself as the top flight European ski brand of the 80’s and 90’s. Perhaps no one ski matched its sleek yet utilitarian European stylings more than the Equipe 3G. Its sister, the 4S became one of the best selling models of all time and while the 3g didn’t see the same headlines, these aluminum planks became a quick favorite amongst the hard charging Euro crowd who found the ski handled steep, technical descents on variable snow with remarkable stability.
5) Explosiv [White] Wizards, Volkl [2005]
Calling all crusty powder wizards, these are the skis for you!
Powder skis with no speed limit is something Volkl has prided itself on since releasing the Explosive Wizards back in 2005. These skis are stiff but not too stiff. Playful but not too squirrely. Ultimately, the combination of early rise in the tip as well as camber underfoot would supplant the Spatula as the choice shape for powder skis over the next decade.
4) Legend Pro Rider, Dynastar [2008]
If you don’t wear all-black on the mountain– forget about it.
This one goes out to all the Jackson Holer’s who still rock their 2009 Legend Pro Riders in Tram Line– even on the deepest days. This ski continues to be a perrenial favorite amongst free skiers with a racing background and although there are fewer and fewer each year– the legend remains.
3) K2 Comp, K2 Skis [1970]
The original hotdogging ski.
Although most young-guns have never heard of skiers like Charlie McWilliams, Pat Bauman, John Clendenin, Bob Griswold, or Jim Stelling– the fact remains that these skiers created what would largely become freestyle skiing as we know it today. Termed “Hotdogging” back then, the 1971 K2 demo team and the skis they rode are as mythical as ever. The planks themselves garnered enough legendary mystique that K2 released a modern remake back in 2015.
WATCH: They Have the World’s Greatest Job…. They Ski! [ K2’s 1971 Ski Team] ‘Can You Dig It’
2) TenEighty, Salomon [1997]
Freestyle skiing would never be the same.
When JP Auclair first saw the TenEighty ski by salomon, he knew the game would never be the same. Freestyle would no longer be limited to aerialists going for more flips and twists. Instead switch skiing and style would prevail over technicality and to this day the ski remains an icon of the burgeoning freeski movement.
1) Spatula, Volant [2002]
“The funny thing is… everybody who picks them up says, ‘they look like water skis.’ Yeah, that’s where the idea came from” – Shane McConkey
Reverse camber. Reverse Sidecut. The Spatula shattered 100 years of ski design before catapulting Shane McConkey into the role of ski industry innovator. The funny part is the skis hold up against the test of time perhaps better than any other ski on this list. That is– as long as they didn’t delaminate…