Back in April, the Newschoolers crew hit up Banff Sunshine Village for our third annual ski testing bonanza. Thanks to our pals @sunshinevillage , @evo.com and @DissentLabs we went even bigger and better than ever before. We brought more skis and testers once again, and the whole event just keeps expanding year on year. And now featuring the Newschoolers S-Rail, Sunshine Village's many parks provided a perfect playground for pushing this year's crop of park skis to their limits.
You know how we roll at Newschoolers – even our broke-off staff contingent is still skiing park, so we wanted to put these skis to the test just like we’d actually use 'em. We told all the brands to send over skis with progressive mounting points, no more than -2cm from center, and all the park skis came detuned so we could hit those rails without dying and see how the skis held up. You can check out some scenes from the week here:
https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1075451/--YouTube
We don't categorize skis before testing them, so anything we were sent could technically win an award as a park ski (or an all-mountain ski). That means some of our picks win awards because that's where we enjoyed them, despite not obviously being 'park skis' on paper. Shoutout to our huge crew of testers, and thank you for the time and effort you put into this, we couldn't do it without you. Without further ado our top park skis for 2023:
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Arguably THE surprise of the test, the new Nightstick 97 is simply an incredibly good ski. These things are a great daily driver option for park skiers, feeling super solid underfoot and handling mixed snow far better than the waist width should allow, all the while being a blast in the park. They handle it all from big features to playful swerving.
"A really great all-around ski. I found them snappy and really easy to spin. They surprised me, charging really well through cruddy snow in the afternoon." - @bigbilliam
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These are one of those you wouldn't technically categorize as a park ski but our testers loved them in the park. Sure they have plenty of all-mountain chops too but the loose feel thanks to the long rocker profile makes these a monster for slashing and playing with lips. They are stiff enough to hold up on jumps but definitely more of a playful park ski. If you do a bit of everything and only want one ski, these could be a great option for that too.
"Perfect, perfect freestyle ski! It’s not too heavy, not too light and not too soft, not too stiff.. so you can drive the ski and not the other way around. Easy to get on and off rails and easy to spin. Playful and super fun." - Abby Laviolette
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Line have put serious work into toughening up their park skis for this season and the new Chronics are a big part of that. The narrower sibling, the 94, is still on the heavier end of the scale, but that weight is centered under the boot in chunky sidewalls and fat edges. The thin tip and narrow shape mean these are super spin-friendly and the rocker profile is playful for butters too. The 94 is the more East Coast-friendly of the two, it's quicker edge to edge than its wider sibling, making it better suited for harder snow and technical tricks.
"Great swing weight, light, easy to maneuver, responsive on landings but still flexible." - @arnie_grape
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The Chronics are so good that both skis take home Best Of Test awards this year. The 101 is definitely the more burly of the two new Chronic skis feeling a bit more solid both outside the park and in it. It's still far from a stiff ski but definitely more solid than the 94. If you want something softer and wider, the new Bacon 108 feels almost like a wider Chronic on hard snow, but with more powder-friendly tip shaping.
"Nice balance of playful and still supportive underfoot. Really fun for butters, carves surprisingly well, pretty poppy. Fun, versatile park ski." - @Twig
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Our riders loved the Elan Playmaker 101 for its light weight and ability to tackle a bit of everything. But perhaps surprisingly, it was in the park that these skis shone the brightest. The soft, nose with plenty of rocker is a ton of fun for buttering, while the stiffer, less rockered tail provided stability on jumps. But perhaps the standout feature of these skis was the low swingweight. Despite being 101 underfoot, these were one of the lightest feeling skis of the whole test.
"Very fun, very playful ski. It flexes, it pops and it holds up all over the hill. It's great on side hits, fun in the bumps and it slays in the park. Definitely a jack of all trades ski." - @arnie_grape
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Last, but certainly not least we have the Faction Studio 1.0/1.0X (identical skis, different topsheets/sizing). And if you want to huck your meat, these are the skis for you, the ultimate slopestyle monster. With super-low swingweight thanks to a narrow, symmetrical shape and a surprisingly stable platform for the diminutive specs, these park slayers had our squad swapping more and spinning faster than any other. The minimal rocker profile is just loose enough for buttering, and they have more to offer for playful skiing than similar shapes too.
"The Studio 1.0 is light, agile, and stable as could be. It's great on both rails and jumps, the swingweight on it is awesome. These took me back to my comp skiing days." - @curt_
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