I was reading another site recently where a skier was advised to buy a certain ski and ended up hating it. Buying new skis is exciting and you can't wait to get on snow with them, but it is a major disappointment when you find that they are nothing like you had hoped. This skier was asking what could possibly be wrong, and she received some good advice based on questions from other people. One problem was that this ski comes with a factory tune set for park skiers, but even more than that, it just wasn't the right ski for the kind of skiing she likes to do.
Another example: a guy walked into the shop with a pair of Nordica Enforcers the first year they were on the market; they had been a big hit in Ski Magazine's gear guide. He was unhappy with them and wondered if there was something wrong with the mount. I asked him a few questions about his skiing style and quickly assessed that he had bought a great ski that wasn't a great ski for him. As it turns out, the last time he bought skis, he chose SkiMag's Ski of the Year, the Atomic Metron B5. You all remember those (especially you from Epic days)? This guy loves to turn, and the Metron was his absolute dream ski. He was hard pressed to give it up, but it finally gave out, so he turned to the same resource for advice on buying a new pair. The only problem was, this time around, the Ski of the Year wasn't the right one for him. Don't get me wrong, the Nordica Enforcer is a wonderful ski, but not for a guy who loved his Metron and wants to find another ski that loves to turn as much as he does.
What it boils down to is this: whenever you are looking for advice on ski gear, whether the source is the print publication next to your throne, your favorite online ski community, or the local shop employee, if that source doesn't have the ability or creativity to ask you the following seven questions, you are placing a bet that you may not win.
- What resort do you ski most?
- What runs do you like most?
- Do you ski off piste or stick to groomers?
- Do you seek out or avoid moguls -- or do you dabble and want to get better?
- What is your height and weight?
- What skis are you currently skiing and what do you like most (and what do you not like) about them?
- What boots are you in?
- What kind of skiing does this person enjoy?
- Is this person validating his or her own opinion?
- Has this person taken the time to understand what I need in a ski?