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Monday, February 11, 2008
2008 Skiing Magazine Ski test, days 1 and 2
Hey, Jeremy Benson here reporting from the 2008 Skiing Magazine Ski test from Snowbird, Utah. Blue skies and cold snow have dominated the forecast for the past couple days, giving us perfect conditions to test out all the new skis for next season. Snowbird ski resort is the perfect venue to host such an event, with big vertical, steep varied terrain, and fast chairs to help us lap it up on all the different skis. This is my second consecutive year as a ski tester, and this year I'm skiing on the "Big Mountain Expert" skis(pretty much everyday skis for west coast rippers), and "One Ski Quiver Advanced" skis(more like everyday skis for those who actually ski on groomers sometimes).
Being a tester in both these categories means that I'll be testing out 56 different pairs of skis in about 4 days. These first two days I've been mixing it up on the Big Mountain Expert skis, with all the major manufacturers represented. So far I've skied on 25 pairs, with brands like Elan, Dynastar, Rossignol, K2, Line, Fischer, Fatypus, Scott, Black Diamond, Nordica, Volkl, Head, and Salomon, all making sweet new big mountain fatties for next year. Every ski performs a little differently, so switching it up so often definitely keeps you on your toes.
Being a tester in both these categories means that I'll be testing out 56 different pairs of skis in about 4 days. These first two days I've been mixing it up on the Big Mountain Expert skis, with all the major manufacturers represented. So far I've skied on 25 pairs, with brands like Elan, Dynastar, Rossignol, K2, Line, Fischer, Fatypus, Scott, Black Diamond, Nordica, Volkl, Head, and Salomon, all making sweet new big mountain fatties for next year. Every ski performs a little differently, so switching it up so often definitely keeps you on your toes.
To even the playing field a little I try and take a very similar run every time, as long as my run is pretty consistent I can feel the subtle differences of the different shapes and flexes of the skis. With all these tester skis, you might ask, how many times have you completely rag dolled out of a small air in the hardpack because of your demo bindings? Thankfully just once, but it was right under the lift and I got heckled as I should have.
Other testers this year include, Jaime Pierre, Drew Stoecklien, Griffin Post, Lynn Kennen, Charlotte Moats, Jenn Berg, Jeff Annetts, Dan "the Withey wave" Withey, Sven Brunso, and the Skiing Magazine staff.
That's all for now, time to crack a beer and put my feet up, only 31 more pairs of skis to go...
--- Jeremy Benson ---
Labels: 2008 Skiing Magazine Ski Test, Jeremy Benson, Ski, Ski Testing, Snowbird, Utah
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