Men's All-Mountain front ski reviews 2020
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
Elan Wingman 86 CTI review 2020
Men's skis 2020 > All-Mountain front Best ski 2020
The Elan Wingman 86 CTI made a strong impression during the pre-tests in January 2019. We included it in the Proskilab test thinking that the ski perfectly fulfilled the criteria of this category. We were eager to have it tested by a team of professionals on snow in a side-by-side test with the other big names in the industry.
The ski did not disappoint. It earned a well-deserved “Best Ski” award... Read on
The Head Kore 93 is 93 mm in the waist, so it falls in between Proskilab’s two All-Mountain categories. Last year, we tested it in the All-Mountain Back category, and it won a “Best Ski 2019” award. The arrival of the Kore 99 in this category encouraged us to test its little brother in the All-Mountain Front category, which is more frontside-oriented, and it did not disappoint.
The waist width... Read on
AWARD
Völkl Kendo 88 review 2020
Men's skis 2020 > All-Mountain front Best performance!
After the Mantra, comes the Kendo, which is one of the benchmarks in this market segment. It has been upgraded by Völkl and now comes in two versions, the 92 and the 88. We tested the Kendo 88.
The modifications are similar to those made to the Mantra M5. The ski is narrower, with a waist that has decreased from 90 to 88 mm. The construction has changed and uses more or less the same as the Mantra’s.... Read on
Another benchmark in this category, the Stormrider 88 remains faithful to itself.
The ski has not changed and has the same characteristics. It performs well overall and is comfortable in all types of terrain. A relatively stiff tail gives it solid edge grip on hardpack. The ski is very stable and allows you to accelerate with confidence. Absorption of terrain is excellent. Like the other products in this... Read on
The little brother of the FX95, the Kästle FX86 is not an HP (High Performance) version, but it is light and easy to use. In fact, it is one of the lightest skis in this category, weighing in at 1.7 kg in the test size, according to Kastle.
The FX86 is a smooth, versatile, soft, and easy ski that performs well as long as you don’t go too fast. Its softness allows it to flex and carve with little... Read on
The K2 Mindbender series replaces the excellent Pinnacle series, which is well known to the Proskilab testers.
We tested the "C" version (carbon), which is red and features the Carbon Spectral Braid technology, a carbon weave with a density and an orientation that vary along the length of the ski depending on what is needed. There is a higher-end version "Ti" (which is $100 more in the US)... Read on