Frontside skis are a type of ski designed for skiing on groomed slopes and well-prepared trails. They are typically shorter and narrower than other types of skis, with a focus on precision and stability at high speeds. Frontside skis are designed for skiers who primarily ski on hard-packed snow and groomed slopes, and who are looking for a ski that provides excellent edge grip, quickness, and stability. They are typically made with a stiffer flex and camber profile, which provides a more responsive feel and helps the skier carve turns with precision. Frontside skis are often favored by advanced and expert skiers who are looking for a ski that can handle the demands of high-speed skiing and aggressive turns.
While most people would assume that a ski is a ski unless you’re an athlete they couldn’t be more wrong. The best frontside skis allow you to ski like a professional.
They have narrower waist widths that range between 85mm down to 72mm and are designed to carve up harder snow and make both short radius and long arc turns.
Most have a construction that’s a lot like racing skis since they have a full wood core with vertical sidewalls and titanium sheets to reinforce them.
The skis also have a slight rocker at the tip and a lot of camber underfoot which makes them much more dynamic for turns.
Choosing the best frontside skis is a lot like choosing any other ski in that you’ll want to find something that fits your weight and height appropriately.
You should look at how responsive they are, whether they’re stable and grip the edge and if they’ve got good carving pleasure. You want your skis to be good value for money so the best frontside skis are designed for fast skiing and great turn shape versatility.
The narrow waist design of these are often pretty similar and they’re ideal for any resort terrain which can make choosing hard. These are designed to go really fast so if you’re not an experienced skier you probably don’t want frontside skis.
However, that’s not saying front sides can only go fast, many are designed for the technical skier in mind and will have a decisive limit on their speed.
The key to getting the right skis in this category, if you can’t test, is going to be knowing your style.
Many people just think frontside = fast, but the truth is that these days there are also some technical additions creeping in that lack the speed but are better fitted for skiers who sometimes want to take it easy.
The Best Frontside Skis Reviews
1. Rossignol Experience 80 Skis
- Profile: Rocker/Camber Hybrid
- Waist Width: 79
- Bindings Included: Included
2. Atomic Bent 85 R Skis
- Atomic Bent 85 R Skis w/M10 GW Bindings 2023 165
3. STAUBER Solstice All-Mountain Ski
- Profile: Camber-Rocker-Camber
- Type: All-Mountain Style Ski
- Dimensions: Waste width- 102mm, Tip width - 130mm, Tail width - 121mm
- Material: Wood core, stainless steel edge, Scratch resistant carbon fiber top sheet
- Size: 168cm ski measures 65in tall, 178cm is 69in tall, and 184cm is 71in tall. This length is measured on the top sheet side from tip to tail. Be sure to size accordingly. You want your ski to...
4. Head Kore 99 Skis
- TOPLESS TECH: Head uses a polyester fleece rather than solid plastic top sheet material to create the lightest skis in their category.
- KARUBA LIGHT WOOD CORE: It's the perfect ratio of density and weight, making your rides light and balanced.
- GRAPHENE: The strongest, lightest material known to man is fused into the Kore's tip and tail to make it lighter and more responsive in deep snow.
- KOROYD: A honeycomb shaped material at the heart of the KORE; it's super-light, incredibly elastic, strong, and flexible.
- BINDING: The tough, compact all-terrain binding.
5. Line Blade Optic 92 Skis
6. Rossignol Experience Pro Kids Skis
We can forget about the kids! Here’s a great recommendation for kids skis.
Conclusion
It’s a really tough decision to actually come up with “the best frontside skis” between all of these. The Quattros are so new that very few people have really gotten the chance to see how they work and the Salomon’s are limited unless you’re a technical skier.
If you’re looking for fast and furious speed however, the Dynastar Speed is just the clear winner. They’re going to go fast, fast, fast and none of the others can keep up.
Even though the Blizzard is designed for perfect frontside conditions it just doesn’t feel like it has the edge when it comes to speed, especially from that smaller radius and a wide waist.
The best frontside skis are probably the Dynastar because nothing matches the speed unless you’re a technical skier, in which case the best is likely to be the Salomons as they’re the most versatile.
