I'd say snow shoes. Skis require special footwear and a certain minimum skill set. You don't want to learn the finer points of skiing in an emergency.

As for the particular kind of ski (if you're into that sort of thing:)



Really, in an emergency - do you really think you will be facing steep and fun skiing terrain? Au contraire, you'd want to make your route as efficient and boring as possible. Tele/rando with skins are a drag to walk with on flat surfaces.

If you want to use skis, use regular skis intended for off-track use. We call those "mountain skis" around here. They will typically be 50 to 60 mm at their widest point. You'd want a steel edge (full or 3/4 length) and footwear and bindings that are comfortable, robust and reliable.

That setup is MUCH more comfortable and energy efficient than tele/randone or snow shoes, and will work well both on and off tracks (the tracks are typically less wide than 60 mm, but will wear out quickly so 60mm actually fits most tracks). The wider skis and more robust bindings/boots also gives you MUCH better controll and downhill capabilities than x-country skiis for groomed tracks.

But in reality - if you don't know what kind of skis you'd want to use you are probably much better off using snow shoes.