La Sportiva

Vapor Svelte 2016

Ask most experienced backcountry users about their "go-to" touring ski, and they come back with a width between 95 mm and 100 mm. The La Sportiva Vapor Svelte Skis hit this category squarely with their 96 mm waist and floaty polygonal shape, while bringing the weight down to an amazing 1050 grams per ski (in the 168 cm length). If you're used to traditional "touring" layups with weights in the 1600 gram range, you'll be blown away by how the Vapor Sveltes fly up the skintrack, and pleasantly surprised by their versatile downhill performance too. Built in the good ol' U.S. of A. using carbon nanotube construction and a super light Kevlar-composite core, the Vapor Svelte breaks new ground in the "fast and light" touring category, and it's hard to imagine a finer tool for spring touring where corn is a high probability but pow just . . . might . . . happen.