Whether you’re on a short ski trip or a multi-day mission, here’s some crucial equipment that’ll help your gear travel comfortably.

We got an early look at some of the hottest 2016-17 skis from the hottest brands.

Given how much time you spend dreaming of powder, you may as well own one of these skis that'll let you crush it.

Be ready for soft snow with these skis that are made to tear it up.

Eastern skiers rock. Eastern snow? Sometimes sublime, sometimes ridiculous. Be ready for anything with these everyday midfats.

Ready to get your carve on? These narrow-waisted ripsticks are the tools for the job.

Skier Peter Troller started collecting Head, Nordica, K2, and other stickers as an Ohio youngster. Now his kids are into it.

Here's what our travel editor is rockin' this season.

SKI testers start pounding the snow today as part of the week-long evaluation of next year's skis in the industry's toughest test. And eight inches of fresh doesn't hurt a bit...

A celebration of stoke.

It seems that carbon fiber is in everything at the SIA 2013 Snow Show.

Lighter, fatter, and rocker/camber combos are some trends you’ll see in next year’s skis.

Performance skis that won't burn your a hole in your wallet.

Medal winning, powder skis built for women.

Skiing out West? Tackle all snow conditions with these sticks.

Bid on a custom Les Paul Gibson Guitar with Volkl Katana graphics, and you'll benefit the Tahoe-based non-profit.

The Mantra has been a mainstay in Volkl's freeskiing line. It's quick and snappy on hard snow, but wide enough for a powder day. Here's what the testers thought.

There's a reason Olympic ski racer Julia Mancuso switched to Volkl Skis this week: They make fast, stable skis. We tested some of next year’s Volkl skis for women, including the Kenja, the Kiku, and the Fuego—see the reviews here. And if they're good enough for Julia, they're good enough for us. By Katie Matteson.

It’s here to stay, and it’s not just for powder skis anymore. Manufacturers are offering new hybrids that’ll help anyone—anyone—ski better.

We spent last week cruising the aisles of the ski industry's largest trade show to see what styles, technologies and stories you'll be hearing more about next season.

Given the conditions (hardpack), the Gotamas, Mantras and Katanas and Kikus mostly stayed in the rack. Folks were more interested in the narrower waists. We had some racers in the house, as evidenced by the cards we got on the Racetiger competition boards. But the ACs (AC50 and AC30) were the most popular test models, followed by the narrower, racier Tigersharks(11 Foot, 10 Foot and 8 Foot). On the women’s side, the Fuego and Aurora were the most-tested. If citizen testers vote with their feet—testing the brands they think they like best—then Volkl was the top vote-getter. Among skis that got enough test runs for a valid result, here are the rankings:

Are you a believer in the wisdom of the masses? We invited anyone who was willing to come be our ski testers for a weekend. And here’s what they told us.