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2007 SKI TEST click here to get back to the main ski test page
The Plan was to fly to Montreal, drive to Pinkham Notch New Hampshire, Ski Wild Cat NH, Sunday River Me, Bretton Woods NH, Owl's Head Qc and Tremblant, Qc for the 6th installment of our annual Ski Test.
We tested about a hundred or so skis during our little adventure, another 60 or so during the course of the 05/06 winter. Another 40 at the back-end of the season on the "Best Out-West" portion of our test.
All '07 skis, different testers, different results... Not surprisingly, our results are not incredibly different than the "real" tests published out there. Except for a few publications obviously swayed by advertising or sponsored testers. The closest results to ours belong to SKI PRESS... Not surprising since we use very much the same standards.
Read lower for the 2006 ski test... Our 2007 ski test should be up in a matter of days.
ABOUT THE 07 TEST |
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We split our ski tests into two parts, East and West.
Part one is east: We go all the way to Quebec and New England to test skis because [a] The NSIA (National Snow Industries Association) ski test is in Tremblant and [b] Because we firmly believe that if a ski can ski well in the type of an environment and conditions that prevail in eastern Canada and New-England, it will ski well everywhere.
Part two happens in a much less formal setting as we take "the best in the test" to Sunshine in late April... There we confirm our earlier-stated theory... and get a new group of testers' opinions... We'll visit both on this page.
We usually start our adventure with a local 4 day tour of varying eastern resorts, NH, Qc, VT, NY...
In 2001 we started our adventure at Owl's Head Qc, Jay Peak Vt, Sutton Qc and then on to Tremblant Qc.
In 2002 we hit Owl's Head Qc, Stowe Vt, Jay Peak Vt, Sutton Qc and then on to Tremblant Qc.
In 2003 we did Sutton Qc, Owl's Head Qc, Orford Qc, Bromont Qc, Jay Peak Qc and Tremblant Qc.
In 2004 we skied Mont Ste Anne, Le Massif, Stoneham Qc and then Tremblant Qc.
In 2005 we moved things around and began with several days at Tremblant followed up with Owl's Head Qc, Bromont Qc and Orford Qc.
Last year, 2006... well just scroll down a bit further and read the story as it unfolded in Sunday River Me, Wildcat NH, Bretton Woods NH and the obligatory visit to Owl's Head Qc on the way to Tremblant.
Just to get our legs all ready... and then end our junket with the ski test at the NSIA demo days at Tremblant.
A. We don't bring along sponsored skiers or skiers with a blind allegiance to any particular brand
B. We do not enumerate our testers in any way whatsoever.
C. We test primarily the brands we carry ... THEN we test the other stuff.
2007 SKI TEST BLOG
Travel Day Saturday:
Our flight from Winnipeg to Montreal was uneventful but for the fact that I decided to watch a movie about flight 93... Box-cutter wielding terrorists killing pilots makes for strange viewing on an aircraft. Regardless of that, I can't say how much flying Westjet is such a pleasure.. From check-in to debarking the aircraft, simply outstanding... Free TV in-flight, the cherry on the Sundae.
We land and Leanne and I immediately hit the Avis counter for what turns out to be another excellent customer service experience... wham bang, here are your vans... very nice, quick efficient... A Caravan, a Montana and a PT Cruiser... The latter just for fun. (It's constantly being referred to as "a girl's car" so we let Kenny drive it. We hook up with Martin and Janet (who were arriving on different flights) load up the vehicles and wait and wait and wait for Bob who has been delayed for more than an hour. Then, to add insult to injury, Bob has his skis misplaced by Air Canada... We can't wait for them, good thing we have spares.
We finally roll out of Trudeau International Airport an hour or so behind schedule... Heading straight for Bromont where we'll stop at St Hubert BBQ for chicken and then hit the road for the 3 hour drive through New-England to our B&B at the foot of Mount Washington... with a 2 minute pause at the border, where we're simply waived through with a "have a great trip!" from a refreshingly welcoming border guard.
 We found Dana Place Inn on the internet. It's nestled in Washington Valley, at the foot of the before-mentioned Mt. Washington, North-Eastern North America's Highest peak... and no, unlike the one in B.C., you can't ski this eastern Mt. Washington... Unless you want to climb it...and since it has, by far, the most severe weather in the region, that's an endeavor only die-hards engage in... and only then it's relegated to a spring time thing
But I digress, back to our HQ for the New-England portion of our trip: The Dana Place Inn. A gorgeous little complex that I have yet to see in daylight... Quaint, comfy rooms decorated like your grandmother would... Rushing river next door, trees everywhere, pool, Jacuzzi, cozy library with big fireplace, cute bar, formal dining rooms and our hostess Sheila... a truly delightful woman eager to please, accommodating, and fun to deal with. Knowing we were going to arrive late she prepared some sandwiches and some cookies for us... Wonderful.
1 hour before our arrival, at about 8:00pm it started... Rain. Lots of it... Depressing actually... Pouring... The ground is currently covered in snow but that won't last... As I type this it's still raining... 11:11pm and I have never prayed so much for snow... not even when my ski-instructor livelihood depended on it did I wish more for snow than I wish for crystallized precipitation at this moment.
I'm going to go to bed now, hoping this cursed rain miraculously turns to white flakes before I awake tomorrow (the forecast isn't calling for anything resembling snow until Monday, but there's always blind hope)... For tomorrow we ski Wildcat.
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Day 1:
Wildcat, New Hampshire.
Woke up after one of the best sleeps I've ever had to what would be described by anyone but a ski hill operator as torrential rain. Sheila, our Innkeeper, describes the season so far as "The worst I've seen" then adds "And I'm old". She kindly calls around to all the ski areas, everyone is reporting fantastic ski conditions (surprise) and one of them even calls the stuff falling from the sky "non crystallized precipitation". Hilarious.
Having our orange juice we all sit somewhat resigned, observing rain-soaked squirrels gorging themselves on seeds destined for the equally soaked birds... There's water dripping into the dining area from the skylight in the roof. After finishing breakfast, we decide to postpone skiing until the sky dries up. A nice couple, in from Boston suggest we hit North Conway for some morning shopping. North Conway is famous in the North-East parts as a Mecca for factory-outlet shopping (plus New-Hampshire has no sales tax whatsoever)... So that's the plan...  Hopefully it'll stop raining soon. This is, after all a ski trip, not a shopping trip... The highlight to me was Martin and I plowing through several feet of water in our minivans in the mall parking lot... Woohoo! Who said we were mature?
11:00am
Enough with the factory outlets! The rain has ceased so Catherine, Martin, Janet, Kenny and I decide to hit Wildcat... The rest are going to hit more outlets and start skiing tomorrow when we visit Sunday River.
 Turns out it was but a lull in the showers... $20 for a half day ticket and we're on the high speed quad, getting poured on... but to hell with it, WE'RE SKIING! What a beautiful mountain this is... reminds me of the south side of Tremblant... Without the Intrawest part. Needless to say after a 36 hour deluge, the place is in rough shape. Half of the runs are closed, of those only half are without blemish... but those are AMAZING... great narrow runs, hero snow... nice, flowing runs you can interconnect, mix and match. Beautifully cut and very interesting. For parts of our 4 hour day the rain even let up now and again... sun peeked through on a few occasions and Catherine and I even witnessed a fabulous rainbow...  I want to come back here again one day... one day it's sunny... People who ski west would feel at home, the view of Mt. Washington and the famous Tuckerman's Ravine is unlike anything east of the Rockies... Big mountains around here... BIG.
The big surprise is that even with the very limited terrain we experienced, Wildcat is now on my 10 must-ski list.
Tonight Annandale arrived after flying in from Boston... 3 hours of driving and we're super happy that she's here. She flew in directly to Boston from a convention in Mexico... Rented a car one-way and drove up to join us. THAT'S commitment to the test trip!
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MEET THE TESTERS
What can we say, it's not just about testing skis, it's about the good times, the food, the company, the experience, the laughter, the discovery of new places to ski, and sometimes it's the shared hate for the group leader... Whatever it is, testing skis is the reason why we all get together, the team is why we come back for more frigid temperatures, boiler-plate conditions and testing, testing, testing. Below you'll read about current and past testers, all of whom we owe a great-big THANK YOU for making all of this worth it. For helping us select the very best gear, for keeping us honest. For all the good tomes! We love you all! (except for kenny, of course. Like the song says: We hate him the most).
2006 TEST TEAM
Martin W.
Our resident nut job, 40-something, average weight, 6 foot something (professional at lulling people, two-time tester, perpetual thorn in JF's side) This will be Martin's 3rd test... back with us after a 3 year hiatus, Martin was a member of our very first group Gord's test in 2002. Martin is a strong not-so technical skier that is emerging, despite himself, as a smooth, finesse skier that covets terrain variation, challenge and discovery. Oh, and he's kinda funny. Never takes things too seriously. Currently skis on Salomon Scream Limited with a very nice pair of Fischer Somatec 8000 boots. His taste in skis is all over the place and we always look forward to reading his opinion on the latest gear.
Janet J.
This girl won't take no for an answer. She wanted to come on this test so bad... And we're very glad she did! 30 something (I'll take that $20 in cash, thank you) average build, 5 foot 6-ish (new girl... lives in Ontario... used to ski with Gord) This was Janet's 1st test. Janet is an expert skier with a history of racing and following Gord around. The prototypical Ontario ski racing mom (way cooler than the cousin-species soccer mom) as ski racing moms rip it up. Janet has a nice, solid, planted technique that is anchored by many, many years of coaching & instruction. Janet rips it up on Dynastar Exclusive skis and Lange boots.
Shawn L.
30 something (for real) fit, 5'11" to 6 foot even, martial arts and fitness guru (Cop, JF clone, great guy and unsung party animal) This will be Shawn's 5th test. Most of us are saddened as this may have been Shawn's last trip with us (life having gotten just so busy for him) Shawn writes the best test sound bites. Funny, affable, kind and earnest Shawn is super analytical and detail oriented, his skiing is very much an extension of that philosophy. The guy started out as a good skier and over the past 5 years has emerged as a solid technical skier who can rip it up with the best of them. Shawn also likes long walks in the park, romantic dinners and conversations about strength training and proper eating habits. He owns no equipment of his own.
Bob G.
The youngest guy we know that's in his late 40's slim, fit road-bike aficionado in the off season (MD, ski test team veteran, keepin' it real... old-school and the most extreme of the bunch... in more than one way) This will be Bob's 5th test. Ardent adrenaline junky, Bob comes along on these things as the pied piper of the un-groomed, the sultan of bumps, the purveyor of WOOHOO! He's a gentleman who cares. A kid at heart that would do anything for a team-member. Bob keeps it interesting. He's been described as Old-School once and he's still trying to figure that one out. Bob skis on Head skis and Salomon boots that are coming to the end of their life cycle.
Vladimir H.
Once, in the Free Press, I described him as 6'6" and 275 pounds... Apparently I was wrong (but close). Ex-olympic kayaker, Vlad is the biggest, strongest skier I know... But he manages to ski with the finesse of someone half his size. (Construction guy, High performance skier, bon vivant and survivor of 3 ski tests) This will be Vlad's 4th test. I would never think of going on one of these things without him even though as a tester he's pretty much useless. His test card comments usually read "good" or "buy" or "yellow" the polar opposite to Shawn's novels. Funny, kind, generous guy who no-one (who takes the time to know him) can help but love. Vlad skis on boots that should have been retired in '89 and skis on his son's hand-me-down racing skis... No, wait... I think he actually owns a pair of skis of his own now.
Leanne B.
5'4" average weight, emerging advanced skier that just keeps on getting better... prototypical woman skier. (remember the Love-Boat? She's Julie... without all the promiscuity. Veteran of 3 ski tests) This will be Leanne's 4th test. Leanne has been the co-anchor for the past 4 tests. She calls it like it is and knows no tolerance for bullshit. Famous for uttering (in 2003) the line (to a bewildered Salomon rep pictured below)
"these skis were so bad they made me want to stop mid mountain, take them off, throw them into the woods and walk down the rest of the way" Priceless. Needless to say we didn't end up buying any of THOSE Salomons that year. Leanne skis on Lange JR racing boots and skis on a variety of skis, her favorite being Dynastar slalom race skis.
JF
5'8 190lbs, kinda fit. Once kindly described by Nick Hirst (ex-editor of the Free Press and ex- fellow tester) as a finesse expert technical skier with surgically held-together knees, fast S.O.B. This will be JF's 6th test for Gord's. Did a bit of racing, coaching, professional ski testing, instructing, more racing, ski event management and ski school management. A certified recovering ski bum, having logged in 18+ seasons of 125+ days, JF is what some people like to call one-dimensional. JF skis on Lange boots that don't fit and owns 3 pairs of Dynastar skis including a pro model and a very limited edition Avant Premiere GS ski.
Catherine H.
Mountain bike chick, triathelete, strong, dense, fit, 5'2" emerging advanced skier that fears no challenge, (Stellar graphic artist, Catherine is another newbie... contrary to rumors, not just along to keep JF in-line) This was Cat's 1st test. Catherine lacks only mileage in order to become one strong skier. Always looking for more speed and craving to get better, Catherine has the distinction of being the only tester o record to postpone reconstructive knee surgery in order to participate in the 2006 ski test. Now THAT's commitment. Catherine skis on Lange JR racing boots and gladly skis on whatever JF hands her.
Kenny M.
6'5" telephone-pole looking individual with a constant smile. Member of Gord's Mountain Bike Club, Kenny is an intermediate skier who's on the cusp of taking the next step. (Computer whiz, newbie... Should come in handy should a basketball game break out or if we suffer some type of network outage). This was Ken's 1st test and his choices were always eye openers. An asset in his way of looking at things, Kenny brings a unique perspective to the table. One we all appreciate. Kenny skis on Nordica boots and Head women's skis.
Lloyd Yarn
What can you say about a guy who started skiing during the last great depression? A guy who broke his shoulder at Sutton in 2002 yet continued to ski for the 5 remaining days of the test! Lloyd weighs more than you think he should (something about bones weighing more back in the day) and his skiing style is best described as 'unique' (Self described old fart, veteran ski tester, the senior statesman of our motley group of testers... all around great guy) This will be Lloyd's 5th test. Everyone's favorite nag, Lloyd is the cornerstone of the ski test and we love him dearly. The fact that we can ski away from him if need be comes in handy too. Lloyd skis on Nordica Boots and Dynastar Ski Cross skis.
Michelle A.
Very fit 5'6-ish runner and mountain biker, Michelle is an emerging advanced skier (All-around nut job, MTB and ski trip staple, happy go lucky girl) This will be Michelle's 2nd test. Michelle has the distinction of having flown in from Mexico (where she was attending a conference) to New-Hampshire in order to join us for the 07 ski tesT. Always the great sport, Michelle is a must have on any trip, as a matter of fact we actually rarely go on any vacation without her. Fortunately, Michelle's hubby is quite understanding of her 'problem' Michelle skis on Nordica boots and owns no ski that we know of.
Curious to know who's popped in to our tests over the years? Click HERE for a wee bit more about our past and current testers |
It's 10:53. Before I turn in for the night I think I'm going to tune up a few skis for tomorrow... Edge work mostly. (temps are dropping, Sunday River may get icy) and THEN I'll call it a night. More demain.
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Day 2:
Sunday River, Maine.
 Sunday River Maine... Funny how I've skied these places before in my life yet for some odd reason I seem to remember nothing of them. I would just show up, wax my skis, race and go to the next hill. Sunday River was surprise after surprise. What a pleasant day it was today. What a nice weather change from yesterday... to [a] have visibility and [b] not be soaking wet. Lots of runs open, quite a few more skiers and nicely groomed runs with only a few ice patches. Amazing, actually how many runs there were to chose from, such a vast skiable domain spread out over 6 or 7 mountains. All interconnected, our morning was spent simply making our way from one 'peak' to the other and back...
From what we've heard from the locals, Sunday River has weathered the recent rains better than the other areas including the venerable Sugarloaf USA who is (as I type this)apparently in rough shape. The runs at Sunday River were long, wide, well laid out and surprisingly busy with people there for the week... No liftlines to speak of but maybe one too many Americans sharing pretty much every run. I would never think of skiing here on a weekend, the crowds would be suffocating... (I assume there would be more skiers on a Saturday or Sunday, however I can't see where the jump would come from since there is no large population base near-by). All the folks we met here today were from various parts of New York state...  Ending up at Sunday River after this snow-poor season pushed them further and further north in search of snow.
All in all Sunday River was a nice place. Bob loved it, I didn't. Don't ask me why, I can't put my finger on it... but it finished at the bottom of my list.
During Dinner tonight we held a vote as to where to ski Tomorrow and Wednesday... Our choices for tomorrow were Bretton Woods (New Hampshire's largest ski area), Attitash, Sunday River or Wildcat... Bretton Woods took first place with 9 votes, Sunday River got the two remaining votes. Looks like Wednesday we'll be skiing Owl's Head. We need to slay that dragon... Every time we've skied there with the test team, someone has gotten hurt. Fingers crossed.
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Day 3:
Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
Woke up at 6:00am only to realize we could sleep in... Bretton Woods is only 30 minutes away we're told (turns out it's more like an hour, even with JF driving)... A few more Z's and we're in the vans, driving through the amazing scenery that the White Mountain National forest affords us. We drive by Attitash (we'll have to visit some other time, looks very nice). and as we approach BW we gladly notice IT'S BEEN SNOWING! about 6 inches of super fluffy white stuff has fallen during the night and we're relieved!
 Last night we were told by the Inn-keeper that "Bretton Woods is where the rich people ski" it also turns out to be where Bode Miller comes from (lest they forget to mention it)... We drive up to the perfectly manicure resort and indeed, it smells high-end.
The lodge is one of the best looking I've ever seen... perfect layout, great design, the stairs are just as impressive as the cafeteria... The sheds outside look just as good... very tasteful. Lots of older locals I notice, understandable since Lloyd (67) paid $16 to our $56.50. (USD) As I sit in the lodge looking out onto the 1500' vertical mountain I'm not surprised to notice that the windows are indeed tinted. Snow guns blasting away most everywhere we hop on a quad chair and start our morning exploration of this mountain that, at first glance, reminds Shawn and I of a much bigger Frostfire... Long, long cruisers... interesting terrain and even though fresh snow is everywhere we can feel the perfect grooming under our feet.  (Bretton Woods has won 'best grooming' awards consistently, we can all see why)... Until we discovered a short detachable quad on the western side of the mountain... and wow did we ever hit the jackpot... Tremendous terrain, lots and lots of soft fluffy stuff. Suffice it to say we enjoyed ourselves profusely. Simply a joy to ski. Most everyone voted it their favorite place to ski amongst the 5 areas we've visited during our trip.
The on-hill staff were delightfully positive, fun and while a bit zealous with the ticket zapper, they genuinely acted like they liked working there. Maybe it was the high-end uniforms they were all wearing, maybe it was just a great place to work.
And then there was the off-piste adventure... the part of our Bretton Woods adventure that shall remain untold.
Hard to believe it only has 1500 vertical. It skied much bigger.
 I skied on my buddy Gary's Dynastar Course skis... in 172cm of all lengths. Simply one of the best skis I've ever skied. I know, I heap praise like a fat kid heaps on the whipped cream... But ask anyone who's skied on these: Wow. Too bad they have a GS ski stigma to surmount. I know, everyone wants a wide "all mountain ski" these days. I skied these at mach 9, in powder, in bumps, everywhere... they were light-footed and rock solid. Skis like this (and the equally brilliant Fischer RX8) are what people should be skiing on... but they are not. I blame it all on the SUV craze... That and ski magazines.
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Day 4:
Owl's Head, Quebec.
 My home hill. What a great day... we're driving up from the US side of the mountain... through country roads that are covered with about a foot of fresh snow. Anticipating what could be... This is one of the few snowfalls these parts have seen in quite some time, it hasn't been a great year here. Nonetheless the conditions are great. If Bretton Woods is #1 in grooming according to SKI magazine it's because the selection committee didn't come to Owl's Head. I have never seen grooming as impeccable as here. That the hill looks like it does considering the crappy snow year they've had is astonishing. Fred's gang (Fred and Lillian Korman are the owners) has done an exceedingly good job at making what little snow they have seem like a twenty foot base. Kudos.
 A big part of my reason to visit to Owl's Head this year is to pay tribute to Bob Richardson, my ski mentor who passed away a little while ago. They blasted a hole in the rock at the top of the hill, put his ashes in and capped it with a tremendous memorial. A beautiful plaque that pays homage to the man who in a small way helped me become who I am.
 Owl's Head has always been spectacular and with the added fluffy stuff in the trees it looks even better... Unfortunately the awesome view (voted by a few ski magazines as one of the best views anywhere) was somewhat obstructed by the cloud cover but we could still see the lake at our feet. You know it hasn't been a very cold year when lake Memphremagog (at the foot of the hill) is still largely unfrozen. Amazing still... to ski up to open water, hop on the 'lake chair' and go back up for some more runs... Not everywhere can you ski from the very top of the mountain to the very bottom, at Owl's head you can ski 1800 vertical in one of several continuous and very interesting runs.
 I was so touched that my buddies voted to visit the place I still call home... It's not the biggest place to ski, it doesn't have the 162 runs MegaMountain has nor does it have 945 inches of snowfall every year but it does have heart, soul and a little something that makes you want to ski a bit faster. It's my favorite place in the world to ski and it's where my second family works. I'm glad I was able to introduce Catherine to where I'm from, I'm glad I was able to drop by and visit. I'm especially glad no-one got hurt skiing there this year (last year Marie-Claude (my sister) tore her ACL there, the previous visit Joerg broke his ankle there, the previous visit I had torn my meniscus there)... the cures being broken, I'll be back soon.
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Day 5
The first day of official testing at Tremblant:
8:03
 Staff-members Jesse and Nick joined us here in Tremblant for the test today, here to test snowboards since Lloyd and Vlad steadfastly refused to test them for us... "Come on", we said: "all the cool kids are boarding! Plus check out the cute girls, they're ALL snowboarding!" Nothing doing.
As I ate the great eggs Shawn prepared for me this morning (don't ask) I sat and reviewed the test cards I've prepared for everyone... (We pre-print cards with categories, specific models and data to fill in).
One thing struck me: I've never really been excited about testing Salomon skis. But this year, I'm somewhat curious to see how these new X-Wing skis will perform... Much to my dismay, Salomon is not here, I'll have to wait until ext month for a Whistler intro... Mixed feelings about that one.
I finally squeezed my feet into my boots and the gang has arrived into our room.. Time to go.
We started with the appointment of our test team leaders (Bob, JF, Leanne and Jesse for snowboards) we've designated teams based mainly on boot-sole lengths in order to save time (so as to be able to swap on the go and get through more skis without always revisiting the crowded demo area).
For the record: Tremblant is Tremblant... Love it or hate it, it's big ski area business at it's best. I know there's something great about this place but right now I'm drawing a blank... I'm sure there's something positive about the place... It's not the food in the cafeterias... wet Pizza, cold burgers, salty soups... Gimme another minute, I'll think of something good to say about the place...
In the meantime a bit about the test: [a] Every major ski manufacturer doing business in Canada is represented here [b] It's minus 25 with 80umidity (which makes it feel like it's -77 degrees) [c] I'm very happy we're doing the demo on the south side this year for several reasons... not the least being the fact that it's warmer and easier to get to.
Here's a positive: It's pretty... Intrawest has done a great job creating a cute village, I'll give them that.
As we walked up to the demo area I was reminded of the fact that I've been coming to this thing for more than 15 years now... I always thought I'd dread the day when I started expressing myself that way: "I've been doing this for (xyz) years!" I always felt it would make me feel old, turns out it just makes me feel like I've done something with my life, seen stuff, experienced life.
There are years when skis are good, years when skis are bad, years when there are no clear winners... Skiing these skis in ice-rink conditions is an acid test for skis for any ski can ski well in the perfect stuff, this crap is where we expose the flaws, when we get to experience them where they are the unhappiest, where the skis who are unable to cope have nowhere to hide. This was going to be one of those years where the conditions were going to tax the gear... and the low temps would test the testers.
We started the test this year by handing the testers test cards that had all the skis they needed to try written down as well as the lengths we'd like them to test.
We initially thought we'd have time to try different skis in different lengths... That turned out to be a mouthful we couldn't chew. So the guys focused on the middle length, which in many instances turned out to be 170cm...
So with that decision made, we arranged so that everyone tested the same length, if it was 170, we all did the skis in 170, if it was 178, we all did 178... Not such a biggie since the 170 length was suitable for all, especially since we were skiing these boards in the land of 160cm skis.
You'll notice that in the girls' results (who tried different lengths in the same ski in some instances) some times there was quite a difference in the ranking and score of skis based on the length tried... this may be something we explore later on... and one aspect of ski testing that is glaringly missing from all the magazine tests. (Catherine, for example saw BIG differences in the same ski in the two lengths that she tried... Sometimes LOVING the longer length and HATING the shorter length.)
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Day 6
Ski test day two
The day began a little more smoothly than yesterday, as it always does on day two... the guys and girls are anxious to get their cards done... So they can either [a] go play on skis NOT on their score cards [b] go explore parts of the mountain not on their pre-determined test runs or [c] get to the hot-tub early... Amazing how much more efficient day two always is.
At the end of my day I went and tested these skis my buddy and former tester Garry asked me to try... Yeesh were they horrible. Not only bad... awful. all 4 of us who tried them out were unanimous, they sucked. some of us tried out other brands not on our list and came back with the same conclusion... Hmmm... I wonder what that says about the skis we selected to test. Shawn and I then ended the day with a few runs on our favorite skis of the test and then a few more on GS race skis that made our eyes pop... Bob did the same thing and fell in love with a pair of Slalom skis he now MUST have.
At the end of the day Catherine and I ditched the crew to go do some night skiing at Chanteclerc, half an hour away... (we DID invite them to join us but sushi got in the way).
Our little adventure at what felt like -40 was lots of fun. The skiing at Chanteclerc was initially a little under whelming until we discovered that there was another mountain that we could access through a 15 minute bus shuttle ride... The second mountain was a lot more fun... Mostly because it was 4 times the size of the first. We'd do three runs, go in to warm up, do three runs and go in to warm up... and so on... skied until 9:30pm... a nice 12 hour day of skiing that I will be recuperating from for a few days to come... But man was it ever fun. Catherine had never partook in night skiing... So we HAD to do it. Especially since this was her last day of skiing before her reconstructive knee surgery at the end of February that will effectively terminate her ski season for 2005/2006. Too bad because this girl can ski... I've never seen anyone progress so rapidly... Fearless and fast, I'm a very lucky boy.
We drove to Montreal to drop off the crew on Saturday morning... Jesse, Leanne, Catherine and JF staying behind to hit the ski show four a bit of business before we head home on Tuesday... What a great, great trip.
Believe it or not, there's more to come!
Make sure to check back for pics, the actual score cards and a few more notes from the test... Just make it a point to press 'refresh' on your browser.
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The reason internet ski sales are measured in thousands of units rather than in millions of units is simply because ski selection is still (thankfully) the exclusive domain of the human experience. the $200 ski and the $900 ski share most of the same components so it's all about HOW the ski is made. Artisans still rule. Art is still a big part of ski construction... It's still about how the ski "feels". You just can't describe that unless you've slapped them on. That's what we do. We try them out, and help you understand the nuances. Help you get the right one for you. 
Ski-test-review sites are also another source of debatable information. Don't ask us to comment on these faceless, unaccountable, dubious reviews. We can only tell you about OUR experience. We trust no-one but ourselves and that's the main reason (as I've pointed out earlier) we go to considerable lengths and expense to test every single ski we think might be suitable for our customers... [
Unfortunately that's why we will never guarantee that ski 'X' will perform as advertised on their own website... Most ski manufacturers often mis-categorize their own product, it's a simple result of trying to hit every category... and why even their own 'product selectors' often miss the mark. Sometimes a ski that is supposed to be good at something ends up being AMAZING at something completely different... And there's nothing wrong with that. That's the beauty of our process, finding the jewels that will make your on-snow experience a phenomenal one rather than an adequate one. 
The only catch is that, unfortunately, we can't help you with selecting the right ski over the phone or by email... It's a process we'll only embark upon in person. And while we stand by our lowest price policy, there is a price to pay for all this knowledge, and that price is that you call (or drop by) one of our two locations, make an appointment with one of our specialists and make the trip to Gord's. Not an unreasonable investment we think, considering the potential upsides associated with finally owning the right gear.
Over the years we've come to the clear-cut conclusion that there are only a few brands of skis that simply don't do mediocre product, brands that no matter the year, the trend, the current fad, these guys are going to produce a great ski. We call these companies "blue chip"brands. They are not the biggest, but over the past 5 years they have impressed us the most. They all feel like they are run by skiers for skiers. Who are these excellent companies, you ask? Head, Fischer and Dynastar... That's who. It's simple, as long as you stay away from their first-price-point offerings (especially Head) you can't really go wrong. There's a reason we sell these brands: How well they test, year in - year out is why. 
No matter how amazing a ski is designed, marketed and sold, if it is tuned like poo, it's going to ski like poo. There's no other way of putting it. The brand that has most struggled with tuning over the past 7 years has definitely been Salomon. Some years they do it right... But historically they have the crappiest tunes at the test, bar none. Who has the best tunes? Head. Followed by Dynastar, Fischer and Rossignol. If you tune a crappy ski right, it's has a fighting chance of skiing better than it should. 
We test on the worst conditions you could possibly imagine... Like that year when it was -45 and the snow was not unlike hardened, icy styrofoam... And then there are the snowguns... everywhere at Tremblant... laying down crap snow for all to bog down in. If we tell you a ski was amazing, and we tested it at the giant upside-down ice-cube tray that is Tremblant... It will shred Fernie to an ounce of its life. Tremblant is the acid test of places to ski. If it skis well here, it will ski well ANYWHERE. 
