Women and men aren’t so different, at least when it comes to what they need in a powder ski. The Sheeva 10 and wider Sheeva 11 (112mm underfoot @ 172cm, $840) deliver what both genders are after: a stable foundation that won’t wilt in a crisis and a forgiveness that masks small errors so they don’t become big ones.

The imperturbable center of the Sheevas is a top laminate of Titanal that runs nearly edge-to-edge underfoot but tapers to a blunt tongue that doesn’t quite reach either tip or tail. The extremities are deliberately left loose so they can roll with the punches that crud skiing delivers. By lugging around less Titanal, the Sheeva 10 is not only lighter (duh), it feels quicker to the edge. Its shock-numbing ride is made smoother by unidirectional carbon inserts at tip and tail and carbon stringers locked in glass laminates that run the length of the ski.

McKenzie Coles from Sturtevant’s of Sun Valley calls the Sheeva 10 a “Playful ski. Didn’t feel like too much ski on the groomers. Held an edge nicely.” To keep the Sheeva lively no matter the width or length, the Titanal top sheet varies its dimensions with each ski size. Naturally, the turn radius also changes with each size, so if you want a fat ski with a 13m sidecut, get a Sheeva 10 in a 156cm.

For its high performance/low exertion ratio, we award the Sheeva 10 a Silver Skier Selection.