# Have you demoed every ski you've eventually owned?



## Greg (Oct 14, 2008)

Got the idea for this thread in another. Most people highly recommend demoing. It would be interesting to see how many people actually follow that advice themselves. It occurred to me that I've never actually demoed any of the skis I've eventually owned. How about you?


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## deadheadskier (Oct 14, 2008)

I have only demoed a handful of skis in my life and never ended up purchasing that model.  I'd like to change that trend, but my budget calls for 'new' skis that are a couple of years old model wise.  If I demoed a set this year, they wouldn't be in my budget range until 2010-2011


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## deadheadskier (Oct 14, 2008)

I should add....if I could find them then in my size


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## GrilledSteezeSandwich (Oct 14, 2008)

I've never been into demo-ing..it cuts into mad steezy vert...I just buy skis and ski them and then buy new skis..lol


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## wa-loaf (Oct 14, 2008)

I like to gamble. 

Ideally I would, but time and opportunity usually don't work out.


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## RootDKJ (Oct 14, 2008)

I got a free coupon for the demo shack at Windham a few years ago. Normally they charge 30-40 bucks for this I enjoyed the whole experience a lot.  Pick out a ski you want to demo, hit a few runs with it, head back to the shack and try something else or a different size. 

The whole day was a lot of fun and I wound up buying one of the skis I demo'd (but not from Windham)


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## gmcunni (Oct 14, 2008)

i only demo'd a few times. it was right after i got back into skiiing after several years off. during that layoff shaped skis were introduced. i demo'd skis 4-5 times that first season back to get a feel for what the new skis were like.   ended up buying a brand that i had not demo'd.


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## Hawkshot99 (Oct 14, 2008)

I am only counting from when I started getting "good" skis.

Every spring I demo every model that the shop carries, plus a bunch of others that the manufacturers bring.  Since starting demoing I have demoed every ski I have bought with the exception of powder skis.


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## Edd (Oct 14, 2008)

Never, although it's clearly smart to do so, it's a bit of a pain.

I think of it as each ski has it's gifts.  It just takes time to find what they are.


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## madskier6 (Oct 14, 2008)

I have demoed most of the skis that I've eventually bought although there have been some exceptions.  I love hitting those demo days that don't cost anything but allows you to demo all the skis available between 9:00 and 2:00.  I just like trying the various models to see what they feel like, even if I don't end up buying those particular models.  It's not like I'm obsessive about it & have to demo before I buy the model but it has just worked out that way.

For example, I'm planning on hitting the demo day at Gore the first Sunday of Dec. if there's decent snow for 3 reasons:

1) I've never been to Gore & I really want to check it out.  I realize early Dec. is probably not the best time to check it out but I'm going to try anyway if there's half-way decent snow.

2) Lift tickets are $29 that day.  It's hard for me to pass up a deal like that.

3) I love to demo skis & it won't cost me anything extra.


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## Philpug (Oct 14, 2008)

I've demoed most of the skis I have sold, if that counts.


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## WJenness (Oct 14, 2008)

I've never demoed skis... But A: I've only ever owned 1 pair of skis and B: I plan on demoing skis at Sunday River's Demo Days over thanksgiving weekend.

-w


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## severine (Oct 14, 2008)

Never demo'd.  I don't think I would have known what to look for until recently anyway... and at that point, the demo days I planned on hitting had to be missed due to my knee injury.  I've had bad luck (buying a pair of random skis at the ski swap) and excellent luck (Marie Martinods from eBay).  If you do your research, I think you can choose pretty well without demoing.  And if it doesn't work out, you're not married to them; you can always resell.


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## Glenn (Oct 15, 2008)

Never...I've always just pulled the trigger and went with it. And I've never regretted it either. Maybe I'm lucky...or maybe ignorance is bliss?


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## o3jeff (Oct 15, 2008)

I demoed the AC3 and bought a pair of AC30 and ended up not liking them. All my other skies I have bought without trying out first and up liking most of them.


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## andyzee (Oct 15, 2008)

The only skis I didn't demo is my first pair. After that I demoed every ski I own.


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## andyzee (Oct 15, 2008)

madskier6 said:


> For example, I'm planning on hitting the demo day at Gore the first Sunday of Dec.



I liked your idea and had to check it out. Unfortunetly it appears to be Friday, 12/5  http://goremountain.com/mountain/moreinfo.cfm?id=90


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## Warp Daddy (Oct 15, 2008)

I currently own 3 prs and demoed them all -- but prior to this  never did


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## bvibert (Oct 15, 2008)

I've only demoed skis a couple of times and I don't own any of them.  I'm in the same boat as Deadhead, any of the new stuff I'd try is not likely to be in my budget for a couple of years...


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## Trekchick (Oct 15, 2008)

I tend to demo every chance I get, but I've only bought a few pair I demo.

I tend to demo all types of ski and write reviews.  I like to get a good idea of the feel of the range of equipment so I can answer forum questions with some real scope of experience.

When I demo, I use this ski score card (which has lines and boxes in excel) so I can keep track:


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## campgottagopee (Oct 15, 2008)

Oddly enough when I demo skis I demo ones that I have no intention of buying, ie: very short turny, fun skis. Guess I enjoy a couple runs of just crankin some turns for the heck of it. When I purchase, I know the kind of ski I want from reading as well as my local ski shop gives me excellent advise. I ski with the owner every Sunday so he knows what I like.


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## Dr Skimeister (Oct 15, 2008)

I've demoed several times, but only purchased those I had demoed twice. Once, I demoed from a shop and them purchased the actual demo skis that day (Atomic Betacarv 9.16). It was the end of the season, the skis appeared to have minimal wear on them and the shop owner gave me a great price.


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## 2knees (Oct 15, 2008)

never demo'ed skis and dont have any real plans to.  i just buy skis and ski them.


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## Greg (Oct 15, 2008)

2knees said:


> never demo'ed skis and dont have any real plans to.  i just buy skis and ski them.



You're not core enough.


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## madskier6 (Oct 15, 2008)

andyzee said:


> I liked your idea and had to check it out. Unfortunetly it appears to be Friday, 12/5  http://goremountain.com/mountain/moreinfo.cfm?id=90



Oops, my mistake.  I must have been looking at the wrong month on the calendar.  Oh well, if the snow is good, I'll still hit it on a Friday.


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## eastcoastpowderhound (Oct 15, 2008)

I skied on almost every advanced to expert ski I ever bought for the ski wall when I was a hardgoods buyer.  I'd get on at least 30 pair at the Stratton on snow and would have skied on many other skis at intros or a few hrs on the hill with the rep.  I'd be on the lift at 9am and wouldn't stop until 4pm...some years it was bluebird with fresh snow (and hardly felt like work) other years it was pouring for two days or -20 with howling winds...but before I put the ski on the wall to sell to the general public I wanted to make sure I could talk about how it performed, who it was for, etc.
  I've had a few pair of skis given to me that I didn't ski on first...most of the time they've been great but on a couple of occasions I didn't like the ski...so if you're coughing up hard earned $$ for skis try to get out on them first.  

Deadhead and Brian, demo this year to find a few pair you like and would want to buy next year or later and then keep your eye out for them at a steal on tramdock or the local shop...then you know you're getting something you like....otherwise, caveat emptor.


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## Greg (Oct 15, 2008)

Very interesting that over 70% of us have only demoed a few or none of the skis we own. Yet, that's usually the default response to people looking for specific ski information. Interesting.


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## madskier6 (Oct 15, 2008)

Part of the reason I demo as much as I can is that I just like to try different skis out.  I don't have a hard & fast rule that I have to demo before I buy.  I'm kind of a gear nut & I like to be informed about how different skis feel out on the snow.  If you go to those demo days & ski on a couple of different models, then you can look for deals on them later in the year, next year or the year after.  Plus, if you regularly read the gear threads here & over at Epic (like I do), you then have a good basis to compare the opinions of other posters when they compare a ski you haven't skied to a ski that you have demoed.

Bottom line: I do it for fun & to be well informed about ski gear.  But I'm not obsessive about it.  Hitting up those demo days can be a lot of fun.


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## bvibert (Oct 15, 2008)

My problem with demoing is that I have a hard time pulling myself away from skiing so I can deal with the whole demo process.  I can only get away so many days to ski, I don't want to spend them in a demo tent.


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## GrilledSteezeSandwich (Oct 15, 2008)

bvibert said:


> My problem with demoing is that I have a hard time pulling myself away from skiing so I can deal with the whole demo process.  I can only get away so many days to ski, I don't want to spend them in a demo tent.



times two..demo-ing means giving up mad steezy vert..


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## MRGisevil (Oct 15, 2008)

All of the skis I've demoed I haven't liked. All of the skis I've purchased without demoing I've loved.


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## ed-drum (Oct 15, 2008)

I demo boards if it's free. I wouldn't pay to try out a new car. I usually know what I want after reading and talking to people. The Dynastar Omeglass pair I just bought was through research. (Reading and talking) These things are gonna be little hot rods!


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## riverc0il (Oct 15, 2008)

Greg said:


> Very interesting that over 70% of us have only demoed a few or none of the skis we own. Yet, that's usually the default response to people looking for specific ski information. Interesting.


I think the poll could be misleading. As I suggested in the other thread, demoing is often about ruling out skis NOT to buy. By having a thread only dealing with skis that people have bought in regards to demoing, it rules out any one that might have demoed and decided not to buy something which, IMO, is just as if not more important than demoing a dozen skis to find the perfect one. Though, having demoed almost double digit skis on the only demo day I went to... I can say with a lot of confidence that I think there is no better ski for my desired performance than the every day ski I went with. I can't say that about my touring rigs or my powder boards which I bought straight out without demoing.

That said... I do think demoing would be a waste of time for many skiers. It is certainly why you never see beginner skis at demo days and not a lot of intermediate skis.


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## riverc0il (Oct 15, 2008)

bvibert said:


> My problem with demoing is that I have a hard time pulling myself away from skiing so I can deal with the whole demo process.  I can only get away so many days to ski, I don't want to spend them in a demo tent.


There really isn't much to the demo process if you do so early in the season. Its just a few runs any ways. You do a run, switch skis at the tent, and go take another run. You only loose skiing time if you ski open to close and at that you might only loose one or two runs tops. I get bored of skiing WROD in December before I get tired of trying out new skis.


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## riverc0il (Oct 15, 2008)

MRGisevil said:


> All of the skis I've demoed I haven't liked. All of the skis I've purchased without demoing I've loved.


Here is a good example of my previous point regarding demos ensuring you don't purchase skis that will not suit your needs. However, the contradiction in not demoing skis that are purchased and loved adds an interesting gear factor into the equation... having spent hundreds of dollars on equipment, you are more likely to love it regardless compared to a zero investment demo. Not saying that is specifically the case here... but I think it could be a factor in a lot of gear buying decisions. I notice this a lot when I took up golf.... on the golf forums, everyone seems to always love new gear just because it is new gear... and then the honey moon is over soon there after :lol:


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## mondeo (Oct 15, 2008)

I ski bumps. I buy bump skis. Bump skis don't get demoed.


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## bvibert (Oct 15, 2008)

riverc0il said:


> There really isn't much to the demo process if you do so early in the season. Its just a few runs any ways. You do a run, switch skis at the tent, and go take another run. You only loose skiing time if you ski open to close and at that you might only loose one or two runs tops. I get bored of skiing WROD in December before I get tired of trying out new skis.



This is true.  I haven't come across any demo days when I was skiing WROD type conditions yet though...  

Maybe I'm just too impatient, when I get to the mountain I just want to get on the lift as quickly as possible and ski.  I prefer to stay on the mountain until lunch and then go right back out until I'm ready to collapse, or they shut off the lifts.  The other problem is that I'm usually skiing with other people, which isn't necessarily conducive to stopping by the demo tent every couple of runs, unless they're demoing as well.

This probably sounds like I'm anti-demoing or something, but I'm totally not.  I can definitely see the advantages, especially if it's free.  I just haven't gotten my ass in gear enough to do much of it.


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## skibum9995 (Oct 16, 2008)

I've never demoed anything. I'd like to get to a demo day to ski some midfats because I've never skied anyting fatter than 67. I"d like to see what all the hype is about.


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## riverc0il (Oct 16, 2008)

"Hype" lol. Steel edges on skis had a lot of hype when they first came out too  

In all seriousness, not sure where your skiing ambitions lie, but if you want to expand your skiing boundaries beyond groomers, then you would definitely benefit from adding a 75-85 waist ski to your quiver. However, a waist bigger than 70 would definitely not help you out any on groomed conditions where you already have a rocket of a ski.

Personally, I think a lot of skiers would be better off finding a de-tuned lower level race ski based boards made for non-racers who want good groomer performance rather than mid-fats. A lot of people are buying some "hype" and getting fatter skis which really don't help if you just ski groomers which the majority of skiers do.


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## riverc0il (Oct 16, 2008)

bvibert said:


> This probably sounds like I'm anti-demoing or something, but I'm totally not.  I can definitely see the advantages, especially if it's free.  I just haven't gotten my ass in gear enough to do much of it.


I hear ya, word.


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## Sky (Oct 22, 2008)

I have four pair of skis, three I demo'd.

The one I didn't demo, I bought from a rep...his "last year's ski" for a deal.

I use them, but I don't "like" them.

Wa has a good deal on the mountain.  Demo a pair...come back, try amother pair.  If you somehow narrow your search beforehand, it's painless...in fact, it's exciting.

They also recruit for their Ride-em-and-Rank-em event in the spring.  I did it about three years ago.  Demo'd 11 pairs of skis.  Learned a lot about what I like and don;t like that day.


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## drjeff (Oct 22, 2008)

I'd been skiing for close to 15 years *BEFORE* the concept of demo days ever really emerged   For the last 15 years though,  I've demo'd most of what I've eventually bought,  although I won't deny that I've bought a pair or 2 site "un-skied" in the last 15 years too.


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## hardline (Oct 23, 2008)

i started using stowe toys last year. i think its 50 and you get to use what ever boards you want to use for the day. i went through the whole line in a day. there where boards like the supermodel i am glad i didn't by off the interwebz after i had demoed it. i really want to demo a prior atv or the donek version of the atv. i want a long fast carving board. about a 172 size.


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## Euler (Oct 23, 2008)

*The Gnarly Effect - A skiers version of the Bradley Effect*

My proposed Wikipedia entry:

The Gnarly effect, less commonly called the Core effect,[1][2] is a proposed explanation for observed discrepancies between skier opinion polls and actual outcomes in some American skier behavior when a skier is asked how to go about purchasing a new ski. [3][4][5] Named for Tom Gnarley, a rad, core skier who demoed over 200,000 pairs of skis, the Gnarley effect refers to an alleged tendency on the part of some skiers to tell ski forum readers that they should always demo a ski before purchasing, and yet, when asked about thier own purchasing habits, they admit to not demoing themselves.


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## mattchuck2 (Oct 23, 2008)

Haha . . . Yeah, I never demo . . . 

Actually, I shouldn't say that.  I never buy the skis I demo.  I never seem to demo skis I like, even though I demo skis that I think I'll like.  Maybe those heavy demo bindings are swaying my opinion.

I buy skis on word of mouth, and by looking at dimensions.  This year, I decided I needed a fat ski.  I already had skis with widths of 68 mm, 78 mm, 82 mm (or something), and I needed more.  I wanted it to be at least 95 mm at the waist and at least 125 mm at the tip (for tunability).  I wanted a wood core.  After extensive internet surfing, gear guide browsing and personal interviews, I narrowed it down to Line Prophet 100, Volkl Mantra, and Volkl Gotama.  Realized that I wanted a POWDER ski and eliminated the Mantra.  Could get a deal on the Gotama and went with that.

So when I get the bindings mounted, the first day of 6" or more is the first time I'll ever ski them.  I've bought all of my other skis in the same general way.


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## eastcoastpowderhound (Oct 23, 2008)

mattchuck2 said:


> After extensive internet surfing, gear guide browsing and personal interviews, I narrowed it down



wow, sounds like a lot of time and energy invested to make the purchase...

wonder what you would have found if you spent that time TRYING some skis..it might even have been fun :razz:

I know, I know, you probably did all the research in the summer on the chairlift...


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## severine (Oct 24, 2008)

Euler said:


> the Gnarley effect refers to an alleged tendency on the part of some skiers to tell ski forum readers that they should always demo a ski before purchasing, and yet, when asked about thier own purchasing habits, they admit to not demoing themselves.


LOVE IT!  


BTW, how many of you told me to demo last year when I contemplated buying my Maries...and have never demoed the skis you purchased yourself????


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## madskier6 (Oct 25, 2008)

mattchuck2 said:


> Haha . . . Yeah, I never demo . . .
> 
> Actually, I shouldn't say that.  I never buy the skis I demo.  I never seem to demo skis I like, even though I demo skis that I think I'll like.  Maybe those heavy demo bindings are swaying my opinion.
> 
> ...



I have a pair of the Gotamas & I love them as a POWDER ski.  They're also great in the Spring.  If you like a smooth, easy to turn pow ski, you'll like them a lot too.  They're great in the trees as they can turn quickly & smoothly without a ton of effort.  Enjoy!


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## mattchuck2 (Oct 25, 2008)

eastcoastpowderhound said:


> wow, sounds like a lot of time and energy invested to make the purchase...
> 
> wonder what you would have found if you spent that time TRYING some skis..it might even have been fun :razz:
> 
> I know, I know, you probably did all the research in the summer on the chairlift...



Yeah, but then you need to fill out paperwork and give them your credit card (or driver's license, or whatever), and get the bindings adjusted, and then go to the next demo tent and get the bindings fitted again.  That's time that I could be spending actually enjoying myself . . . And like I said, every time I demo, I don't like the skis anyway.  If I just go out and buy them, then I always like 'em.


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## riverc0il (Oct 25, 2008)

mattchuck2 said:


> And like I said, every time I demo, I don't like the skis anyway.  If I just go out and buy them, then I always like 'em.


Spending a lot of money on something usually has a habit of ensuring you don't completely hate them... kind of a self fulfilling prophecy in a way. Who would want to admit to wasting hundreds of dollars.

I actually really enjoy the one time I did a multi ski demo day... I enjoyed the time spent talking to reps, looking at different skis, etc. The time to adjust the bindings was actually very minimal. It was all just part of the process and I thought that the process itself was fun. I only skied that day because of the demos since early season conditions were not at their best. I just can't get excited to cycle down two trails all day. But I can get excited if every second run I have a different pair of skis that I have never tried before. Wish I could line up these days more often but timing just doesn't work out.


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## hardline (Oct 27, 2008)

severine said:


> LOVE IT!
> 
> 
> BTW, how many of you told me to demo last year when I contemplated buying my Maries...and have never demoed the skis you purchased yourself????



i would never recomend a piece of equipment i have not used myself.


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