THE LIST OF EX'S
Here's a brief run-down of previous testers who came and went yet left their mark with their words of wisdom and their help in selecting brands and models for us for the past 7 years, we've omitted the few who just breezed by and decided those who, while perhaps only popping in for one test, have continued to be part of our extended advisory committee:
Marie-Claude R .
MC or Iklo as her big brother JF calls her, has been skiing just 2 fewer years than JF but has, in the process, managed to keep all her hair. Marie-Claude joined the crew for the 2005 ski test until she managed to tear her ACL while trying to keep up with said brother at Owl's Head (their home mountain). There is a plan to get her to rejoin the test team next year now that her knoee is close to 100%... More on that later.
Frank R .
Frank was the first of Gord's Test-Team members. He and JF went alone for the 2000 ski test in Tremblant and Frank returned for the first group test in 2001 An engineer by profession, Frank set the bar testing-wise and helped define what some like to call a Gord's institution: Gord's ski test.
Carmen R.
A one test specimen, Carmen joined us for the 2004 ski test in Quebec City when we asked Le Massif, Stoneham and Mont Ste Anne. Carmen was a great addition to the team and who knows, we may ski with er again one day! Her favorite ski was the Dynastar Legend 4800 in a 172cm.
Mike K .
Mikey as we like to call him, was onboard for the 2005 Ski test... There's still hope we'll reel him in for a few more as he's currently based out east (if you can call Ontario east) Mike skis on Fischer RC4 Race skis... Kick ass!
Matt G .
Matt was part of the infamous 2004 ski test team, part of the crew that skied for 10 hours straight at Mont Ste Anne. Matt couldn't test himself out of a wet paper bag so now Matt just joins us yearly for the Sunshine part of our tests... where he skis on whatever. and still can't tell the difference. Ah, blissful ignorance.
Nick Hirst
Nick, a great tester in his own right, helped kick everything off for the 2001 ski test as he wrote about our Tests and exploits in the Winnipeg Free Press (he had an "in" since he was the editor) from 01 to 05. He found true ski love in the Dynastar Legend 8000... To this date still the high water-mark benchmark in all mountain skis. One day we'll ski together again, Nick. It's just a matter of time.
Gary S.
The irreplaceable Gary (remember Team America World Police?) Gary joined us for both the '01 and the '02 ski tests... A hell of a great ski buddy, Gary discovered in-line skating in 2003 and we never saw him again... Except for our bi-annual eye exams.
Jeff K.
Jeff was onboard for the 2002 and 2003 ski tests, his favorite ski was the Nordica W72 sle how I remember that is beyond me. One day he'll rejoin us... until then we're keeping a seat warm for him.
Terry Poon.
One of the many one test wonders. Terry joined us for the 2003 ski test. Fell in love with a Dynastar Ski Cross 10 in a 172 and was never been seen on a test again Great guy with a tremendous smile and a kind heart. Terry is always welcome to come back.
Mark T.
Mark joined us for the 2002 and 2003 editions of our test. Quite liked the Dynastar Avant-Premiere #2 and as far as we know has owned two pairs in various lengths. Last seen golfing a few months ago.
Artur P.
Archie (as he likes to be called) was part of the infamous 2004 test and part of the inseparable and hilarious Polish Connection Duo that also included his then-brother-in-law Tom (sitting next to him in a blue shirt in the picture below).
These guys came for the skiing and skiing they did. Archie was almost kicked out of the NSIA ski test for calling Atomic's Metron Skis "complete garbage" just a little too loudly for some of the Atomic team's liking.
Bob K .
Team Cardiac's original member, Bob was part of the first group for the 2001 ski test. A tremendous individual and recent convert to fat skis, bob and his son still rip it up everywhere the can.
Kathy K.
The irreplaceable and committed shit- disturber, Kathy was on the 02, 03, 04 and 05 ski tests. Always outspoken and certainly the highlight of many hot-tub moments, Kathy was a great team member and we miss her.
Melanie T.
One of our most favorite testers of all time, Melanie was with us for the coldest test of all, the 2003 ski test... where she managed to frostbite her cheeks while making everyone smile for the entire trip. A nicer person you'll never meet. Melanie fell in love with and now owns a pair of Dynastar Omecarve 10's.
Gary M .
Gary was probably the most competent tester we've ever had. He could understand a ski the way few people can. That AND he's lots of fun to have around... Veteran of the 02 and 03 ski tests, Gary threatens to join us every other year... He's such a tease that way.
Wes K .
Another one test wonder, Wes was present for the 03 test "the big one" as we called it (as we had a record amount of testers for that year). Lots of fun, Wes met a girl and fell off the face of the earth.
Dean G .
Never a nicer, more stand-up guy you'll ever meet. Dean was part of the 2003 ski test and man, are we glad he came along. a great skier with a heart of gold... Slept on one two many sofas and lived to tell the tale .
Ev Y .
Ev joined us for the 04 and 05 tests. Always a ray of sunshine and a trooper extra-ordinaire, Ev kept Lloyd in line and was a wealth of knowledge when it came to women's ski selection.
Nic D.
Nic was part of the first group test, The 2001 ski test where we skied Owl's Head, Sutton and Jay Peak. Nic's a great guy and outstanding skier for a guy his... uh... size.
Tom D.
The second, much more handsome part of the Polish Connection, Tom was with us for the '04 test in Quebec City and managed to out ski everyone. The last test-team member to match Bob's level of enthusiasm, Tom's always welcome on any trip we take.
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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 (thankfuly) 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 (especialy 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 definately been Salomon. Some years they do it right... But historicaly 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 hardenned, 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. 
