Gear Review: Liberty Envy Powder Skis

It used to be that women’s-specific skis were just downsized men’s skis dressed up with a pretty topsheet. But over the years, manufacturers have zeroed in on three key qualities that make a ski more female-friendly. They’re lighter, making them more maneuverable in all terrain for women’s typically smaller, less powerful frames. They generally reward finesse over power. And the waist and binding-mount point are farther forward to better match a woman’s lower center of gravity. With the Envy, you get two of these qualities (keep reading to learn about Liberty’s innovative mount) and more in a powder ski that every female tester in our crew wanted to keep. All credited its smooth handling, even flex, and ability to hold an edge through big turns in questionable conditions.

The Envy features a handmade bamboo core (lightweight, lively), woven fiberglass construction (for torsional stability and excellent terrain absorption), and a progressive “new school” mounting point, (a slight departure from the “traditional women’s mount,” that balances the skier dead center on the board for greater fluidity). “For a ski this fat (105mm at waist), I never felt overpowered,” said one tester after pushing it through “super-gnarly” sun crust at the end of a challenging day in Colorado. “The sidecut popped me from one turn into another, while its wide tip busted through inch-thick cloud crust.”

The skis come in just two lengths—156 and 167—and benefit from Liberty’s proprietary “stealth rocker,” a combination of a flat tail, underfoot camber, and a gradual tip rise, which helps it float in all conditions.

$639

7 lbs. 4 oz. (167cm); 156cm (135/105/125), 167cm (135/105/122)

libertyskis.com