Each year, hard-working snow sports journalists spend their summer hours compiling gear test scores and combing their thesauruses for innovative ways to describe some planks of wood with a bunch plastic and metal so that in the fall the skiers and riders of the world can drool over the glossy pages and decide which pair is going to make them the best rider on the mountain.

Generally these guides include a section dedicated to women’s specific gear, which is often a yawn-fest of jargon about how women need skis that are softer, smaller and better suited for sticking to the groomers.

But this year, Powder Magazine blew that shit out of the water with the most honest women’s gear review we’ve ever read:

“A women’s ski is not for every female skier, however. Most of the female skiers at Powder Week gravitate toward unisex or men’s skis simply because they find robust boards more suited to their aggressive skiing styles. Give thought to your skiing and what you are looking to achieve from the sport. If carving beats couloir searching, there is a women’s ski to fit your style. If you tend to seek out steeps, skiing a unisex model may be a better option." —Hannah Victory, POWDER Union member

Hannah, you nailed it! Female skiers don’t all ski the same terrain so why do companies keep insisting that we all want the same type of ski? We don’t! and that’s exactly what we’re doing here at Coalition Snow – designing different women’s skis for different women.

TWEET THIS: Are the best skis for women who rip men's skis?

Gear Test reviews are often perks for paying advertisers. It’s a publisher’s way of saying “Thank you” to the companies that help keep our favorite magazines in business. Paying for advertising doesn’t guarantee that a brand will get a positive review – it only means that they are eligible to participate in a review session. We didn’t purchase advertising so we didn’t participate in the review.

But, we’re dying to hear how the ladies of Powder Union compare Coalition Snow’s skis and boards to other women’s gear. If you ever want to take them out for a rip, drop us a line here.