On the Snow Ski Test

The results are in from the OnTheSnow.com ski test.

Over a few days last March, I was one of 13 lucky people tasked with evaluating next year’s skis for the website’s annual review.

I say lucky because I think it’s a really cool opportunity to tryout the new gear, but it wasn’t without it’s challenges. There were 60 different skis that needed reviewing in just three days time, so it was more like a NASCAR event with pit stop ski exchanges than a casual day on new gear. We would start at 8am and go continuously to last chair at 4pm or so, filling out review cards on the chairlift, without even taking a break for things like lunch. It was really fun.

As I mentioned in a earlier post, the skis were scored on versatility, carving, playfulness, stability, and float/powder. Detailed comments on their performance in these five categories were also required, as were overall impressions. After a summer to pore over all the reviews, the website boiled it down to an “Editor’s Choice” lists for the three ski categories: Powder, All Mountain, and Frontside (for both men and women). The Editor’s Choice selections are here.

To see how all the skis fared, the complete list of the reviews are here.

What I liked most about this test was that the objectivity of the group resulted in more honest scores. We weren’t being paid by the ski companies or getting free gear, so we had no reason to polish up any duds and just called it like we saw it. Some of the skis averaged between one or two on a scale of five, something you won’t see on Wild Snow or Powder, where paid endorsements guarantee high scores for everyone. Good skis were rewarded with high scores, but skis that didn’t cut it were dealt with sometimes harshly.

That said, most of the skis I tried were really good. I’ve had my skis for next season picked out for a while, but I’d be happy with most of those I tried. Thanks to OnTheSnow.com for putting it all together.

Arlene Edwards

October 21, 2012 at 11:56 AM

Thanks, now I’m going to spend some quality time drooling over new gear!

Scott Martin

October 22, 2012 at 7:21 AM

I looked at a few of the reviews and it’s refreshing to read what looks like a totally objective test. In golf, the big magazines write glowingly about the resorts, courses, destinations, and manufacturers who spend the most on advertising. And yet the one book that tells it like it is about golf courses fetches $250 on eBay. And a couple of websites in the golf space are killing it by providing unbiased information plus outstanding content…like your blog, Ted.

A lot of websites, like Amazon and tripadvisor, rely on user generated content and this opens the door to companies that, for a big fee, post glowing reviews.

So hat’s off to On the Snow and, if they haven’t already, they will reap the rewards of a commitment to unbiased content. They will get globs of traffic. It’s always exciting to read about publications with a commitment to doing things the right way.

ted

October 22, 2012 at 1:19 PM

And if I could share a couple of the more cutting remarks that didn’t make the final cut, for obvious reasons:

“Great ski if you’re going to sit in the lodge all day.”
“Like Charlie Brown’s teacher: ‘Wa-waa.’”
“Watch it wiggle, see it jiggle.”
“It’s great for the face of Bell to Six…if you’re following your mom.”
“Squirrely, but fun, sorta.”
“Like a Cadillac geriatric groomer ski.”
“Make a bench out of them.”
“The carving button is broken on this ski. It skis squishy everywhere.”

mtnrunner2

November 3, 2012 at 11:15 AM

Hilarious. I think I’ve skied a few of those on demo days.

Truth be told, my obSETHeds are pretty much suicide on scraped bulletproof, but love ’em on anything soft and 3-D. However, it would be nice to have a decent hard snow ski to mix things up. Good thing demo days are upon us again…