J Skis and Giray Dadali Release Asymmetric Pow Ski

Originally posted on Powder | By Max Ritter | Last updated Nov 15, 2024 10:09 AM ET

'Tis the Season of limited-edition skis. J Skis, the brainchild of Line Skis founder and former 4FRNT Skis owner Jason Levinthal, is offering 250 pairs of an all-new ski shape for surfing powder made by Giray Dadali. It's called the Best Friend, and it's pretty weird. With a 118mm waist, a dedicated left and right ski, and lightweight construction, these are meant for surfing deep pow on epic days.

In a social media post, Levinthal shared some of the story behind the ski. He says, "Giray Dadali spent two winters engineering and testing every possible ski shape we could think up on a mission to determine the shape that floats and handles easiest in the pow. The winning shape that beat them all is NOT a fish tail, NOT a pin tail, NOT a round tip or tail. It's ASSYMETRIC! "

The non-standard asymmetric shape isn't new, with production skis like the K2 Marksman and K2 Catamaran most recently using the shape alongside a slew of custom and boutique-brand skis. The basic design principle relies on the fact that the longer inside edge (and larger tip surface area) of your downhill ski will float more, making it easier to stay in control.

J Skis puts words to a problem many unseasoned powder skiers might run into: "The problem with the traditional shape of powder skis is it causes your downhill ski to sink and your uphill ski to rise in deep snow. This separates your legs, making it hard to stay in control and tiring you out way faster than necessary. To solve this problem, we added surface area in specific places and removed it from others. The result is a pair of skis that float naturally on the same plane, helping your legs stay closer together without extra effort. It feels more like riding a single surfboard than two individual skis."

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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