Ah, the days of steel skis. Those were the days when you cornered with body english and deep carbides. Then plastic ski skins came along and helped protect the ski bottoms from wear, but no real profiles came out that did anything to help turn. There have been many strides in skis over the last 10 years and now plastic skis are the norm. But are all plastic skis equal? In a word – no. Some skis have deep center keels, some have outer edge keels, some are just plain ugly and some are fancy. When it comes to OEM skis, the Ski-Doo Pilot 5.7 stands out. This ski just plain works. It might be a combination of the front-end geometry, but the ski won’t push in the corners and holds a straight line very well. They work even better if you put on the outside carbides. Yes, for a stock ski, the Pilots are the ticket.