GORD'S SKI TESTS Our first Gord's Ski Test was in 2001 when JF and a dude named Frank Roberts hit Tremblant for what grew into a great big tradition of Gord's Ski Tests.
Before we go any further, let us clarify that our ski tests are not journalistically perfect nor are they intended to be, they are slightly biased towards brands that we sell.
And that, boys and girls, is the most honest statement you'll find coming out of anyone's ski test.
Some ski magazines charge a small fortune for companies to be tested in their ski tests... Those who don't charge knowingly or unknowingly bias their reviews through advertising and the use of sponsored testers... Blah blah blah, whine, whine, whine... Conspiracy theorists would have a field day at magazine ski tests. Not that the editorial side of these operations mean any harm but there's always someone trying to make a buck... the latest money grab seems to be Canadian ski mags now publishing "advertorials" for big-box retailers heavily camouflaged as impartial ski tests. (scroll down for JF's latest diatribe on that subject).
One thing you should be made aware from the get-go is that if a featured ski does not exist on a manufacturer's website it's what we in the business call an SMU. Special Make Up skis are a way for big box stores to help customers belie their often exaggerated "regular price" claims or to prevent these same customers from comparison shopping. Simple: You always get exactly what you pay for... And if you want the latest, greatest most pimpin' ride known to man like the most amazing and wet-dream-inducing Scott Crusades (pictured here to the left) you gotta be ready to pay what it costs to ride with the big boys ...because while not necessarily exorbitant in price, the good stuff never ends up in the discount bin.
So in order to get the true facts, the undisturbed, unspoiled information, we do what we must. We go out there and test skis ourselves... Lots of them. And once we're done we only buy skis we truly enjoyed. We don't take anyone's word for it and we certainly don't go by what manufacturers say or by what the latest fad dictates. (remember super short skis?) We are 100% accountable to you, our customer. As unbiased as we can be (among the brands sell, anyways) we strive to give you the straight goods. uncompromised. If the ski sucks, we don't sell it. Simple. Wouldn't it be great if that's the way every shop and retailer did business? Because if that was the way all sports retailers did business, there would never be such a thing as a discount bin.
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 and more testing. Below you'll read about current and past testers, to all of whom we owe a great-big THANK YOU for helping us select the very best gear. These guys and girls keep us honest and help with more than simple gear selection, they keep Gord Reid's legacy and his "sell no crap" mantra alive.
These test events are filled with insane good times, tremendous adventure, much laughter, great skiing... and let's not forget the many superlative memories we've gathered over the years. Ski testing (at least the way we do it) is one heck of a way to spend a vacation. Here are a few tidbits of information you might not know: [1] Testers pay their own way on these things, that's correct, you read right: No freebies. [2] Testers are given a strict list of skis they must test. [3] Testers are obligated to ski with JF for at least a portion of each day. For more information on our beloved test team-members, past and present, check out our testers page here:
2001 Owl's Head, Jay Peak
& Tremblant From left: Cheryl, Barky, Bob G, Frank Roberts, Nic D, Martin W, Gary Sewell, JF Ravenelle, Bob K & Nick Hirst.
2002 Owl's Head, Sutton,
Jay Peak & Tremblant From left: Cathy K, Shawn L, Nick Hirst, Guandolfo, Mark T, Jeff Kachur, JF Ravenelle, Donna, Gary Sewell, Lloyd Yarn
2003 Sutton, Orford, Jay Peak,
Bromont & Tremblant From left: Mark, Reggi, Jeff, Leanne, Bob G, Joerg, JF, Vladimir, Terry, Melanie, Dean, Lloyd, Shawn, Kathy, Guandolfo and Wes.
2004 LeMassif, St-Anne,
Stoneham & Tremblant From left: Lloyd Yarn, Shawn L, Tusi, Bob G, JF Ravenelle, Carmen, Matt G, Archie P, Nick Hirst, Ev, Tom D, Leanne and Vladimir
2005 Tremblant, Owl's Head,
Bromont & Orford From left: Leanne, Martin W, Vladimir, Michelle A, Mike K, Shawn L, JF Ravenelle, Lloyd Yarn, Ev and Missing in action: MC Ravenelle
2006 Wildcat, Sunday River, Bretton Woods,
Owl's Head, Chanteclerc & Tremblant From left: JF Ravenelle, Lloyd Yarn, Michelle A, Martin W, Leanne B, Kenny, Cat H, Vladimir, Janet J, Bob G & Shawn L.
2007 Stowe, Killington, Bolton Valley,
Jay Peak & Tremblant. From left: JF Ravenelle, Lloyd Yarn, Janet J, Bob G, Martin W, Cody McPhail, Cat H, Kenny and missing in action: Vladimir.
2008 The year of the one-mountain Ski Test:
Big White From left: JF Ravenelle, Rob D, Langstaff, Vladimir, Dave McDub, Scott M, Jerry Todd, Brian L and Ryan VanD. Missing in action: JD
2009 Part 1 Big White British Columbia
Part 2 Alyeska Alaska From left: JF Ravenelle, Danny Gibson, Sean Glover, R.Dahl, Jerry Todd (ot pictured) Cat Horbatiuk, Vladimir Hlas, Dave McDub & more.
2010 Winter Park & Copper Mountain Colorado From left:Vladimir Hlas, Scott Sinclair. Darci Everett, Krista Ried, Jerry Todd, Alex, Cat Horbatiuk, JF Ravenelle and Matt Coppens.
SKI CANADAAAARGH! We used to be big fans of Ski Canada, good people doing a great job under difficult conditions, flying the flag, fighting the good fight, promoting a sport that is in desperate need of promoting...
Until 2006. That's the year we recently had the "pleasure" of finding out that Ski Canada sold it's soul to a large corporate competitor and now included Special Make-Up (SMU) skis in a separate "advertorial" ski test.
What Ski Canada readers found was a thinly disguised infomercial (for skis that are unavailable anywhere else than at Sprot-Check. Skis that are in most instances no more than dressed-up low end skis with high-end looking graphics... A "test" that was wholly paid-for by Sprot-Check. Not surprising that in the 2006 "test" they went to the point of having Sprot-Check employees test Sprot-Check skis. Simply amazing.
The equivalent of having Fischer guys test Fischer skis... All the while allowing its readers to believe that these "inserts" were actual bonified Ski Canada tests and not simple advertising. same graphics, same look as their 'impartial' ski tests... But like I said: Nothing more than an advertorial. What a smart, cunning idea by the big-box giant... Not so much a great idea if you're Joe consumer looking for unbiased facts and honest help in selecting the right ski.
By doing so, Ski Canada is doing nothing short of allowing a corporate behemoth to do what "Big Box"sports stores have been struggling to do for decades: To give credibility to product that deserves no credibility, to offer illegitimate skis built and chosen for one reason only: to maximize corporate profit. Journalistic integrity
be damned, money talks.
Shame on you Ski Canada for selling out to the big boxes.
Needless to say we've now joined the multitude of shops who now refuse to offer Ski Canada. Who would imagine that we're left with US mags as the sole remaining beacons of journalistic integrity? Bummer.
SKI TEST VIDEOS It's as close as you can get without actually joining us on one of our tests. Simply click on the player above to check out all our latest ski test videos starting with our very latest and most excellent version of Gord's Ski Test
at Big White.
2008 SKI TEST AT BIG WHITE After several years of testing skis in Quebec, Vermont and New Hampshire last year we decided to head to Big White in order to test the latest crop of skis at Big White. Along for the ride this year: Rob, Vlad, Shawn, Jerry Todd, Brian, The Vandusen brothers and JF... Check back soon for all the gory details about what turned out to be one of the most interesting tests of the last couple of years. As great as Big White was, we all missed the adventure and discovery that has always been our eastern ski tests and we all thought that the amazing conditions did make discerning losers more difficult. Nothing beats skiing on an upside down ice cube tray at Tremblant to sort out the crappiest of skis. Big White made it easy to pick out winners... more difficult to sniff out the losers. Check back soon for the complete rundown of the test including the much anticipated results. Until then here are a few of our favorite skis:
SELECTING THE RIGHT SKI
We pride ourselves on trying EVERY ski we sell BEFORE we decide to offer them to our customers... So we're uniquely qualified to match skier to ski... Provided, of course, said skier is able to adequately describe to us his or her skiing style and terrain preference.
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.
Published ski tests are one tidbit of information that might help... provided you trust these tests not to be tainted by sponsorships, advertising dollars and personal brand preference. 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... [read about our ski test here] We then select the pick of the litter, slap them on our wall and proudly stand behind each and every pair with our "love them or we'll swap them" guarantee when you go with our recommendation (ask one of our ski sales-people what that entails).
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.
That's where we come in.
The only catch is that 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.
THE TEST CARDS
It's all about winners and losers, right? When we decided what our test cards would look like we came up with certain important characteristics we believed were important to how a ski skied... and we slapped them onto these cool little test-cards. We added stuff like "graphics" that we thought were important. As well as added stuff like handling, stability, ease of initiation and things like preferred terrain and turn shape... it varies ever so slightly every year... But the ultimate goal stays the same: To present to you the most useful data in order to help us with your ski selection.
BLUE CHIP BRANDS 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? Nordica, Blizzard and Dynastar... That's who. It's simple, as long as you stay away from their first-price-point offerings you can't really go wrong. There's a reason we sell these brands: How well they test, year in - year out.
TUNING 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.
CONDITIONS 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.
Our first Gord's Ski Test was in 2001 when JF and a dude named Frank Roberts hit Tremblant for what grew into a great big tradition of Gord's Ski Tests. 
Some ski magazines charge a small fortune for companies to be tested in their ski tests... Those who don't charge knowingly or unknowingly bias their reviews through advertising and the use of sponsored testers... Blah blah blah, whine, whine, whine... Conspiracy theorists would have a field day at magazine ski tests. Not that the editorial side of these operations mean any harm but there's always someone trying to make a buck... the latest money grab seems to be Canadian ski mags now publishing "advertorials" for big-box retailers heavily camouflaged as impartial ski tests. (scroll down for JF's latest diatribe on that subject). 
So in order to get the true facts, the undisturbed, unspoiled information, we do what we must. We go out there and test skis ourselves... Lots of them. And once we're done we only buy skis we truly enjoyed. We don't take anyone's word for it and we certainly don't go by what manufacturers say or by what the latest fad dictates. (remember super short skis?) We are 100% accountable to you, our customer. As unbiased as we can be (among the brands sell, anyways) we strive to give you the straight goods. uncompromised. If the ski sucks, we don't sell it. Simple. Wouldn't it be great if that's the way every shop and retailer did business? Because if that was the way all sports retailers did business, there would never be such a thing as a discount bin.
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 and more testing. Below you'll read about current and past testers, to all of whom we owe a great-big THANK YOU for helping us select the very best gear. These guys and girls keep us honest and help with more than simple gear selection, they keep Gord Reid's
legacy and his "sell no crap" mantra alive. 
We used to be big fans of Ski Canada, good people doing a great job under difficult conditions, flying the flag, fighting the good fight, promoting a sport that is in desperate need of promoting... 
Along for the ride this year: Rob, Vlad, Shawn, Jerry Todd, Brian, The Vandusen brothers and JF... 
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. 
The only catch is that 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? Nordica, Blizzard and Dynastar... That's who. It's simple, as long as you stay away from their first-price-point offerings you can't really go wrong. There's a reason we sell these brands: How well they test, year in - year out. 
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.