A Guide to the Best Ski Brands
10 Of The Most Popular Ski Brands, Their Stories, And What To Look For
Published March 25th, 2025
Sifting through the market looking for good skis and reputable brands can be a challenge. There are a lot of brands to choose from, and even more different types of skis out there.
To help clear the waters, we’ve compiled a list of the top ski brands to consider when looking for a pair of skis.
Many of the names listed here are heritage brands that have been making skis for decades, while some are newer.
It’s worth noting that this list is far from exhaustive; while these are some of the most notable names in the industry, there are many small brands out there making great skis, too.
When searching for a pair of skis, it’s helpful to know about the brands that make the hardgoods, where they're made, and what types of characteristics you can expect from a ski made by a certain brand. It’s also helpful to know your own personal preferences and preferred style of skiing—that will help you to distinguish which brands and models are best fits for you.
This guide is here to help you understand all that a little better, while including information on brand history, sustainability initiatives, and more. We selected the brands on this list based on their reputation and overall strong presence in the industry, including some of the oldest brands in the game. We also selected a few newer brands that are notable, whether for their popularity or their unique approach to making skis.
We write mission-driven gear reviews. To find the best gear, we combine expert reviews, everyday user opinions, and rigorous independent trail testing—never native ads or sponsored posts. We are 100% reader-supported and may make a small commission from some qualifying affiliate links. Learn more.
Atomic
Overview
Atomic is a well-known brand in the ski industry, having been around for several decades, since 1955. The brand manufactures all of their skis in their factory in Austria. Atomic is a longtime sponsor of notable athletes, like Mikaela Shiffrin and Chris Bentchetler.
Details
Key Products: Atomic is known for its racing roots, with items like the Redster boot being a longtime standard performance boot in the industry. Outside of racing, the brand's line of freeride skis dubbed the Bent (short for Chris Bentchetler, the pro skier behind the skis’ designs) is a wildly popular ski for intermediate and advanced skiers alike.
Features to check out: Atomic uses a unique tip shape with many of their skis called HRZN Tech that helps to add floatation in powder.
Best for: Atomic has a little bit of everything, from stiff racing skis to soft and fat powder skis, and even a decent range of touring models. Their skis are often fairly approachable and well-rounded—something a lot of skiers will like.
Sustainability and Ethics: In recent years, Atomic has dedicated resources to assessing their impact as a ski hardgoods manufacturer, releasing annual impact reports. The latest 2024 impact report states that the brand hosted a climate summit, conducted a greenhouse gas inventory, and has been working to extend product life spans through repairs, among other things.
Quick Facts
Atomic was founded in 1955.
The brand is a sister company with Salomon (their parent company is Amer Sports), and some popular products, like the Shift binding, are available under both brand names.
Atomic makes a wide variety of hardgoods, including skis, boots, bindings, Nordic skis, and more.
Salomon
Overview
Salomon is a household brand in the ski world, founded in the French Alps in 1947. They have been driving innovations in the ski industry since the 1950s and have many popular ski models on the market today.
Details
Key Products: Salomon is known for making approachable all-mountain skis, like their QST line, which has models that are fun for both low intermediates and expert skiers alike.
Features to check out: The Salomon Shift binding was one of the first bindings to offer touring capabilities with a free heel and pins, while remaining a fully DIN-certified alpine binding for the downhill.
Best for: Salomon skis are most often ideal for all-mountain skiers who like versatility.
Sustainability and Ethics: Salomon is working to make 100% of their key products eco-designed or circular by 2030.
Quick Facts
Salomon was founded in Annecy, France in 1947.
Like its sister company, Atomic, Salomon also makes all ski hardgoods, including skis, boots, bindings, poles, and more. They make snowboards, too!
Salomon’s line of SX boots, starting with the SX90 that launched in the late 70s, were hallmarks in the industry. They now make a variety of boots from race to backcountry touring.
Volkl
Overview
Volkl is another household name in the industry, most often known for making stiff, hard charging skis geared more towards high intermediate and expert skiers. The German brand is one of the oldest in the game—they stepped into the ski industry in 1923. After more than a century in the business, it’s safe to say Volkl knows how to make a good ski.
Details
Key Products: The Volkl Mantra has long been one of the most popular all-mountain skis, and for good reason. It’s also a winner in our guide to the Best Beginner All-Mountain Skis. Other skis, like the Revolt, have become popular among freestyle and freeride skiers.
Features to check out: Volkl uses what they call a 3D tuning radius in many of their skis, which makes them more versatile across various types of terrain.
Best for: Folks who like to ski hard and like skis with a more aggressive edge.
Sustainability and Ethics: Volkl is working towards using more post-consumer materials in its skis.
Quick Facts:
Volkl has been making skis for more than a century and they still manufacture their skis in Straubing, Germany, where the brand was founded.
Volkl as a brand makes only skis, but its sister brands Dalbello and Marker make boots and bindings, respectively.
Many of Volkl’s Revolt ski models have top sheets that are made in collaboration with different artists each season.
Blizzard
Overview
Blizzard has been making skis since 1945 and today they manufacture their skis in Mittersill, Austria. They make race, all-mountain, and freeride skis, as well as some notable ski touring models, like the Zero G. Blizzard (and sister brand Tecnica) was a longtime sponsor of trailblazing ski mountaineer Hilaree Nelson, who helped pave the way for women in the sport
Details
Key Products: Blizzard’s Black Pearl skis are an incredibly popular women’s-specific all-mountain model that is great for a wide range of skiers. These skis are winners in our Best Beginner All-Mountain Skis story. The Rustler (men’s) and Sheeva (women’s) are also popular all mountain and big mountain skis.
Features to check out: Blizzard uses a Trueblend wood core, which melds together different types of wood to create the ideal flex pattern throughout the ski.
Best for: Blizzard skis are often best for more aggressive and directional skiers who like a damp and planted ride.
Sustainability and Ethics: Blizzard Tecnica has been working to recycle all parts of used ski boots through their Recycle Your Boots campaign.
Quick Facts
Blizzard made their first ski in 1945. Today their skis are made in Austria.
While Blizzard exclusively makes skis, its sister brand, Tecnica, makes boots, including the popular Cochise resort boot and prolific touring boot, the Zero G.
Each year, Blizzard Tecnica helps various women in the ski world through their W2W (women to women) scholarship, which is in honor of former Blizzard Tecnica athlete and pioneering ski mountaineer Hilaree Nelson.
Nordica
Overview
Nordica is another prolific ski brand, both internationally and from coast to coast in the US. Their stiff and stable skis are particularly popular among East Coast skiers who are often skiing on hard-packed snow.
Details
Key Products: The Nordica Enforcer is a prolific all-mountain ski that appeals to a wide range of skiers. The women’s version, the Santa Ana, is also a very popular ski.
Features to check out: Nordica uses a TSM Pulse Core, which uses a layup combo of wood, elastomer, and metal to make skis that are both smooth and very stable.
Best for: Directional skiers who like a predictable ski on the stiff side.
Sustainability and Ethics: The Tecnica Group plans to include Nordica boots in their Recycle Your Boots program in the coming years.
Quick Facts
Nordica was founded in 1939 in Italy.
Nordica is owned by the Tecnica Group, which is also the parent company of Blizzard skis.
Nordica makes both skis and boots, though they are most well known for their skis.
Rossignol
Overview
Rossignol, much like Salomon, makes a wide variety of snowsports hardgoods, including skis, boots, snowboards, and more. The French company has a handful of factories in Europe where their ski gear is made.
Details
Key Products: For a long time, various models of the Rossignol Soul 7 skis were among the most popular for recreational skiers. While that ski isn’t around anymore, the brand makes the Sender Soul ski, which uses some of the same technology but is slightly more aggressive.
Features to check out: Rossignol’s Air Tip technology makes for a low swing weight, which helps to make skis with this (like the Sender Soul) easier to turn.
Best for: Skiers who want an approachable ski that’s fun and forgiving.
Sustainability and Ethics: In 2020, Rossignol launched their Respect program, which examines their ethics and sustainability in their manufacturing. They’ve partnered with French-based Fairly Made to trace their impact across the production cycle, and they are working to upcycle skis, too.
Quick Facts
Rossignol was founded in the French Alps in Voiron in 1907, making it one of the oldest ski brands still making skis today.
Rossignol’s parent company, the Rossignol Group, also owns Dynastar and Look, who make skis and bindings, respectively, Look makes a popular binding with a unique heel release design, the Pivot.
Along with hardgoods, Rossignol also makes outerwear and casual footwear for winter.
K2
Overview
Amidst many European brands, K2 stands out as an American brand, founded in Washington State in 1962. Today, they make skis, snowboards, and boots and are another prolific brand in the snowsports world.
Details
Key Products: K2 has had many iconic skis over the years, but in their current line, the Mindbender skis are notable for their blend of a soft snow shape with a metal layup that adds stability.
Features to check out: K2’s freeride skis use a Spectral Braid construction which helps with torsional and overall stiffness throughout the ski.
Best for: Freeride and freestyle skiers who want skis that are both fun and stable.
Sustainability and Ethics: One of K2’s factories uses solar panels for a significant portion of its energy, and the brand is working towards using the most sustainable materials in their skis.
Quick Facts
K2 skis are made in China, in the same factory as Line, another popular ski brand (see below).
K2 was one of the first brands to make women’s specific models of skis.
The popular freestyle boot brand Full Tilt was acquired by K2. While K2 doesn’t make Full Tilt boots anymore, they use much the same designs in their current freestyle boots.
Line
Overview
Line is a relatively young American company, founded in 1995 with the intention of making distinctly fun skis.
Details
Key Products: The Line Pandora is a popular all mountain ski for women, and the unique Sakana is a well known powder ski.
Features to check out: Line’s Concepts Collection is full of skis with unique shapes and designs.
Best for: Freestyle skiers who like playful, fun skis.
Sustainability and Ethics: Line has started using a Bio-Resin in the layup of some of their skis, which is easier on the environment.
Quick Facts
Line was founded in Albany, NY in 1995 and their skis are made in China.
Line is a sister company of K2 and their skis are made in the same factory.
Line’s Traveling Circus is one of the longest running ski video series on the web.
Black Crows
Overview
Compared to some of the older legends in the sport, this French company is still young. They’ve quickly become very popular and make a wide range of skis for intermediate and advanced skiers, including resort, big mountain, and touring skis.
Details
Key Products: The Atris is one of Black Crows most popular skis since it is quite versatile and suits a wide variety of skiers from low intermediates to professionals.
Features to check out: Some of their popular resort skis, like the Camox and Corvus, also come in a touring version dubbed the “Freebird” (like the Camox Freebird or Corvus Freebird). The Freebird versions are similar skis to their resort counterparts, but made lighter for backcountry skiing.
Best for: Black Crows has a wide variety of models, from uniquely-shaped carving skis to freeride chargers. There’s something for just about everyone, though most of their skis may be a bit aggressive for true beginners.
Sustainability and Ethics: Black Crows also makes outerwear, and was very early to adopt PFAS-free materials, long before laws went into effect.
Quick Facts
Black Crows was founded in 2006 in Chamonix, France.
Along with skis, Black Crows also makes poles, which are arguably more popular than their skis, and winners in our Best Ski Poles review.
The brand's name comes from a nickname of the founders, Bruno Compagnet and Camille Jaccoux, who call themselves the original black crows.
Season
Overview
Season is by far the youngest brand on this list, but we feel they're worth mentioning for their unique approach to making skis. Started by professional skier Eric Pollard and pro snowboarder Austin Smith, Season’s goal is to make durable skis that last a long time, and to avoid the marketing hype of new product launches every season.
Details
Key Products: The Season Forma ski is one of the most unique powder skis, with a swallowtail design that helps it float in deep snow, but the stiffness and edge control to still perform well outside of fresh tracks, too. Their high quality and affordable, entry-level ski, the Primer, is a winner in our Best Beginner All Mountain Skis story.
Features to check out: Season in general refrains from big technological marketing claims. Instead, they make skis that are simply durable and fun to ski, with particularly beefy sidewall construction.
Best for: Skiers with a freestyle background, or skiers who like playful but stable skis and enjoy skiing with a more centered stance.
Sustainability and Ethics: Season incentivizes their customers to repair their gear and keep it working. They’ve partnered with outdoor retailer evo so that Season ski and board owners get free tunes for the life of the ski, and discounts on repairs at evo shops.
Quick Facts
Season was founded in 2020, and their skis are made in the Amer Sports factory in Austria.
Eric Pollard, one of the founders, was a longtime athlete for Line and helped design many of their popular skis, including the Pescado.
All of Season’s skis are unisex and are offered in a wide size range. Each ski model also has a matching snowboard model.
Related Resources
The author skiing in Volkl Mantra skis, a winner in our Best Beginner All Mountains Skis guide. Photo by Tom Callaghan.
Check out our review of the Best Beginner All Mountain Skis to see specific models we recommend.
If you’re totally new to skiing and don’t know what to wear on the slopes, check out our guide on What to Wear Skiing, as well as our reviews of the Best Women’s Ski Jackets, Best Women’s Ski Pants, Best Men’s Ski Jackets, and Best Men’s Ski Pants stories.
We know skis are often the most fun piece of gear to buy, but we’d argue your boots are the most important. Read our guide to getting the right boot fit to find out more.
And you may think that ski socks are overrated, but we’re here to tell you the opposite. Check out our guide to the Best Ski Socks.
Still in need of gear? We’ve got you covered. Read more on goggles, helmets, poles, and gloves.
What is the purpose of this guide?
We find that a lot of beginners aren't sure what gear to buy when they get into an activity. We often get questions not about a specific model, but whether something is by a "good brand."
Our goal with these stories–like our Guide to the Best Snowboarding Brands–is to make beginner-friendly articles that highlight the best brands (or at least well-established, reputable brands) for folks new to skiing.
Alternatively, for folks new to the US who may be unfamiliar with the big brands here, this can be a guide to help understand what is available locally for skiers of their level. This series of articles should help readers make more confident decisions on where to look for gear by providing insights (Treeline style) along with quick facts about each brand.
About the author / Why you should trust us
A true mountain dweller, Stasia feels far more at home on a high alpine ridge than on a busy city street. She’s worked as a backpacking guide in Southeast Alaska, has held WFR, AIARE 1, AIARE 2, and Avalanche Rescue Certifications and is working to become an avalanche education instructor. She’s now a full time writer and editor in the outdoor space and has been testing and writing about gear for over a decade.
Stasia grew up in northern Utah where she learned to ski not long after she learned to walk. She’s since spent every winter on snow, skiing in places from Alaska to Japan, with plenty of turns taken around her home in Summit County, Colorado. She gets out to ski multiple times a week throughout the season, no matter the weather and conditions. That means she’s used her gear in everything from bluebird days to full-on storms and whiteouts, and along with anyone who skis in the Tenmile range, plenty of wind.
She’s been testing ski gear for over a decade and has had the pleasure of riding skis from every brand in this review at some point in her time as a skier.
You can read more from Stasia on her author page.
