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Coalition SOS Review

Not the powder-puncher we hoped for given the dimensions, but still a good tool for the task
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Coalition SOS Review
Credit: Coalition Snow
Price:  $800 List
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Manufacturer:   Coalition
By Renee McCormack ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Oct 31, 2024
42
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#14 of 16
  • Stability at Speed - 20% 3.0
  • Carving Ability - 20% 3.0
  • Powder Performance - 20% 7.0
  • Crud Performance - 20% 6.0
  • Terrain Playfulness - 15% 2.0
  • Bumps - 5% 2.0

Our Verdict

We had been excited to ski something from this forward-thinking female-led company for some time. While it didn't win any awards, we think there's something to be said for supporting a progressive local business such as this – at least local to us here in the Sierra. The Coalition SOS is a big, burly ski with a huge turned-up tip built for powder and crud; it is less appropriate for on-piste groomers and high speeds. The stick-straight side-cut makes the turn radius feel even bigger than 25 meters, and we didn't love the feel of this ski at those giant slalom race speeds. However, this ski is a reliable partner in the deep and choppy for those keen on fresh snow.
REASONS TO BUY
Wide underfoot
Massive tip rocker
Quality powder and crud tool
REASONS TO AVOID
Unpredictable at speed
Very large turn radius
Editor's Note: We updated the photo for the Coalition SOS on May 24, 2023, to show the current graphics for this ski.

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coalition sos
This Product
Coalition SOS
Awards  Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Women's All-Mountain Ski
Top Pick Award
Most Stable at Speed
Best Buy Award
Great Value for a Powder Ski
Best Buy Award
Best Buy for Intermediates
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Overall Score Sort Icon
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Bottom Line Decent showing in crud and powder, but a strange ski elsewhereThis ski excels at basically everything, in any terrain, except for making a large-radius turnThis powerful ski offers a very smooth ride at top speed, but fumbles a little in tight spaces and with making smaller turnsA blast to ski in fresh snow, mogul fields, and popping around on groomersFor intermediate and advanced skiers looking for something that’s easy on the snow and on the wallet
Rating Categories Coalition SOS Blizzard Black Pear... Volkl Secret 96 Elan Ripstick 94 W Salomon QST Lumen 98
Stability at Speed (20%)
3.0
8.0
9.0
6.0
6.0
Carving Ability (20%)
3.0
9.0
9.0
6.0
6.0
Powder Performance (20%)
7.0
8.0
7.0
9.5
5.0
Crud Performance (20%)
6.0
7.0
8.0
5.0
4.0
Terrain Playfulness (15%)
2.0
10.0
6.0
8.0
7.0
Bumps (5%)
2.0
9.0
4.0
8.0
6.0
Specs Coalition SOS Blizzard Black Pear... Volkl Secret 96 Elan Ripstick 94 W Salomon QST Lumen 98
Length Tested 173 cm 170 cm 170 cm 178 cm 176 cm
Waist Width 105 mm 94 mm 96 mm 94 mm 98 mm
Sidecut (Tip-Waist-Tail Width) 126-105-120 mm 132.5-94-114.5 mm 139-96-121 mm 136-94-110 mm 132-98-120 mm
Turn Radius 25 m 15.5 m 15.2 m 18 m 16 m
Available Lengths 157, 166, 173, 180 cm 152, 158, 164, 170, 176 cm 149, 156, 163, 170, 177 cm 154, 162, 170, 178 cm 152, 160, 168, 176 cm
Camber Profile Rocker tip and tail, mild camber underfoot Rocker tip and tail, camber underfoot Rocker tip and tail, camber underfoot Rocker tip and tail, cambered inside edge, Amphibio tech Rocker tip and tail, camber underfoot
Manufacturer Claimed Weight per Pair 8.8 lbs 7.4 lbs 8.4 lbs 7.4 lbs 8.2 lbs
Core Material Birch wood TrueBlend All Mountain Woodcore (Beech and Poplar), Titinal Multilayer Woodcore (Beech and Poplar), Titinal Tubelite wood Poplar

Our Analysis and Test Results

New Graphics for 2024-2025


The graphics on the Coalition SOS are new (right) from when we last tested this ski (left). However, we've been assured by the team at Coalition Snow that this ski returns unchanged to their lineup. We will be linking to the newest model based on availability.

We hoped for just a bit more from this ski, as we think the company's mission statement is a worthy one, and we love the idea of them making skis built just for women. They're onto a good thing in the realm of powder performance; the SOS just needs some tweaks in other areas to make it truly versatile.

Performance Comparison


coalition sos - while we didn't feel much spring on this ski, it gave us a...
While we didn't feel much spring on this ski, it gave us a dependable landing zone.
Credit: Scott Rokis

Stability at Speed


Our testers had trouble finding the sweet spot of this ski; we thought we were in tune with it, and then it would suddenly buck us out of balance. There is such an incredible amount of rocker in the tips — it's as if the entire front half of the ski is not in contact with the snow. This feature allows the SOS to stay afloat well in fresh snow, but it does not create a feeling of steadiness along the length of the ski when moving at higher speeds. Perhaps because we were skiing such a small effective edge, we often felt thrown off balance with nowhere to recover fore and aft. The limited effective edge length meant less gripping power when we were on firmer snow, leading to a challenging ride on hard-packed steeps or ice.

coalition sos - it was difficult to get used to the very large turn radius, and we...
It was difficult to get used to the very large turn radius, and we often found our outside ski diverging.
Credit: Scott Rokis

Carving Ability


The sidecut of the SOS is almost imperceptible visually, and the published radius is 25 meters, which is quite a bit longer than most skis in the all-mountain range. A 25-meter radius creates a giant slalom-shaped and speed turn (that's pretty big and fast for anyone without Mikaela Shiffron's quads and glutes). Since we didn't love how this ski performed at those speeds, we were not often fully comfortable laying them over into an arced turn. When we did, we noticed that we had to remember to focus pressure for longer on the outside ski, rather than moving inside earlier as we might on a ski with a tighter turn radius. Otherwise, the outside ski would barrel down the mountain on its natural trajectory away from us when we thought we were moving sideways. This ski is quite stiff, but with an unusual flex pattern, so it doesn't have much rebound to speak of.

coalition sos - a 25-meter turn radius makes for a very long, high-speed turn.
A 25-meter turn radius makes for a very long, high-speed turn.
Credit: Scott Rokis

Powder Performance


Powder skiing is where the SOS is most at home. Its supremely rockered tip profile was a liability on hard groomers, but it works like a charm for flotation in deeper snow. The SOS buttered and pivoted easily on the surface of both light freshies and denser Sierra cement. We had hoped that it would be a full-on powder machine, staying perfectly atop the snow at every turn. It wasn't exactly the infallible beast we'd imagined, perhaps because there isn't the distinctive wide shovel to plow a pathway for the rest of the ski. The extreme rocker in the tips, plus the wide 105-millimeter platform underfoot, provided more than adequate buoyancy for us to feel confident landing medium-sized drops in deep snow.

coalition sos - the tip of the coalition sos comes off the snow pretty far back...
The tip of the Coalition SOS comes off the snow pretty far back, making for great flotation but also a smaller usable edge for grip and stability.
Credit: Scott Rokis

Crud Performance


Generally, the SOS's heavy-duty plank-like nature served well in chopped-up snow conditions. Only occasionally did the unpredictable flex pattern knock us off track this type of snow. We appreciated the stiffer qualities of the SOS; one of our testers commented that it was like a “big burly snowcat pushing the chunder around.”

coalition sos - the sos is a crud-busting machine.
The SOS is a crud-busting machine.
Credit: Scott Rokis

Terrain Playfulness


The SOS is far from a lively, lightweight ski. It felt stiff and land-bound, even just skating or walking around on the flats near the chairlift. This ski felt heavy to get airborne, but there was some joy to be found in the solid platform it provided for a landing. In terms of rebound, we received little to no feedback from this ski when we pressured and released it; any kickback we got was too unpredictable to find enjoyment in it.

coalition sos - the extremely rockered tips nearly always stayed above the surface.
The extremely rockered tips nearly always stayed above the surface.
Credit: Scott Rokis

Bumps


This ski is too stiff and heavy-footed to make the agile movements necessary to succeed in a mogul field.

coalition sos - we hoped the tropical-themed topsheets weren't calling forth a warm...
We hoped the tropical-themed topsheets weren't calling forth a warm winter.
Credit: Scott Rokis

Should You Buy the Coalition SOS?


You need to be planning to ski primarily fresh snow or chopped-up powder to make the Coalition SOS a worthwhile investment. But a purchase means you will be supporting a female-oriented, independent ski company. For those living in the Western US, this opportunity to support small, local businesses may be reason alone to adjust your brand loyalties.

What Other Women's All-Mountain Skis Should You Consider?


The Coalition SOS is not a reliable performer on-piste or in the bumps. Frontside carvers should consider the Blizzard Black Pearl 94. If you want to ski powder and bumps, go over to the Nordica Santa Ana 98.

Renee McCormack