With so many different options to choose from these days, ski companies have gotten quite creative in the ways they market their products. It’s easy to say we should always base our ski purchasing decisions purely on how the underlying technology best fits our skiing styles and not the topsheet, but I’d be naive to say that’s always how things work.

Whether we’re looking to buy new skis or just window shopping, it’s fun to see all the unique and expressive designs ski companies and their collaborators put together each year. Sometimes the results are quite comical, or just awful, but others grab the eye and pull you in. This list honors the skis from this year that capture that unique allure. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. The 4FRNT Hoji and Hoji CC

The Hoji, designed by master tinkerer and freeride icon, Eric Hjorleifson, has been a staple in the 4FRNT lineup for years alongside the renowned Raven and Renegade. These skis are known for helping folks crush powder from the resort to the backcountry, and for the last couple of seasons, 4FRNT has partnered up with artists to bring a new life to Eric’s signature shapes. For the 2021/22 season, 4FRNT teamed up with talented artist Dan McCarthy to create some truly beautiful topsheets for the Hoji and women’s specific Hoji CC that immerse you in the wonders of winter.

2. Moment Bella

Moment is a long-running independent ski company with a well-earned reputation for designing high-quality durable skis to help aggressive riders of all shapes, sizes, and genders reach their maximum potential on the slopes. Whether you’re looking to ski couloirs and drop cliffs in the backcountry, rip groomers to shreds, or tear it up in the park, Moment skis should be high on your list. Moment is also known for having some of the most unique and attention-grabbing topsheet art around, and this year is no different! The Moment Bellas are a women’s-specific powder weapon that immediately grab your eye at first glance and feature one of my favorite topsheet graphics of 2022.

3. ON3P Jeffrey 102 (Trash Can Special Edition)

ON3P is another company like Moment that is well-known for making extremely durable, high-quality skis that cater to strong skiers. On top of the wide variety of different all-mountain, backcountry, and park skis, they also offer custom options for riders to fine-tune their skis to their exact preference. Oh, and did I mention they’re made in the USA in Portland, Oregon?! For this season, ON3P did something special with their men’s all-mountain freestyle Jeffrey 102 ski. To quote ON3P, “We dug wood out of the dumpster, upcycled tf out of it, & built something beautiful.” Make something beautiful they did. These limited edition skis feature a beautiful unique wood veneer finish. No two versions of this special edition ski are identical so if you’re lucky enough to grab one before they sell out, you will have a 1/1 ski that no one else on the mountain will ever have. Get em’ while they’re hot!

4. Nordica Santa Ana 98

The Santa Ana and its variations are Nordica’s lady-specific ski line built for intermediate to expert riders looking for a smooth ride that can hold up to aggressive riding in a variety of conditions. Any ladies lucky enough to click into a pair of Santa Ana’s over the last few seasons know what the hype is all about. For the 2022 season, Nordica updated the topsheet graphics with this minimalist mountainscape with different colorways for each waist width offered. The 98’s colorway is my personal favorite and just so happens to be a waist width that most skiers will enjoy on both coasts and everywhere in between.

5. RMU Valhalla 97

Rocky Mountain Underground is a rider-built company born and bred in Breckenridge, Colorado. They are known for working with the community and their fellow team of athletes to create some fantastic performance-based skis that are also easy on the eyes. The Valhalla is their women’s-specific line designed from the ground up by their female riders for lady rippers looking to tear up the resort and the backcountry. This year’s Valhalla 97 is a thing of beauty, balancing a minimalist design with an aesthetically pleasing color scheme that beckons the eye.

6. Dynastar M-Free

Dynastar has been making skis for more than half a century and has long been known in the race scene as a premium brand. Dynastar has also made leaps and bounds in the freeride scene and has made some truly dynamic, stable, and fun skis. The M-Free series stands out in that it’s a ski that holds up quite well for aggressive skiing on a fairly lightweight platform that is surprisingly surfy and slashy in soft snow and powder. This year’s topsheets with their marbled tip and tail uniquely stand out among other topsheets without utilizing bright colors or flashy graphics in an intriguing and subtle way.

7. J Skis Hotshot

For years now, Jason Levinthal, original founder of Line skis and Full Tilt Boots, has been producing quality, approachable skis in limited quantity that feature unique one-off custom graphics created in collaboration with various artists under the brand name J Skis. This variation of J’s mid-fat and all-mountain ski, the Hotshot is a collaboration with artist Brooks Salzwedel. Brooks drew inspiration for this skis artwork from his childhood in Southern California and hikes through the San Bernardino Mountains. Check out this unique pair of skis before they’re gone!

8. Icelantic Maiden 101 (Grand Teton Edition)

Icelantic Skis, based out of Colorado, are known for their signature “bombproof” design that holds up to years on top of years of abuse. The Maiden is their women’s specific line with the 101 being their middle-of-the-road waist width that can easily serve as a one-ski quiver for ladies riding a wide variety of snow conditions. This special edition topsheet is inspired by the legendary Grand Teton National Park and was designed by Icelantic’s co-founder, Travis Parr. Not only are these limited edition skis beautiful, but 10% of all proceeds are donated to the Grand Teton National Park Foundation.

9. Rossignol Blackops Gamer

The Rossignol Blackops Gamer, formerly known as the Blackops 118, is a powder behemoth. Originally designed years ago in conjunction with Rossignol’s dynamic duo Parker White and Chris Logan, not much has changed with the Blackops over the years besides the topsheets and that’s a good thing. Although the top sheets may have changed over the years, they’ve always kept a subtle, dark, mystique about them. 2022’s topsheets are no different. One of the most sought-after powder skis, these are perfect for aggressive powder skiers who love to go fast.

10. Season Eqpt Forma

Season Eqpt is the brainchild of professional skier and industry legend Eric Pollard and professional snowboarder Austin Smith. Their intention with creating their own combined brand of skis and snowboards was to merge the world of the two snowsports and provide a straightforward product that doesn’t change from year to year and encourages riders to nurture and preserve their gear year in and year out in order to help address sustainability issues with the snowsports industry. An ambitious tagline to say the least, but if there’s anyone that can do it, ski industry pioneer and innovator Eric Pollard seems more than fit for the task! Anyone that read last year's 10 Most Unique Ski Graphics of the 2021 Season by fellow Ski Expert Conor Doyle might recognize the topsheet of this year’s final entry. That is because part of Season Eqpt’s push to encourage sustainable practices is to utilize one, unchanging topsheet across all ski and snowboard models. Season’s all-black topsheet is subtly intriguing and when it comes with free tunes for life from EVO, it’s quite hard to ignore.

I’d love to say shopping for skis is as easy as picking a cool topsheet and throwing it in the cart, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. If you're looking for a shiny new set of sticks to get you down the mountain this year, give a shout to one of Curated’s Ski Expert like myself! We are an awesome bunch of people who’ve been around the block or two when it comes to shopping for gear. We’ll be sure to get you fitted with the perfect setup that’s right for you!