Buying skis can be a confusing, stressful, and somewhat daunting task.That’s especially true if you’re new to the sport or if you haven’t made a purchase in recent years.There are a lot of options when it comes to choosing skis.If it’s your first time buying skis for yourself, it can be tough navigating all the options.If you haven’t shopped for a while, you might be surprised to see so many new shapes, new construction techniques, and may end up a bit lost while sifting through all the possibilities.
Here at SkiEssentials, we are all about helping skiers find what’s right for them.Ski performance is ultimately very subjective.It’s not fair to try to label something as objectively the “best” ski for everyone, as it’s just simply not true.In that light, we make extensive efforts in putting out content and guidelines that should help you find what’s right for you.
If you’re brand new to buying skis, the two links below are a perfect place to start.The link on the left will take you to an article and video discussing buying skis for beginners.If you’re new to the sport or if you’re coming off rental skis, you’re going to be right at home in this article.Even if you have some experience buying skis, you still might learn something, even if it’s information you pass along to a friend or family.The link on the right will take you to a similar article, but this time covering cross country skis.Once again, even if you’re not new to the sport, there’s a lot to learn here.
We go to great lengths to be the leading source of information about skis in the world.If you don’t believe us, try finding another media outlet with the same sheer volume of content and information.The most important thing we do to achieve this is our actual testing.We test skis more than anyone else in the industry.Part of that is due to our physical proximity to Stowe Mountain Resort.From the doors of our office and warehouse, it's only a short 7 mile drive to the lifts.We’re on snow EVERY DAY throughout the season testing skis.
In addition to our season-long testing, we also host an annual 3-Day Ski Test at Stowe.We invite over a hundred different ski testers and have direct access to hundred and hundreds of skis from 20 different brands.With our testing throughout the season and our annual Ski Test event, we’re able to publish the world’s most comprehensive Ski Test.Follow the links below and it’ll take you right to the information.
The best part about our Ski Test is we invite a wide range of different skiers.In our published results, you’re able to read about certain testers, find those who are most similar to you, and then follow which skis they enjoyed and why.It’s a fantastic place to learn more nuanced differences between skis, especially for different types of skiers.
The two links below will take you to two very different places, but both are very helpful resources when deciding what skis to buy.On the left, the link will take you to Chairlift Chat where you’ll find our blog.Here is where we post all sorts of different articles from in-depth reviews of skis to Comparison articles and more.While you’ll find a ton of information in our Ski Test results, our Chairlift Chat Reviews are where you’ll find even more detailed information about ski construction, shape, and performance.
On the right, the link will take you straight to our brand new Gear Finder!Here, you’ll fill out a short questionnaire about yourself as a skier and you can even upload a video to help us even better understand how you ski and what will work best for you.Once you’ve submitted your form, one of our Expert Customer Service Agents will reach out to start discussing different options and how they might benefit your skiing.We LOVE matching different skiers to the right skis and have decades of practice with proven results.Let us help!
We mentioned our Comparison articles that you can find on Chairlift Chat, but there’s so much information in these, they’re worth highlighting on their own.Below you’ll find direct links to all our most recent Ski Comparison articles and videos.It’s impossible to succinctly describe how much you can learn from these.While the rest of the information you’ll find on our site is largely focused on a single ski and its own performance, our Comparisons are just that, comparative.You’ll learn subtle differences between skis that otherwise might seem very similar.This is exceptionally helpful once you’ve determined what category of ski you want to buy.Need an all-mountain ski?Great!Now it’s time to determine just what kind of all-mountain ski you want.
We’re also very proud that each of these Comparisons has both a written component and a video.Whether you want to read through all the details or if you prefer watching, we’ve got you covered!
