You’re probably glancing at that perfect score in the playfulness department— yeah? Well, don’t mistake this thing for a noodle. On the contrary, it’s highly adept in the carving department. Our testers’ primary comments about this ski almost always centered on its downhill performance, with one tester affirming The Metal “carves like a race ski on hardpack and groomers.” This balance of power and play is achieved in part by the implementation of Titanal strips on top of, and below, the maple wood core. The strips of metal don’t extend edge-to-edge nor into the tip and tail of the ski; the result is power, stability and dampening where most of the edge-to-snow contact occurs, without sacrificing swing weight in the tips and tails, lending to maneuverability and play factor. “It’s basically perfect,” said one tester.