 Poster: A snowHead
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I've been thinking of getting my self a nice new set of somethings or others, especially with the end of season sales on now. But i really dont feel i can justify spending the amount of money on skis without getting a decent trial of them first. I dont like the idea of buying anything on reviews alone as, forever the cynic, i always feel they are either written by people trying to sell skis, those who have bought them and want to justify their choice by proclaiming them the greatest thing in the world, or those weird people who have a problem with everything and just like an outlet to moan.
So what my question boils down to, does anyone think there is any real benefit to testing skis at a fridge? I've been had a wee shot on a few different pairs, but i dont feel that i can actually get any true feedback when i spend most of the time going uphill on them. Hence, im left in a dilemma, do i continue on hoping to find some random darling that sets the world alight even in a fridge, or just let the sales pass and wait until i can get some time on a real hill and try something out there?
cheers in advance for any musings you may have on the matter.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hmmm. I am reasonably fussy about my skis.
My question would be, do you have well fitted boots of your own?
If not, get those first!
If you do... You may get some idea of what skis are like in a fridge. Myself, I'd try and buy in resort.
I realise that there are sales on in the UK now, but f'rinstance, we bought our current skis in July
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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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bdonkadonk, testing in a fridge is better than no test. If you're testing for piste skis especially SL skis a fridge gives you plenty of room to get a feel for them.
For all mountain skis with a BC bias or Freeride/BC skis a fridge test is about as useful as tits on a bull but better than no test at all.
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bdonkadonk, yes definitely worth it if you go early while the snow is not too variable.
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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 +1
bdonkadonk, I agree that a test is better than no test, but if you feel that you're spending most of your time in a fridge going uphill then you need to test in resort and let the sales pass.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Dot., Seriously disagree.
A fridge gives you no real idea of how skis perform in real life.
And you can't try them in decent bumps!
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In a word Yes, but I think the answer is in the question.
In a snowdome its a test, you have a limited amount of space, so you need to work out a series of tests for each ski you try, short turns, long turns, etc etc etc.
Would also suggest limiting testing to two pairs of skis in an hour and not going from one pair of SL skis to another, test SL's but then test somethng else otherwise unless your a pretty good skier you won't feel much difference.
Dot., With some skis yep, "testing" Ragnaroks in a fridge  maybe not.
I tried the Movement Goliaths, stiff 40m turn radius, in Hemel a couple of years back, the result of my "testing" was that they went from top to bottom and if you tried to turn properly you had to fend off the wall with one ski 
Shorter radius fat skis are great fun in the domes 
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under a new name, fair enough. I think that getting a feel for a piste ski on indoor snow before you buy is better that no test.
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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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under a new name, but surely it's better than no test at all? You can get a feel for a piste ski or even an all mountain ski. For example my wife tested some all mountain skis in a fridge, but found they felt "too heavy" for her, and we didn't buy them, going for a lighter womens specific ski instead, which she is very happy with.
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Took my daughter to MK to try some piste skis a couple of weeks ago. As they are far stiffer than anything she has skied before an hour on them at least confirmed that they weren't too much for her and that she enjoyed skied them. Worthwhile I thought as I was shelling out £350.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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If the alternative is going to a ski shop and bending them by hand then I guess testing them on a short, shallow slope is infinitely better, even for skis that are well outside their intended environment.
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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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I tend to decide whether I like a ski or not within a couple of turns. First impressions are hard to overcome, I liked my iTitan's from the very first test run indoors, absolutely love them on the mountain.
I've also tried skis at a ski test in Tignes, hated one particular set from the first turn, had to ski all the way back to Val Claret hating every turn, couldn't wait to get rid of them.
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go first thing when the snow is grippy and consistent and as livetoski, have a plan 20 shorts, 10 longs whatever to see if you can feel any differences...
big long fat skis are hard to "test" in a fridge... SL and GS radius you can get some feel for them...
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You know it makes sense.
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under a new name, yeah ive got my own boots, how well they fit is still up for consideration as i got the fitted at the start of the season with the intention of going away for a bit, only to have my plans fall through, so while ive got no real problems with them at xscape, im not on them for very long...so im not completely sure
FlyingStantoni i think your advice may be too wise for me...the sales seem like too much of a bargain
maybe im just a whole lot worse than i thought, as from the couple of pairs ive tested, there hasnt been much of a noticeable difference...although I am testing all mountain skis, not nice groomer 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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Get a much better idea of a ski on plastic where you have to turn it properly.
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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 only place to test is in a resort, I have tested 2 skis in a snowdome got them to a resort and have sold them on within the hour.
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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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bdonkadonk, IMO testing skis in a fridge is a complete waste of time, 4-5 decent turns on a freeride ski and your back at the bottom, also how is a off-piste powder ski going to be represented on a well compacted slushy crud...........IMO not very well.
Maybe if you are looking for a SL ski, perhaps but get yourself into a on-piste hire shop for a day and run through their rack is my advice, 2-3 runs on a pair, then others - you need a point of reference I reckon.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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hmm...seems to be that the general thinking is as i feared and that i probably wont get any real benefit from trying them out at xscape...i think ill probably only get a pair if i can wrangle a deal off someone...though may have to wait until the stocks get a bit lower for that
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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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| bdonkadonk wrote: |
| hmm...seems to be that the general thinking is as i feared and that i probably wont get any real benefit from trying them out at xscape...i think ill probably only get a pair if i can wrangle a deal off someone...though may have to wait until the stocks get a bit lower for that |
How do you figure that? about 9= for 4= against and a couple or so with no strong views 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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bdonkadonk, I went to the ski test day at Braehead last year, I had never been to a ski test day before and didnt expect to notice much difference in the skis, think I tried 6 pairs and it was surprisingly obvious which skis were wrong for me and which ones suited me.
I think it would be worth trying some out in a fridge, it may not help you decide what to buy but it should tell you what not to buy but if you are not sure save your money for another year.
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gatecrasher, what i was reading was that for SL skis it can be ok, but for anything you may use off piste it wasnt really worthwhile...better than nothing, but probably not enough to get any real feedback from
no doubt ill probably end up trying out a fair few at it anyways...if only because its free and the demo skis in EB are more interesting than the rental skis, so i may yet get lucky
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bdonkadonk, you didn't say in your original post what skis you were looking to demo "something or others" then you mentioned "all mountain" skis later on, but a lot of the guys here are referring to the testing of big "freeride" skis which of course won't be that great, "all mountain" skis are a different matter, what type of ski do you really want as it will answer your original question.
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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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well, yes i suppose i could have been more specific in my original post, essentially i am looking for something that is verging more towards off piste, but can still be used for lazy days on groomers... am i making sense here?
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I asked snowheads to recommend skis for me then went and did some testing. I did what Axsman suggested above: at least a full day's test for each ski, in varied terrain in St. Anton, then some more testing in Zermatt. Out of six different skis I tested only one really wowed me.
Rather spookily, it turned out to be the ski that was recommended to me in the very first response when I first asked snowheads for advice. So ask clarky999 because he's obviously psychic!
I've never tested in a fridge so can't offer you an opinion on that.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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bdonkadonk, yep, makes sense of your earlier conclusion.
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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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bdonkadonk, Well, my OH and I had an afternoon's ski testing at Braehead (which frankly made the whole idea interesting frm a ski point of view) and hated the Volkl Kendo.
But we were on their boots, which, frankly, were beyond crap. If that's what beginners wear, no wonder it's so hard to learn to ski.
I fell over within 10m of my first run and believe me, I do not fall over very often.
And as part of the line up we tried kendos. Didn't like them, we both over powered them.
And we own Mantras. So I forget to put the Mantras in the car when we go for a wee off piste drop in Italy. And find myself on Kendos.
Verby nice! Especially on piste.
I could own a pair if I had an infinite budget.
Not at all what I took away from the fridge...
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I think the snowdomes are okay for testing piste oriented skis at low speed. It gives you a feel for how they might perform out on the mountain and like Spyderman I tend to form an opinion within a few turns which rarely changes with more use. The last time I tested skis in a fridge, Head Magnums really stood out for me and I took an instant dislike to Fischer Virons. I could certainly tell the difference between various ski models and pick out the characteristics I like. You can also get some feel for all-mountain skis, at least in terms of their on-piste feel and how they deal with variable snow. But I actually go more off reviews and forum discussions when choosing skis and I've found most reviews are pretty consistent with my own experience. Fortunately there are not many crap skis on the market today, so it's really a matter of knowing what characteristics you like and matching those with your choice of ski. Obviously a resort demo would be the best way to make a final decision, but I've rarely had the opportunity to demo the skis I'm interested in buying.
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