Are magazine reviews of skis useful?
Before purchasing my first set of skis in the 01.02 season I consulted online “gear finders” as well as the September issues of “Skiing” and “Ski Magazine” that are dedicated to equipment reviews. They don’t last until October so buy them early. You and most everyone else that waits too long will be in the queue at the local library come spring! Both magazines test skis and classify them by ability. “Ski Magazine” has good narratives about each ski, however, their rankings are implicit and must be derived manually from the narratives. I prefer the format found in “Skiing”. The magazines provide value in three ways. One, the ratings help to triage the list of skis that you will want demo. Don’t be frustrated if you can only find in stores half of the models on your list. Two, the reviewers comments and rating systems will give you some vocabulary and a set of dimensions to think about as you test your demos. Three, they are a great reference to take to your demo sessions or local ski st
