 Poster: A snowHead
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Having missed the Oktobertest and in need(!) of new skis, OH is keen to find a proper ski test (rather than just what the local shops have) somewhere near the Grand Massif. It looks as if there is a Ski Force Winter Tour, but it doesn't hit the GM and appears to be only the first weekend of the season in various places, where we'd hope for something in January.
I tripped over the Dynastar test centre on their website, but the page has had a 404 error for several weeks now. And that would only be one brand.
Am I missing something, or is there simply nothing going on?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I am not aware of any such thing locally.
Didn’t the PSB used to coincide with ski testing?
What’s wrong with local offerings?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@under a new name, local shops always have their favourites rather than a proper mix. Oktobertest would have been ideal.......
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@sj1608, why us that necessarily a problem? Also more than one lical shop...
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@under a new name, because most shops stock a limited range. Have you ever been to an Oktobertest to understand just what it offers?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Timc, thanks for that. If there's snow we'll be in GM by that time, so could make it.
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@sj1608, yeah sure, but...
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@sj1608, Au Vieux Campeur do ski test days but they're not well publicised. I got invited to one at (I think) La Clusaz by the Albertville store a couple of seasons ago but couldn't make it. Would be worth contacting the Sallanches store to ask if they have any planned nearer the GM. https://www.auvieuxcampeur.fr/boutiques/Sallanches
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| under a new name wrote: |
I am not aware of any such thing locally.
Didn’t the PSB used to coincide with ski testing?....... |
Yes. I chose my present skis at one.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Raceplate, thanks for that. I always forget about Vieux Campeur, even though they are close to us, and had no idea they did ski test days.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@sj1608, duh, I have been to a PSB. I'm still kind of unsure what your need are. We did some pretty extensive testing last season, but constrained - if that's the case - to the bro in law's shop. We still had 5 models (of ski) to play with. Bizarrely, despite being of similar height, build and ability, the wif and I totally disagreed on skis...
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@under a new name, 5 different skis is nothing like the range that Admin lines up for Oktobertest. Until we'd done an Oktobertest it wolud never have occurred to me that it was worth trying so many different ones.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@admin, we were really sorry we couldn't make it this year, having found it so useful before. Would be very happy to buy skis through Snowheads if that helped you get enough clout to do ski tests at bashes.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The Ski Force Winter Tour is very good for trying out a lot of different skis - but yes, always early in the season, and limited resorts.
If you're in a resort while the Freeride World Tour is there, there is free ski testing over the weekend too, generally with quite a few different brands - though of course all mountain and offpiste biased. I first came across Whitedot because of the FWT in Verbier, and I've bought skis from another brand after testing them at the FWT in Chamonix.
Black crows also sponsor a weekend in Cham, with of course ski testing of their own brand.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Quote: |
worth trying so many different ones
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@sj1608, Did you not just find it confusing? We were pretty targeted on what we were trying to achieve, i.e. replace defunct Völkl Mantras, ideally with something that did the same sort of job. The only skis we didn't try, that I had in mind were the Nordica Enforcers, Kastle's equivalent and something from Black Crows (we could have put more effort in on the last one).
But 5 models in different sizes and beginning to lose patience with the process. Would argue that testing more than one or two skis in a day is not so worthwhile - mind you, it too 100m on the Elans to know immediately they weren't up to the task.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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The ski testing at Avoriaz last year was great, all the manufacturers were there, with every model of ski. There was no waiting around, you just wandered up to a tent, told them what you wanted and were off skiing again within 5 mins. I was surprised by how quiet it was. I'm going again this year, flying out for the weekend on Easyjet for £40 return and with free ski hire all w/e it makes for a cheap 2 days skiing.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@under a new name, no, far from confusing. The process of trying very quickly gets you focused on what works and what doesn't. And it's way more efficient than having to keep going back to a shop, where you have to keep waiting around for the next ones. At Oktobertest everything is lined up to make sure you're off the snow for the minimum time.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@sj1608, I am going to gareeably disagree  while we had a lot of fun years ago at one of the early PSBs which coincided with a big test on the LDA glacier, if I had been looking for new skis it wouldn't have been much of an advantage. In this particular situation.
But it was fun... and we did try lots of things...
I just am unconvinced that having a whole load of different things is helpful, .. . if you know broadly what sort of thing you're looking for.
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@under a new name, happy to agreeably disagree!
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Oh you two! Don't you know this is the internet: have you learned nothing from the Brexit thread? You should be TYPING IN CAPITALS and mispellin sw34r words by now.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Quote: |
have you learned nothing from Brexit?
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Has anyone? 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| admin wrote: |
Spyderjon taking a more active interest in the tests has certainly proved beneficial.
If we could only find some way to make it worthwhile for him to bunk off 'normal' work for 2 or 3 of his busiest days of the year in December!!  |
Would it not make more sense to do it at the end of the season, when everyone is otherwise just working out how much discount to add to their remaining stock? 99% of the distributors have demos of next season's skis by the SIGB test in March (could even try piggy backing on to that?). Ellis Brigham did that in Ischgl last April, which worked out perfectly with snow, and there was a similar snowboard event at Kaunertal Glacier just after too.
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Oh I know! The theory makes perfect sense @clarky999 - now you just need to persuade the brands of that logic.
IME everything is set in stone making things completely unfeasible... until it isn't.
It's taken a few years but my first attempts at the OktoberTest struggled to get enough skis to even cater for the people we had coming. "It's just too early for us, we can't get any demos by then" from one side and, "Sorry mate, our demos will be long gone: they all need to be off at the retailers by then" from the other.
...and yet, if Ellis Brigham call the test, it's never too early or late.
A couple of years ago, we were left so short by a couple of last minute can't-do-it-after-all's that I thought I was going to have to cancel the Manchester one at 2 or 3 day's notice! 
Steve@ellisbrigham saved the day, lending us EB skis and persuading a couple of brands to do the same.
Fast fwd a couple of years, with 150+ coming out and trying 6-700 pairs of skis each year: this time, everyone's schedules just seemed to fit OktoberTest. Hopefully it is now becoming one of those fixed points in space and time that starts to influence the location of other events around it. "Yeah dude, we need them here the weekend before for the OktoberTest" and "We can let you have them the weekend after the OktoberTest"... hopefully 
Now... how do we get them to support the PSB and the EoSB similarly?
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You know it makes sense.
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@admin, Might help if you could make the brands aware of the Snowheads rules 1 and 3. It may make them realise quite how active Snowheads are at buying skis.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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That is a very good point @Timc, and though said in jest, there might indeed be something along those lines that we could do to quantify the collective snowHeads' gear-habit in an brand-impressing manner.
While we're here, and on this topic, I have literally just confirmed dates for next year's OktoberTest.
Hemel snowCentre: Sat 6th Oktober
Manchester Chill Factore: Sun 7th Oktober
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Poster: A snowHead
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@admin, it's in the calendar! Although we may have resolved the skis for OH by then........... 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Yes but according to the rules, n+1 comes into play and your situation, in all practical terms, will be exactly the same.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@admin, yes, but our ski locker will be even fuller, which eventually means you get to needing n-1 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Or you need n+1 ski lockers.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I've mentioned on SHs before-but we have been going to Zermatt for about the last 8 years now for 2-3 nights to test the latest skis organised by the Swiss Ski Organisation. You buy a package via the tourist office which includes a hotel or apartment, lift pass and ski testing.They run it from October to the end of November. They do it in Saas Fee too. All the big brands are there in abundance and it's really well set up at the lift station at the foot of the glacier at 2700m. By the end of November, there are usually enough pistes open to get you over to the Italian side (cheaper lunches!). Admittedly, its not the cheapest place to stay (and the bank balance hasn't been helped by the post trip consequential ski purchases either!) . Good fun though and the relatively limited on piste options are made up for by swapping and trying out all manner of skis.
We're off again next weekend-can't wait. It's snowing there at the moment and looks like it'll be really cold by next weekend
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Tue 7-11-17 22:02; edited 1 time in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@under a new name, you're fairly long in the tooth in skier-years so you probably have a much clearer picture than most people of the skis you want before you start.
For many people at OktoberTest each year, it's a revelation that different skis can feel so different to each other. It's often a ski-epiphany for them to learn the hows and whys of that. Their past experience is being given whatever the shop each year says is suitable for them and then spending a week getting used to them - and thinking it all feels strange because they haven't skied for a year and/or they're 'just not very good'.
Some people get really into it, try quite a few pairs and then focus on certain ones to A/B more closely.
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@admin, yep, totally get that. And totally think your work to get broad tests working is a very good thing .
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aww! 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Yes we were in Avoriaz for the test yesterday too. All rather straightforward and very much worthwhile!
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FAQ
yes, I expect quite a few would be happy to buy skis here but ideally I'd prefer to leave the retail gig to others.
