Picking out a new pair of skis and/or boots can be a daunting task or an exciting experience. To better sell you skis we learn about ours by skiing them. Our test team is comprised of a variety of skiers, both men and women, and also includes several certified instructors.

Every February our team of testers gets to demo next year’s skis. We always hope for a mix of snow conditions, so that we can really give them a thorough test drive. Last season was pretty average, and conditions for our test were mostly firm, with some softer turns in isolated pockets. Trade Fair is based out of the Stump Alley/Chair 2 parking lot, so most of our skiing took place on Chairs 2, 1, 3, 23, and the Upper Gondola. Since we value versatility over all other attributes, every ski was used on piste, off piste, big turns, little turns, bumps, steeps, and sometimes in the terrain park. Once again, we were astounded by how well the wider skis performed on firm snow. By now, we expect stiff midfats like the Volkl AC50 to rip the hard stuff, but the big mountain (90-110mm under foot) skis were all kinds of fun too. Even the K2 obSETHed with its mini rocker was great on the hardpack. We held on to a few skis after Trade Fair in hopes of using them on a powder day, but that day never came. Okay, Memorial Day was a real powder day, but most of had to work our parking lot sale. A couple of us went to Mt. Baker, WA for Kamp K2, and got to ski Xplorers, Outlaws, etc. in the soft and deep, but most of our test was done on firm snow.

Click Here for a quick look at our testers and their favorite skis for ’08-’09.