Testing Skis

A snowHead

From another thread ... the advice is always to test skis, but what is the best way to do this? In resorts I rarely,if ever see test centres, and in a ski hire situation it is hard enough to get the skis you ask for, let alone a selection.

I have come to a conclusion that all mountain skis have moved on some in the last five years, and having hired a range of skis this year I have ascertained what I don’t want, mainly to do with weight, power and width.

So if I get to a short list of say three skis, what is the best way to try before I buy?

A snowHead

Go for a weekend at the start of next season to one of these resorts. http://www.rockonsnowboardtour.com/

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@DavidYacht, It may depend on where you are skiing. Since i’ve had my own skis I haven’t paid that much attention to rental shops, but I used to see every shop with a range of test skis outside which you could try. Also when renting, if you select the top end packages, you can often change skis every day, to try something new.

If you are really lucky, one of the manufacturers will be holding a test session on the mountain, where you can swap skis without even taking your boots off.

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@DavidYacht, very much down to where you are going? And it may mean hiring from multiple shops.

Were limited in our ski tests of last year (although not to a meaningful degree) by the intention to buy from the brother in law's shop, as that would mean mates rates. And they specialise in high end more off than on piste kit. So while I didn't get to try the Nordica/Kastle/Crows equivalents, we had about 4 options to play with in the range we were interested in (Mantra replacements).

In Cham, you would be able to find almost anything that you might be looking for, not always from the same shop.

Smaller resorts, maybe not so much.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@DavidYacht, a little trip to the Oktober Test? http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=52715
There are always loads of skis to test at the EoSB as well, and bargains to be had.

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I have to say, that in the absence of real world alternatives, snow domes are rather too limiting, vs open pistes.

That's not to diss the Oktobertest in and of itself(s). A whole heap better than nothing and I am sure, rather sociable snowHead

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@under a new name, I don’t think you an establish what you want to buy at Oktobertest, but you can certainly tell basic characteristics of skis and create a shortlist to try on the mountain. Plus you can discount ones that you really dislike.

There’s one pair of skis that I loved when skiing then inside (both years that I tried them) but don’t want to buy until I’ve given them a crack on a normal skiing day.

After all it is free

Will probably look to do some testing in the 3V's next year; will try and find out who stocks what and see if any stock Blizzard/Atomic/Nordica or if anything else comes through that fits my criterea.

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I have always just e-mailed the manufacturer or distributor directly and said I was interested buying such and such a model, and did they have any demo skis available that lined up with my holiday dates. Has worked for me. Although I wouldn't expect such a service from somebody like Head or Rossignol whose operations are clearly just too big to bother with those sorts of requests.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

@SnoodlesMcFlude, I don't even think you can do that. Mind you, the only time I have skied in a fridge, and EB had some test skis, I was on their rental boots. I wouldn't have been able to tell you whether I was on skis or water skis.

snow reports

I find it almost impossible to test skis (or at least the ones I want to test) in resort. There is one shop in resort, but prices are not at all competitive and stock is quite limited. Very occasionally I've been able to try skis at a manufacturer demo in resort, but again never on skis that I was actually considering.

So I just rely on reading many reviews and then try to work out what might work for me. As it happens most skis these days are really very good, so it's hard to go far wrong unless you really don't know what you want. I've only ever been disappointed once with a ski I've bought like this and even then it wasn't a total disaster. Just not quite what I'd expected from it and I'd taken a bit of a gamble anyway as there were very few reviews.

@under a new name, having been to Oktobertest, and created a shortlist, I'm saying that you can do that NehNeh

You know it makes sense.

@SnoodlesMcFlude, not on Braehead’s rental boots you can’t.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@uktrailmonster, where do you ski that has only one shop?

Or is it a secret?

A snowHead

@SnoodlesMcFlude, @under a new name, you would appear to have found a middle ground that cannot be settled until @admin launches a Scotoberfest Smile

A snowHead

@Tubaski, why would I want to voyage from the Alps to Braehead to ski in crappy boots indoors?

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@SnoodlesMcFlude, I can't. I thought I could, as there were some skis I liked when I tried them in the dome, and others that I didn't. For example, I tried a pair of Head Magnums at Hemel, and really didn't like them.

Then a few months later I accidentally ended up renting some in Andermatt. It took some persuading for me to even actually take them out because I already "knew" I didn't like them, but I did, whereupon I discovered that I loved them.

Like the OP, I find actually testing the models I want to test difficult. I have actually planned a trip to Chamonix in a couple of weeks partly because it's somewhere I can actually get to test skis.

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I enjoyed the Oktobertest, but the reality is it's pretty limiting. I hated anything over 110 ( no surprise in a dome) but when in proper powder the other week the Bent Chettlers at 117 or whatever were perfect. All the piste based skis skied well. I went back to free ski later on my dome skis which I'd recently serviced to 1,3 edge, they were as good as anything, ( a 5 year old pair of Salomon something or other)

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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@uktrailmonster, ah.

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Testing Skis

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