Nordica Sentra SL7 Ti EVO (2018)

The Sentra SL7 was the category’s quickest, most playful, and least suited for off-piste exploration; it just wants to carve. Nordica positions it as an “all-mountain performance” ski, but it felt to us like a mellowed-out slalom ski. (And we mean that in a good way.) We’re not sure how many women want to buy a ski like this—ex-racer rippers who don’t want to heft a World Cup ski—but we know from our tester roster there are at least 10 who will wait in line for it. Its classic construction has a lightweight balsa wood core sandwiched by two sheets of metal, with full camber for improved grip. “It’s pert and lively but not bouncy,” Brent said. “I love it.”

Strengths: Quickness/Maneuverability, Playfulness