Skip List vs. Binary Search Tree

Question

I recently came across the data structure known as a skip list. It seems to have very similar behavior to a binary search tree.

Why would you ever want to use a ski

Answer 1

From the Wikipedia article you quoted:

Θ(n) operations, which force us to visit every node in ascending order (such as printing the entire list) provide the opportunity to perform a behind-the-scenes derandomization of the level structure of the skip-list in an optimal way, bringing the skip list to O(log n) search time. [...] A skip list, upon which we have not recently performed [any such] Θ(n) operations, does not provide the same absolute worst-case performance guarantees as more traditional balanced tree data structures, because it is always possible (though with very low probability) that the coin-flips used to build the skip list will produce a badly balanced structure

EDIT: so it's a trade-off: Skip Lists use less memory at the risk that they might degenerate into an unbalanced tree.