Parabolic vs. Powder Skis

Choosing between parabolic and powder skis, as expected, is largely dependent on both the kind of weather you will be skiing in as well as the kind of skiing technique you favor. Though both types of skis have their advantages, matching the wrong type of ski with the condition you plan on skiing in or the technique you use can have serious disadvantages.

  1. Parabolic Ski Advantages

    • Parabolic skis help make frequent, sharp cuts.

      The parabolic ski is designed with an hourglass shape to give the skier more control when making cuts. If you like to ski around moguls or just like to make a lot of cuts when going down the mountain, the parabolic ski's hourglass shape will make your cuts a lot easier to make.

    Parabolic Ski Disadvantages

    • Although the slim hourglass shape of the parabolic ski makes sharp cuts a lot easier to make, it also makes it less favorable for slushy or high powder snow conditions. Since lots of unpacked powder causes the skis to sink below the snow line, the thin shape of the parabolic ski makes this sinking happen more quickly than the powder ski.

    Powder Ski Advantages

    • Powder skis are best suited for heavy powder conditions.

      The powder ski, unlike the parabolic ski, is designed with a much fatter width to aid with heavy powder conditions. Designed at variable widths (informally referred to "fat" skis), the powder ski's wide width allows the ski to proportion your weight about the ski more evenly, keeping the ski above the powder line more easily than the thinner parabolic ski.

    Powder Ski Disadvantages

    • As you may have guessed by now, the powder ski's disadvantages are basically everything you don't get from the hourglass shape of the parabolic ski. Because of the fat width of the powder ski, the skier won't be able to make the same sharp cuts that are possible with the parabolic ski. Of course, if you are using fat powder skis in high powder conditions, then sharp cuts won't be possible either way.

    What Ski is Right for You

    • Be sure to be aware of the snow conditions that you will be skiing in.

      Choosing the right ski is largely about identifying the kind of skier you are and the kind of snow you frequent most. Many skiers, in fact, will travel up to the slopes with both fat powder skis and parabolic skis, then choose which ski to use once they have gauged the weather conditions. Additionally, if you prefer to make large, wide cuts rather than small, shallow cuts, you should probably find yourself a nice pair of medium width powder skis--a reasonable compromise between parabolic and powder skis.