Praxis BC — Review

The Praxis BC is a dedicated backcountry touring ski from Praxis, a boutique brand that hand-crafts its skis in the Sierra Nevada near Lake Tahoe. Like the rest of the Praxis line, it is sold by flex number and can be custom-ordered to suit your weight and skiing style. The BC — short for backcountry — is built around one clear idea: give a touring skier a genuinely light, floaty 106mm ski that is easy to move uphill and forgiving to turn on the way down. It comes in 160, 170, 180 and 190 cm lengths with a constant 131/106/121 mm sidecut.

On the skin track the BC is where it wants to be. Per-ski weights of roughly 1470 g at 160 cm rising to 1810 g at 190 cm keep the swing weight low, so kick-turns and long climbs feel unfussy. The 106 mm waist gives real float when you drop into soft, unconsolidated backcountry snow, and the modest tip rocker helps the shovel plane up rather than dive. Turn radii are short for the class — 18 m at 160 through 26 m at 190 — and combined with a smaller sidecut this gives quick, smooth turn initiation. In variable snow, crust and wind-affected pockets, the ski pivots and slarves willingly rather than fighting you. It rewards a light, active touring style: stay centred, let the rocker do the work, and it links turns cleanly with very little effort.

The BC uses an ultralight wood core reinforced with carbon fibre, topped with a cherry structural veneer. That veneer is not just cosmetic — it acts as a composite layer that adds stiffness while saving weight, which is central to how Praxis hits such low mass without going fully foam-cored. Camber is low at 5 mm, paired with a modest tip rocker, so the ski still holds a light edge on firmer snow but releases and smears easily. Sidecut is a constant 131/106/121 mm across all four lengths, with radius scaling by size: 160 = 18 m, 170 = 20 m, 180 = 23 m, 190 = 26 m. Being sold by flex number means you can dial the stiffness to your build rather than accepting a single stock spec.

This is a ski for the human-powered skier who prioritises the up as much as the down: ski mountaineers, spring tourers and anyone chasing soft snow far from a lift. If you want a lighter, narrower carbon rocket, the Black Diamond Helio Carbon 115 is the pure-speed touring benchmark, while the Armada Locator 104 sits at a similar waist with a slightly more freeride-leaning feel. The DPS Pagoda Tour CFL 105 is the closest direct rival — a carbon 105 built for the same skin-up, ski-down mission. If you want a heavier, more planted Praxis for resort and pow days, look at the Praxis GPO instead.

Pros

• Very low per-ski weight makes long skins and kick-turns easy.
• 106mm waist floats soft, unconsolidated backcountry snow well.
• Quick, smooth turn initiation from the smaller sidecut and tip rocker.
• Custom flex-by-number ordering tailors the ski to your build.
• Cherry veneer construction saves weight without feeling flimsy.

Cons

• The ultralight carbon build is less damp and planted than heavier skis in chop and at speed.
• A touring-first ski, not a resort charger for hard, fast piste days.
• Boutique, made-to-order pricing sits above mass-market touring skis.

Verdict: The Praxis BC is a purpose-built touring ski that plays to its strengths honestly: it is light enough to make the climb enjoyable and floaty and forgiving enough to make the descent fun. It is not the ski for pinning it down a firm groomer, but as a soft-snow, human-powered tool it is a compelling, personalisable choice — especially if the flex-by-number and hand-built Tahoe pedigree appeal.