Choosing a Park Ski: The Top 10 Rail Skis

Hey, team! Today we’re going to talk about the best trick skis for jibbing up the park and shredding some rails. If you’re looking to grind everything that you can, from the park to trees in the backcountry, there will be something for you on this list. They will be graded on their ability to grind, how well they do in the rest of the park, and how well they do on the rest of the mountain. Now that we’ve got our rankings cleared up, let’s get to the list!

10. K2 Sight

• Stated Dimensions: 116-88-110 mm
• Core: Aspen/Carbon Fiber/Fiberglass Laminate

Overview: 8.7

The middle child in K2’s freestyle skiing line, the K2 Sight is a great option for someone looking to get all-mountain performance out of their park skis. Weighing in at 1,929 grams per ski at 179 cm, these rippers from K2 are pretty hardy due to the carbon fiber added to that aspen core. They are a great option for a great price for someone a little stronger and more experienced without breaking the bank.

Rail Performance: 8.5

With the heaviest swing weight on the list, these skis will be harder to rotate when getting in and out of rails. Even with that higher swing weight, these skis still perform surprisingly well.

Park Performance: 9.0

At 88 mm underfoot, the K2 Sight will provide more than enough platform to launch yourself off of booters and other features throughout the park. Even with that higher swing weight, the tapered design of the sights results in easier recovery on landings that some other skis might slip out on.

All-Mountain Performance: 8.7

With the tapered design as mentioned earlier and nose width of 116 mm, the Sight skis will provide ample performance throughout the mountain, allowing for quick transitions from edge to edge. This quality freeride ski from K2 will have you shredding in style all day long.

9. Völkl Bash 86

• Stated Dimensions: 120-86-110 mm
• Core: Poplar/Beech

Overview: 8.8

At 86 mm underfoot, this is slightly thinner than the K2 Sight and just as park-oriented. Designed for the newer park rider looking to increase their ability level, these are a great budget option from Völkl. With their poplar and beech core, the Bash 86s are designed with Völkl’s “Butterzone,” which allows for both easier butters and transitions to skiing switch and back.

Rail Performance: 8.8

As mentioned earlier, the Bash is a great option for someone just getting into park skiing. They are a great option for learning on with their super durable base and lighter swing weight, weighing in at 1,750 grams on the 172 cm option. The lighter swing weight results in easier transitions on rails and a blast overall.

Park Performance: 9.0

The Bash 86s also feature Völkl’s “Butterzone,” a feature that results in the ski being easier to both butter and transition between skiing switch and regular. Because of that “Butterzone,” the Bash 86s end up being a great option for someone looking for a ski to learn how to rip the park on!

All-Mountain Performance: 8.6

Coming in as one of the thinnest options on our list, the Bash 86 is definitely one of the most park-oriented skis on our list. However, that doesn’t mean that it can’t rip up the rest of the mountain. With their super playful tips, the Bash 86 results in tons of fun all over the mountain.

8. Line Tom Wallish Pro

• Stated Dimensions: 118-90-116 mm
• Core: Maple Macroblock with Carbon Ollieband

Overview: 8.9

This ski from the Line family is inspired and designed by X-Games Gold Medalist Tom Wallish. In cooperation with this world-renown athlete, Line has created one of the best all-around skis on the market for the terrain park. At 90 mm underfoot, with a swing weight of only 1,800 grams at 178 cm, this lightweight performer will let you shred all day, every day, with ease.

Rail Performance: 8.7

At 90 mm underfoot, this has more than enough platform for you to land on, with more than enough stability on the rails. This ski has a stiffer flex pattern than the Sight above, resulting in it being harder to press on the rails. However, it still isn’t super difficult. With Line’s “Fatty Base” edge, they have great durability throughout multiple park runs, pow, and bumps and will stand the season’s rigor.

Park Performance: 9.2

Being designed by one of the best freestyle skiers of the time, the Tom Wallish Pros are definitely built to perform all throughout the park. With a slightly stiffer flex pattern than the Sights, the Tom Wallish Pros are still super playful and great for buttering and popping off booters at any axis.

All-Mountain Performance: 9.0

At 118 mm in the nose, these aren’t much wider than the Sights and are much more park-oriented. With that being said, they still perform well on the rest of the mountain. You can see the ability to lay them onto edges in the park translate grip over to the rest of the mountain when skiing groomers and moguls.

7. Völkl Revolt 95

• Stated Dimensions: 129-95-119 mm
• Core: Aspen/Maple

Overview: 9.1

The Revolt by Völkl is a great value option for someone looking for a great all-mountain and park ski alike. With the aspen and maple core, these skis are softer than traditional Völkls while still maintaining the Völkl staples at its core. With a huge effective edge, these skis are great for carving the whole mountain.

Rail Performance: 8.8

Being the widest skis that we have looked at so far, these still aren’t the heaviest. Coming in at 1,920 grams in the 173 cm option, these are around the middle of the pack in terms of swing weight. Because of their softer flex, these are much easier to butter and press both on the rails and off.

Park Performance: 9.0

Because of that super long effective edge, these skis are rippers off of booters and jumps. However, because of that softer flex, they do have a slight tendency to wash out when you land backseat. Even though they can wash out every now and then, they are great park skis with huge all-mountain capability.

All-Mountain Performance: 9.5

At 95 mm underfoot, the Revolt 95 skis give a beautiful float over softer snow; this makes them a much better all-mountain performer than the options above. With that being said, they also have some of the longest effective edges on the market, resulting in a great park ski that can also shred the rest of the mountain with ease!

6. Faction Prodigy 2

• Stated Dimensions: 127-98-119mm
• Core: Poplar

Overview: 9.25

The middle child of Faction’s Prodigy line, the 2 is an all-mountain beast with tons of park capabilities. At 98 mm underfoot, the Prodigy 2 features a poplar core to keep weight down while still maintaining a soft and snappy feel throughout the ski.

Rail Performance: 8.9

Because of that poplar core and its 98 mm base, the Prodigy 2 is a great landing pad on 50/50s and has a great ability to butter and smear when you want it to. With super-easy transitions from rail to rail, this option from Faction will leave you wanting to grind pipes all day long.

Park Performance: 9.1

Even with that soft flex for butters, it still has more than enough strength under the foot for hard-charging booters, box slides, soft snow, as well as other runs throughout the mountain. Even though it has a wider waist width than the other skis we’ve looked at so far, the weight of the Prodigy 2 is still fairly low, coming in at 1,750 grams at 171 cm, resulting in a super low swing weight that is tons of fun throughout the day.

All-Mountain Performance: 9.8

As mentioned earlier, at 98 underfoot, the Prodigy 2 really does start to blend the line between all-mountain skis and park skis. While it is still a park-oriented ski, I would say that it is best for turning the whole mountain into your park. With a great ability to float on soft snow off-piste and being lightweight, this is a great option for intermediate skiers looking for a one-ski quiver.

5. Line Honey Badger

• Stated Dimensions: 120-92-116 mm
• Core: Aspen

Overview: 9.3

Shifting back towards thinner skis, the Honey Badger is a super playful option from Line that is oriented towards the park skier who is looking for something to butter and jib while still performing on the rails. While it’s super playful, the Honey Badger isn’t a noodle. While they are soft enough that I wouldn’t recommend them on large jumps, they will definitely hold their own on smaller and more average-sized booters.

Rail Performance: 9.2

As I said earlier, The Honey Badger is Line’s niche ski for someone looking for a playful park ski that is going to perform on the rails. It has a super low swing weight, weighing in at 1,661 grams; the Honey Badger is one of the lightest skis on the market. Because of this seemingly non-existent swing weight, they are great on transitions, resulting in a ski that has you grinding until your legs fall off.

Park Performance: 9.4

The Honey Badger is oriented toward the customer that wants a ski that will perform on the rails and throughout the park, and it does exactly that! With its super light swing weight and super playful tips and tails, the Honey Badger will be fully lapping the park all day long.

All-Mountain Performance: 9.3

Coming in at slightly thinner and more playful than the Prodigy 2.0 and Edollo, this ski is much more park-oriented. However, that doesn’t mean that it can’t perform on the rest of the mountain. It’s still super playful outside of the park and a great option for someone who is spending most of their time in the park while still playing on the rest of the mountain.

4. Armada Edollo

• Stated Dimensions: 133-98-123mm
• Core: Poplar/Ash

Overview: 9.4

Designed and used by X-Games Gold athlete and free-skiing legend, Henrik Harlaut, the Armada Edollo was made to be THE overall park ski in Armada’s line. Based on Harlaut’s style of skiing, the Edollo is made to have softer tips and tails for super playful nose and tail-butters. However, with those super playful tips and tails, you don’t lose stability on large jumps and booters.

Rail Performance: 9.4

With the 98 mm platform underfoot, the Edollo have a great platform for 50/50s and presses. Even with those super playful tips and tails, the Edollo doesn’t feel like it is going to wash out when doing presses on the tips.

Park Performance: 9.5

Harlaut is known for his butters and playfulness both all over the park and all over the mountain, and that shines through in this ski. With a super smeary front and back edge, the Edollo truly shines when you start looking at the mountain like a playground.

All-Mountain Performance: 9.4

While this is generally a park ski, it still has more than enough ability to rip the rest of the mountain. With 98 mm underfoot, this ski will give you more than enough float on softer snow. Even with their softer tips and tails, the Edollo provides more than enough support throughout the mountain. However, it can get a little squirrely while hard-charging.

3. Armada ARV 86

• Stated Dimensions: 118-86-112 mm
• Core: Poplar/Ash

Overview: 9.5

Coming in at #3 on our list is the Armada ARV 86. The ARV 86 is the thinnest ski in Armada’s ARV line, giving it all of the qualities of its popular larger brothers while staying at the lightest swing weight in the line. Weighing in at 1,600 grams at 177 cm, the ARV 86 is one of the lightest skis on our list.

Rail Performance: 9.6

The ARV line from Armada is one of the most popular park skis in America, and for good reason. From that ARV line you are getting all of the performance given by the ARV line, such as superior build quality and great smear/butter-ability. From the ARV 86, you’re getting all of that in a smaller package, resulting in easy transitions with tons of pop. When grinding the rails on the ARV 86, you never feel like you’re going to catch an edge. They are a great option for someone looking for a thinner park option.

Park Performance: 9.7

As mentioned above, the ARV 86 is the smallest option in the ARV line, but it doesn’t feel inferior to the larger options. Even at its smaller stature, it never fails to give the results that you are looking for—from butters to booters, the ARV 86 will do it all.

All-Mountain Performance: 9.2

Because of that thinner waist, the ARV 86 has a little less all-mountain orientation than the Edollo or Prodigy 2.0, but it still performs very well outside of the park. With its snappy poplar and ash core and smeary tips and tails, this option is tons of fun both inside and outside of the park.

2. Faction Prodigy 1

• Stated Dimensions: 120-88-112 mm
• Core: Poplar/Ash

Overview: 9.7

The baby brother of the Prodigy 2, the Prodigy 1 has all of the best parts of the 2 in a smaller, lighter package, resulting in one of the best park skis of all time. The combination of poplar and ash in the core results in a stiffer and more snappy version of the 1 that still performs on the rest of the mountain.

Rail Performance: 9.6

Building off of the performance of the Prodigy 2, the 1 provides all of the same feel of the 2 on the rails while providing a slightly smaller package that is easier to swing and transition. Because of its 1,640-gram weight at 170 cm, the Prodigy 1 feels stable underneath your foot while still swinging with ease.

Park Performance: 9.8

With that light swing weight and playful feel of the poplar, as well as the strength that’s given by the ash underfoot, the Prodigy 1 is a beast in the park. Allowing for simple transitions between rails and the ability to throw butters with ease, these park performers will leave you with a smile on your face and some new clips for your park film.

All-Mountain Performance: 9.6

Coming with a lighter weight and a smaller waist, the Prodigy 1 is easier to layover and put onto the edge. The combination of performance and size results in a great all-mountain performer that provides tons of float in soft snow and even more ability to carve on hardpack.

1. Armada Bdog

• Stated Dimensions: 121-94-116.5 mm
• Core: Poplar/Ash

Overview: 9.8

Designed by world-renowned park/street skier Phil Casabon, the Bdog by Armada is THE ski for rails both in the park and on the street. With its poplar and ash core, the Bdog provides an extremely soft-feeling ski that still provides strength and stability throughout the entire ride.

Rail Performance: 9.9

Known for his street riding, Phil Casabon’s riding ability really shows in the Bdog, with the supreme ability to grind rails and anything else that you could think to grind. When transferring between rails, the heavier swing weight of the Bdog provides a stable feel, even in the midst of butters and presses.

Park Performance: 9.8

With super soft tips and tails, the Bdog allows for some of the best buttering that I can find. With a 94 mm waist underfoot, the Bdog provides some of the best landing platforms for freeskiing, allowing for easy turnout when landing sideways on jumps. Overall, the Bdog is arguably the best park ski on the market.

All-Mountain Performance: 9.7

While providing some of the best park skiing on the market, the Bdog can also provide tons of all-mountain performance. At 94 mm underfoot, the Bdog provides more than enough float on soft snow while still handling hard-charging on groomers.

That's my list of the best park skis for rails! If you have any questions about the skis above or want to find the best ski for your needs, reach out to a Ski Expert here on Curated—we'd love to get you prepped for the season!