Line Influence 105 (2012)

Review: The damp, powerful Influence 105 promises all-conditions versatility and delivers, putting up solid scores across all criteria. Testers pegged it as a great everyday ski for Westerners who care about on-piste performance, though one of our lighter, more agile testers warned that it requires some weight and/or aggressiveness. It prefers trees, chutes and rock bands, with enough width for all but the deepest. "These make it easy," said Lewis. "Super-smooth in long turns; tiger-quick in trees." Notes: Like the Influence 115, the 105 is new this year, designed for an equal split between powder and all-mountain performance. The tip is subtly rockered (4 mm over the foremost 25 cm of the ski), which should smooth the ride all over the mountain and keep it responsive on hardpack. Like the 115, it's metal-reinforced for edge-grip, dampness and durability, but it's a cap, not sidewall, construction on a wood core, which is designed to make it more forgiving.