Top New Skis for 2009- 2010!
Column by Heather Burke Feb , 2009

Heather’s top female skis for 2009-2010:
Blizzard Viva 7.6
Volkl Feugo
Elan Speed Machine
Vist Super Front
Stokli Spirit
Atomic Double Deck
Nordica Victory
Rossignol Attraxion

Greg’s top ski picks for 2009-2010 Skis
Volkl Tigershark 11’
Salomon Tornado
Volkl AC 50
Volkl Grizzly
Blizzard G Fore
Dynastar Course 4X4
Salomon Fury
K2 Explorer 

I am a kid in a candy store. It’s a crisp blue sky day and I have about 900 skis to try. 109 vans are parked at the snowy base of Stratton Mountain, loaded with next year’s gear – all shiny and new with sharp edges. For years I had heard about the On Snow Demo from industry people, finally I had arrived.

The New England Winter Sports Reps put on this annual February On Snow Demo assembling 95 companies to flaunt next winter’s skis, snowboards, boots, and goggles. It’s the Fryeburg Fair of snow sports equipment as you walk from tent to tent where technicians set you up on next year’s gear, you can take them for a spin or two.

John Winslow, of Rodgers Ski and Sport in Scarborough, said he has been attending the On Snow Demo for 20 years, where he works as a technician for Salomon. “This is the place for ski shop people to come and sample next year’s equipment to determine what to carry in their shop for their customers.”

John Edmonds of Wells, technician for Marker/Volkl said, “I will be taking some skis back to the boys at the Sugarloaf Ski Shop to try.”

I would love to tell you tried ‘em all, but in two days I sampled 26 pair of skis, enough to make my head spin. Without getting too technical, here’s what I learned.

First, you need to narrow down what type of ski you want. Each manufacturer has its own exhaustive line from all mountain ski to frontside carver to freestyle twin tip and park ski, to big mountain fat ski and powder ski with reverse camber (aka: rocker ski).

A common misnomer is that if you ski the whole mountain, all the trails on the map, you need an all mountain ski. Not necessarily, if you stick primarily to groomed surfaces you want a frontside carver. However, if you spend as much time in the glades, moguls and powder, then an all mountain ski may be the ticket- since it is wider under foot, throughout the shovel and tail. An all mountain ski won’t be as precise when it comes to carving but it offers the advantage of being a one ski solution for all the terrain you plan to tackle.

Another mistake folks make is insisting on a twin tip when they have no intention of riding “switch,” a.k.a.: backwards.

I focused my ski samplings on the women’s fleet for 2009-2010 while my husband Greg took on the unisex ski line up. I am tickled to report the women’s skis are worthy, no longer just a softer, pinker version of the men’s (now called unisex to be more p.c.). The majority of the testers (primarily ski shop employees) are men, and they test all the gear - expert to novice, unisex and ladies’ gear. As one shop owner told me, “The chick skis really rip this year.”

It was quite a scene with over 400 ski shop employees taking these new toys out for high speed laps. Brand new boards, fresh out of the factory, have edges so sharp you could slice soggy wonder bread with them. Stratton’s slopes looked like a Grand Prix of skis and snowboards, as testers pushed each ride to the limit, determining which had guts, and which had gimmicks. Deciding upon the fleet they stock is a big deal, and being able to fit each ski to their customer next fall will determine their success as a shop.

I was impressed by dedicated shop owners who weren’t tempted to try the top end products, knowing that their customers can only afford the mid to lower end line. I, however, indulged in an Italian $1,800 handcrafted Vist ski that glided like silk and carved like a knife through pasta. I reluctantly returned it to the demo tent. A girl can dream.

I did not encounter a bad ski (see my favorites list, and Greg’s picks), although there was one I didn’t like, (sorry K-2, no Burnin’ Love for me) and one that was not properly tuned.

That’s the other pearl I can share, the tune of the ski is key. As Jeremy Nobis said, “I’d rather ski on a bad ski with a good tune, than a good ski with a bad tune.” Nobis, a former US Ski Team member and ski film star, was at the show representing Dynastar.

Nobis then told me, “I don’t sharpen my edges skiing at home in Utah’s powder, but here in the East you have to have a good tune.” Rub it in dude. Until you can afford next year’s gear, have your skis or snowboard tuned.

Read More Ski Columns