Best Ski Brands: A Guide to the Major Ski Makers
By Justin McKelvey · Updated
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Short answer: there's no single best ski brand. Every major maker sells skis for beginners, groomers, and powder, so the right brand is the one whose lineup fits how and where you ski. This guide covers the major makers and what each is known for, so you can pick a starting point.
How to pick a brand
The ski matters more than the logo. Length, waist width, profile, and construction decide how a ski behaves, and nearly every brand below covers the full range from soft beginner skis to wide powder skis. Use brand to narrow your search, not as a ranking.
- Start with your terrain. Some brands grew out of racing, others out of freeride or freestyle skiing, and their lineups still reflect that history.
- Get your size first. The ski size calculator gives you a length range from your height, weight, and ability.
- Pick a category. If you ski the whole mountain, our all-mountain ski guide explains waist widths and what to look for before you compare brands.
- Learn the profile terms. Brands name their camber and rocker shapes differently. The camber vs rocker guide explains what they do.
The major ski brands
Rossignol
Abel Rossignol made his first wooden skis in his workshop in Voiron, France, in 1907. Laurent Boix-Vives bought the company in 1956, and it grew into one of the largest ski makers in the world. Rossignol makes skis for a wide range of skiers, from beginners to experts. Rossignol skis
Salomon
Salomon was founded in 1947 in Annecy, in the French Alps, where it started out making ski edges in a small family workshop. Adidas owned it from 1997 until 2005, when it was sold to Amer Sports. Today Salomon makes skis, boots, and bindings, along with a wide range of outdoor gear. Salomon skis
Atomic
Alois Rohrmoser, a young wheelwright, founded Atomic in Austria's Salzburg region in 1955, and its main factory is in Altenmarkt im Pongau. Atomic has been part of Amer Sports since 1994. It makes skis, boots, and bindings, so it is easy to put together a full setup from one brand. Atomic skis
K2
Brothers Bill and Don Kirschner founded K2 on Vashon Island, Washington, in 1962. K2 is known for pioneering fiberglass skis, which were lighter and livelier than the wood and metal skis of the time. The company moved its business office to Seattle in 2006. K2 skis
Völkl
Völkl is based in Straubing, Bavaria, where the family business began producing skis in 1923. It is described as Germany's largest remaining ski manufacturer, and it still builds skis in Germany. Völkl skis
Head
Aeronautical engineer Howard Head founded the Head Ski Company in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1950, and its Head Standard was one of the first successful metal-and-wood composite skis. Head builds skis in Kennelbach, Austria, and the company is also well known for tennis rackets. Head skis
Blizzard
Anton "Toni" Arnsteiner built his first skis in a family carpentry workshop in Mittersill, Austria, in 1945. Blizzard became part of the Italian Tecnica Group in 2006–2007, and its skis are still designed and made in Mittersill. Blizzard skis
Nordica
Brothers Adriano and Oddone Vaccari founded Nordica in Montebelluna, Italy, in 1939. The brand made its name in ski boots, including early plastic and injection-molded designs, and it introduced its first skis in 2000. Nordica is part of the Tecnica Group, the same group as Blizzard. Nordica skis
Elan
Elan was founded in 1945 in Begunje na Gorenjskem, Slovenia, and is still based there. It is known for the SCX, a ski with a much deeper sidecut than the skis of its day, which helped bring shaped, carving skis into the mainstream in the 1990s. Elan skis
Fischer
Josef Fischer Sr. founded Fischer in 1924 in Ried im Innkreis, Upper Austria, and the company is still headquartered there and family-owned. Fischer makes alpine skis and boots, and it is especially well known for cross-country (nordic) skis. Fischer skis
Line
Jason Levinthal started Line in 1995 in New York while he was a college student, first making short skiboards. Line went on to help popularize full-length twin-tip skis for freestyle and park skiing. It's a common starting point for skiers who want a playful, freestyle-oriented ski. Line skis
Black Crows
Pro skiers Camille Jaccoux and Bruno Compagnet founded Black Crows in Chamonix, France, in 2006. Its first model, the Corvus, launched in Chamonix that December. The brand focuses on freeride and backcountry skis, and the name refers to the alpine chough, a black bird common around Chamonix. Black Crows skis
DPS
Stephan Drake and engineer Peter Turner founded DPS, short for Drake Powderworks, in Salt Lake City in 2005. The brand is known for carbon-fiber skis and for wide, rockered powder skis like its early Lotus 138. DPS skis
Summary table
| Brand | Based in | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Rossignol | France | Making skis since 1907 |
| Salomon | Annecy, France | Skis, boots, and bindings; part of Amer Sports |
| Atomic | Altenmarkt im Pongau, Austria | Skis, boots, and bindings; Amer Sports |
| K2 | Seattle, Washington, USA | Fiberglass ski pioneer, founded 1962 |
| Völkl | Straubing, Germany | Skis built in Germany since 1923 |
| Head | Kennelbach, Austria (ski production) | Early metal composite skis; also tennis |
| Blizzard | Mittersill, Austria | Skis made in Mittersill; Tecnica Group |
| Nordica | Montebelluna area, Italy | Ski boots first, skis since 2000 |
| Elan | Begunje, Slovenia | The SCX shaped carving ski |
| Fischer | Ried im Innkreis, Austria | Family-owned; strong in nordic skiing |
| Line | USA | Twin-tip freestyle skis |
| Black Crows | Chamonix, France | Freeride and backcountry skis |
| DPS | Salt Lake City, Utah, USA | Carbon skis and powder shapes |
Next steps
Pick two or three brands with skis in your category, check your length with the ski size chart, and demo if you can. Two skis with the same dimensions from different brands can feel quite different on snow.
Sources
- Skis Rossignol S.A., Encyclopedia.com
- Snow Industry News on Laurent Boix-Vives
- Salomon Group, Wikipedia
- Atomic Skis, Wikipedia
- Atomic, company page
- K2 Sports, Wikipedia
- HistoryLink, K2 Corporation history
- Völkl, history
- Völkl, Wikipedia
- Head (company), Wikipedia
- Head, the story of Head
- Blizzard Sport, Wikipedia
- Tecnica Group, Blizzard
- Nordica (company), Wikipedia
- Nordica, about us
- Elan (company), Wikipedia
- Elan Alpine Skiing Museum, Culture.si
- Fischer (company), Wikipedia
- Skiing History, Josef Fischer
- Line Skis, Wikipedia
- Line, history of Line Skis
- Black Crows, our story
- Black Crows Skis, Wikipedia
- DPS Skis, who we are
- Ski Magazine, DPS Skis story
FAQ
What is the best ski brand?
There is no single best ski brand. Rossignol, Salomon, Atomic, Völkl, Head, Blizzard, Nordica, and the other major makers all sell skis for beginners, all-mountain skiing, and powder. Choose the right type and length of ski first, then compare models from a few brands.
Which ski brands are from Austria?
Atomic, Blizzard, and Fischer are Austrian brands, and Head makes its skis in Kennelbach, Austria. Völkl is German, Rossignol, Salomon, and Black Crows are French, Nordica is Italian, and Elan is Slovenian.
Are Blizzard and Nordica the same company?
They are separate brands owned by the same parent, the Italian Tecnica Group. Blizzard skis are made in Mittersill, Austria, while Nordica is based in Italy and is best known for ski boots.