The Fischer Big Stix, with its girth-busting width and gradual tip rocker, featured some of the best flat out floatation of any ski we tested. It felt like a pair of pontoons surfing the powder, and loved to make medium radius turns like it was plowing through a boat’s wake. Stable at speed, and easy to steer through the crud and mank, it can absolutely eat up off-piste terrain for strong skiers who like to surf through the powder.

It does take some committment to bring these boards around, and they are definitely not the most jib-friendly, quickly responsive skis in this category. Recommended for cat-skiing or backcountry days when the snow is deep, it’s hard to imagine skiing these lift-served on a regular basis, except for on those new storm days when patrol is throwing bombs and dropping ropes.