Skis
Keep Your Gear In Shape
Originally published in the 2020-21 Masterfit Buyer’s Guide and realskiers.com How long your gear remains in tiptop condition depends entirely on how well it’s maintained. At least once a season, it’s good to get skis tuned by a specialty shop, where tuning machines can reproduce a factory finish on the skis so they perform like new. Here are some tips[Read More…]
Here’s How to Store Ski Gear and Clothes for the Off-Season
[Editor’s Note: We’ve published Don Burch’s article on storing gear in the past. It’s an excellent reminder that a little care goes a long way.] Hopefully your ski equipment has taken good care of you all winter. It’s time for you to return the favor. Some simple steps now can save you the frustration of rusty edges, musty clothing and[Read More…]
Buying NEW XC Ski Equipment
For newcomers to cross country (XC) skiing, deciding on the best skis can be intimidating, especially if you don’t want to rely entirely on retail sales people or on-line outlets for advice. The following guidance about selecting and using XC gear is general and intended to help you be an informed consumer. Note that as a rule of thumb, standard[Read More…]
Tips to Buy New XC Ski Gear for This Winter
Last winter XC ski gear was in demand like never before and all segments of cross country ski equipment sold out, with few or no options for retailers to reorder. There also was an uptick for backcountry gear and snowshoes. Retailers are still experiencing demand and supply issues. Coupled with global supply chain challenges, everything from the components that complete[Read More…]
Older Skier? Here’s a list of the Best Skis for You
When it comes to skis, buying without trying can be confusing. I prefer demo days or demo-ing from shops at or near the mountain. Reading how a ski performs can provide helpful guidance in your selection process but using those skis – especially on familiar terrain – really helps in deciding how to make the best purchase. That said, we’ve[Read More…]
Demoing Demo Skis
Guidelines For An Objective Assessment. One of the great things about ski rental shops today is their willingness to rent top of the line skis. This is a great deal because for $35 – $50/day, you can try skis that will set you back $1,000. For the CPAs, math and economic majors, the break-even at $50/day on a $1,000 pair[Read More…]
Why I Don’t Read Ski Test Reports
[Please consider supporting SeniorsSkiing.com with a donation. We appreciate your help. Click here.] Seven Ways To Make Ski Tests More Objective. Way back in the late 20th Century, while running the SKIpp Testing program for SKI Magazine, John Perryman and I learned the most difficult problem to solve and the biggest variable was the ski tester. In conversations with almost every[Read More…]
The Personal Ski
Does The World Need A Custom Ski Just For You? [Please consider supporting SeniorsSkiing.com with a donation. We appreciate your help. Click here.] Way back in the winter of 2018, long before Covid raised its ugly head, I asked the heads of marketing (none of whom would qualify for a SeniorsSkiing/com subscription) from three manufacturers a simple question: “Has ski[Read More…]
Senior Skier? Here are the Best Skis for You.
This is the time of year when, with input from the Realskiers.com website, we publish SeniorsSkiing.com’s annual listing of the best new skis for older skiers. Arrival of the pandemic virtually wiped out implementation of the comprehensive women’s test. But Realskiers.com was able to collect sufficient data to pick the best models for senior male skiers. The 2021 Best Skis[Read More…]
Subscribers Only: The Best 2020 Skis for Senior Skiers
Each year, SeniorsSkiing.com collaborates with Realskiers.com to inform its readers about skis that allow older skiers to turn more easily and to ski longer without tiring. Women’s skis – sometimes engineered for female size and physique – are included. To find the list on the site, a) click “Community” on the menu bar, b) click “Subscriber Only Content” in the dropdown box, and[Read More…]
Now Available: List of Best 2019 Skis For Seniors
We just published the list of 2019 skis identified as the best for older skiers. The 61 selected skis generally have a softer flex, which helps them engage snow with minimal exertion, allowing older skiers to turn more easily and to ski longer without tiring. Twenty-one women’s models are included. The skis were selected during the annual national ski evaluation[Read More…]
In Your Quiver
Do You Know What Underfoot Measurement Is Best For Your Kind Of Skiing? One of the hardest questions a seasoned skier has to answer is when someone new to skiing or maybe even a friend says, “So what kind of ski should I be on this year?” Really a tough question to answer without delving into particulars like, athleticism, age,[Read More…]
The Best 2018 Skis For Senior Skiers
One Might Say You Can Never Have Enough Skis. My wife disagrees. She skis on a relatively old pair that she loves. They’re relatively soft in shovel and heel. For her, one pair is enough. Mine is a completely different story; too long to get into at the moment. Jackson Hogen, publisher of the ski review site realskiers.com, has been[Read More…]
Putting XC Skis Away
Nine Steps For Maintaining Your XC Equipment. [Editor Note: SeniorsSkiing.com thanks Roger Lohr of XCSkiResorts.com and Andy Gerlach of SkiPost.com and StartSkiWax for this article.] The winter and snow cover are leaving us, so what do we do with your xc ski equipment? 1) Cleaning: Use wax remover and Fiber wipe, a chamois-like cloth, to clean the kick zone and[Read More…]
The Top All-Mountain Skis of All Time: Part II
This article completes the list of “iconic all-mountain” skis published last week. One reader comment on last week’s list stated that better options are available today. In the interest of clarification, skis listed last week and in this article weren’t necessarily the most innovative or game changing. But, at the time they were introduced, they were the best at handling[Read More…]
The Top All-Mountain Skis of All Time
Excerpted with permission from realskiers.com where the full article was published March 20, 2017. All-mountain skis — those that purport to do everything reasonably well – started appearing in the mid-90’s. Following, listed roughly in order of their debut, are the iconic models that emerged since the term “all-mountain” came into common usage. My picks aren’t necessarily the most innovative[Read More…]
Gear Review: K2 Pinnacle 105
Big-Mountain Lovers Won’t Find A Better Age-Busting Ski. By age-busting, I mean the K2 Pinnacle 105. makes everything easier — and it made me feel about 20 years younger. The Pinnacle 105 is on SeniorSkiing.com’s list of best Big Mountain skis for seniors in the West. If you’d like to receive the list, click on this link and subscribe on the form[Read More…]
Demo Day: How To Participate And Enjoy
Here Are Some Tips For Taking Part. Don’t Be Shy. Every season ski shops, ski manufacturers, and ski resorts organize events when anybody could try new ski equipment. Demos range from a local mom-and-pop ski shop get-together to major on-snow events run by SIA (Snowsports Industry America). Why do you need to take part in it? Technical progress never stops,[Read More…]
The Best Skis For Senior Skiers
Soft Flex. Minimal Exertion. Skis for Six Different Scenarios. Update Dec 27, 2016: Subscribers can now download the list of recommended skis by going to the top navigation bar, click on Community, select Subscriber-Only-Content, choose the download and reconfirm your email address. If you are not a subscriber, consider subscribing. It’s free, lots of interesting articles for seniors who love[Read More…]
ON3P Ski Review From A Reader
A Reader Has Discovered A Perfect Ski For Seniors. Here’s His Story. Editor’s Note: We received this ski review from Seniorsskiing.com subscriber Tom Levak, an enthusiastic skier who skis in the Portland, OR, area and also hits Mt. Hood every summer. As far as we know, Tom is not associated with ON3P; this is an example of how our readers[Read More…]
Picking Your Next Skis: The Essentials
When buying skis, choose a ski based on matching width and turn radius to the kind of snow you like. Hard snow: select a ski with a narrow waist – 76mm or narrower. Soft groomers (or general western front-of-mountain skiing): select a moderate waist – 75 to 85mm. Resort powder (with firm surface underneath): select a mid-fat waist – 85[Read More…]
Women Only Skis and Boards? Yes, Says Coalition Snow
Coalition Snow Fills Women’s Needs For Quality Equipment. Last spring, we’ve were impressed by Coalition Snow’s CEO Jen Gurecki when she talked with our friend The Ski Diva about her line of ski and boards for women only. She recognized a niche market, defined a set of unique needs, and she put together products that are based on research. Now her challenge was getting[Read More…]
Skis Just For Women
Should We Have Ski Equipment Just For Seniors, Too? At the ski shows last fall, we heard rumblings in the ski industry about products for specific segments. Now, our friend and colleague The Ski Diva has tracked down and interviewed Jen Gureki, CEO and Founder of Coalition Snow, which manufactures skis for women. Her rationale for developing a ski for women[Read More…]
