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Ski Reviews

Tim

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When look at various ski review sites, like Free Skier, On the Snow and Ski Magazine, they break down each review into various categories like float, carving, stability, etc. and get it a numeric value. Are these numeric values relative to all skis or just skis within it's respective class?

For example. if Ski Magazine gives the Blizzard Bonafide a 2.75 for float, is that a 2.75 within All-Mountain Backside skis, or relative to all skis? The reason I ask is if I am comparing two skis within different classes, let's say frontside vs backside, and the frontside ski has a 3.5 for float, the wider backside has a 2.75 float, does this just mean the frontside is great at floating for a frontside ski or that it actually floats better than the backside ski?
 
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Lorenzzo

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From Realskiers section entitled "Ski Testing and Using Our Reviews":

"performance scores and Finesse/Power ratings are relative to other skis in a given genre; you can't compare a Worldcup slalom to a pure powder plank."

If you want to extract value from reviews my suggestions would be to not only look at the scores and discussion on a particular ski but also the the methodology of the testing and then think about what might be the usefulness and limitations of that sort of testing.

Give you an example. Realskier talks about their tuning standards for tested skis and implications that might have as to your experience. Blister at times talks about forgetting or being too busy to tune skis.
 

Philpug

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Tim,

First, I moved this over to the Gear Review forum where it is a bit more relative. Second, great question. Each magazine has their own way of reviewing a ski. IMHO, "float" is completely irrelevant on anything under 80mm but some use it in the test. I am not a fan of ranking skis, everyone's needs are different and what one person feels is good is different than another one. Also, the sites that you reference are all static reviews where here at Pugski, our reviews are interactive. So you can ask the reviewer what they meant by the ski needs to be skied off of the tongue to maximize edge pressure. We prefer to judge and review skis on it's own meters verses a homogenized average. Please read my articles Anatomy of a Ski Test Pt. 1 & Pt. 2, Pt. 3, The Conclusion will be posted after we hit Mt. Rose & Mammoth.
 

Ron

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I will add to that; many ski's today are more use specific, look at a FX85 vs a Line 86, totally different ski's with different purposes IMHO. The FX85 is far more useful off piste whereas the Line 86 is really at home on the groomed. I would not rate them under the same criteria as it wouldn't really give you a fair or realistic understanding of the ski; a rating doesn't tell the story of that ski
 

Philpug

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The other thing we will discuss here is "Who is the ski for?" and "Who is it not for?" and we will consider what the cost is for each of the attribute. Float is not always at the cost of hard snow capability. We can compare and contrast these nuances.
 

Ron

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Excellent point; in testing Phil had us thinking not only did WE like a ski but who would like the ski; did it prefer being driven or neutral, etc. Just because I didn't care for a ski, maybe it would make an outstanding ski for someone else. I can think of 2 ski's that weren't for me but are excellent choices for someone else.
 

Jake M

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Excellent point; in testing Phil had us thinking not only did WE like a ski but who would like the ski; did it prefer being driven or neutral, etc. Just because I didn't care for a ski, maybe it would make an outstanding ski for someone else. I can think of 2 ski's that weren't for me but are excellent choices for someone else.

Now THAT is the way to review! I've searched high and low, far and wide, and I cannot think of any site anywhere which does this to any degree of depth. It seems absolutely fundamental to me that this should be the starting point of a review. After all, the reviewers aren't the consumers; their readers are.

Not to mention being able to ask questions of the reviewer(s) and so forth.

Gooooooooooo Pugski ! :golfclap:
 
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Tim

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I was wondering why I hadn't gotten notifications about this thread, but I guess notifications get turned off when threads move forums. All of this makes sense and is great. Thanks for the feedback.
 
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