Special or Custom Skis for some skiers .... Not really

[Horton]

Lots of talk in two threads about special skis... How some skiers get the secret stuff. Here is my response to both.

 

I think you guys are generally thinking about this all wrong. I am sure there are a few custom skis made special for a specific skier. I can think of one Pro that has a totally custom ski. More often I think it is all about the R&D cycle.

 

At all times a ski company is working to improve a current model or develop the next model. No matter where they are in the cycle the team skiers are working on it. The Goodes that have appeared in the last few weeks will be a production ski in a few weeks or months. When you see a team skier ski on something that looks “Special” I assume that is a possible version of the next ski. There are also a lot of R&D skis that do not become the next thing.

 

I know one BigDawg who skied for a year on a version of what was then the “next ski” that did not make it to production. The new ski made it but that version did not.

 

When they are sure the new ski is better than the old ski, it becomes the next ski. It is not that you cannot buy the same ski. It is that you cannot get it yet. You cannot get it until it is done. Trust me, you do not want it until the team is sure that it is good to go.

 

Factories do not generally sell the latest stuff until they believe they understand it. So yes some team skiers have a rack full of skis and yes it is to their advantage but that is how R&D is done. It is a good thing.

 

[kstateskier]

Horton is one of em...

 

*the sound of black helicopters fills the forum*

[ForrestGump]

And that is the exact point I was trying to make. Hell car companies do the same things with drivetrains. You'll see a car in Detroit driving around and it might have a test engine or transmission slated for production in 2+ years. Obviously the R&D life cycle of skis is typically quicker.

[MattP]

I have been on an AM R&D ski for a little over a month now. I am not testing it for AM it just happened to come my way after a series of unfortunate events...

 

I was on an Elite and jumped on to this and have been skiing pretty well, ok very well. I am way more consistent and I have increased my PB twice on it and I know it could take me farther.

Like all great things they are starting to come to an end. It is starting to crack down the middle on me. I call it FrankinSki It has been cut down the middle, had bondo put all over it, extra carbon put on it, a grinder wast taken to it and probably some other things I do not know about. I have never touched the fin only the wing and I'm sure it would take me farther if it was set for me and not the pros who were riding it.

 

I know the ski I am riding is nothing like the final product that AM is turning out, but it was a step in the process to their new ski. For me to be able to have it, ski on it, and know who else has skied it (Andy, Cord, Fisher) and taken it into some serious short line is pretty cool.

 

I got back on a different Elite today that I got because I do not know how long this thing will last, states and regionals are coming up and I need a ski I know will be around for the next few months. If the ski I have can be repaired I will get back on it in a heart beat. Right now its looking like I need to make a change mid season..

 

After spending my summer last year living with a pro and him telling me, Make sure you do not sell these skis. They might look the same but they are R&D skis with a layup I asked them to make. Looks can be deceiving I know, but they are doing the work so we can get a good product in the future.

[SDNAH2OSKIER]

@Horton, I dont disagree with anything you said, and as I said in my earlier post regarding this subject, I can live with it. My point is simple. I am a consumer and I think when I am buying the 2012 Chris Rossi Strada, I think I am buying the ski he is skiing on. Pretty simple. We buy new skis, because we think we are buying those "current" skis.

 

I dont think there is a right or wrong, but I would bet, while we are talking about these "custom" skis, there are likely other sticks that that go unchanged for a couple of seasons barring a sweet graphic upgrade.

 

 

[Horton]

@SDNAH2OSKIER when you get a Strada you are buying the latest best thing the whole team at Radar agrees on. It is not like they find a huge improvement and keep it to themselves.

[Ed_Johnson]

Right now I think we should all be Thankfull there are so many GREAT top end skis to choose from. The future looks even better, with the New Goode and AM skis. Seems like the bar is being raised again and I know HO, D-3, and Radar, and others will respond. While it would be nice to believe you could go buy a ski that would turn a 28 off skier into a 41 off skier, that is not reality, although it is nice to dream. "Guilty"

 

I know there is NOT a tremendous amount of money to be made in these endeavors, due to a very limited market. However, Kudos to all these dedicated people who soldier on to produce a superior product for all us Slalom addicts. My profound "Thanks" to the Eddie Roberts, Paul Crawfords, Dave Goodes, Adam Cords, Andy Mapples, and many others who help us fulfill our dreams !!!!!

[The_MS]

The thing that joe blow skier dosnt get is the chance to ride 4 A2s or 4 Mids to pick the best one. The return policys dont work if you buy 4 and send 3 back.

[Horton]

@MS as soon as you start getting mid 41 you can get on that program. So man up

[eddie_roberts_jr]

For the record - ALL of our team skiers ski on rock stock skis. The same ones you can go down to the local pro shop and buy.

[boarditup]

Course cred.... That is why I own 3 Radars.

[The_MS]

That is why I have always been with Eddie.

[skibug]

I agree with MS..I hope that doesn't get me banned; but, it would be nice to ride 3 or 4 of the same skis and pick one out. i don't think you need to be a mid 41 skier to feel the difference between 4 identical skis set up with the same settings etc...and that is not to say that I would pick one of the four and the other three wouldn't be any good. I think it would vary by skier. For a Goode product; I feel it would definitely be necessary based on the flex and width options. How the heck would/could you decide unless you have a ton of experience and knowledge of the products. I would say that is the main reason I won't drink the Goode cool aid.

[SDNAH2OSKIER]

@Eddie, as a consumer thats what I like to hear. If its good enough for them......... : )

[Skihack]

Take a fresh Radar ski to a pro tourney and see if Whit or Rossi will put their bindings on it and ride it instead of their skis. I highly doubt they will. Just saying. :)

[SDNAH2OSKIER]

Wow, are you suggesting Eddie is straight up lying? Thats a little harsh.

[Chef23]

@skimech every ski manufactured is a little different. Just because they are all stock doesn't mean that Whitney or Rossi didn't try 5 different skis to find one they liked mor than some others.

 

I need coaching way more than a slightly different skis. I am not sure at my level I could tell the difference between two different skis with slightly different flexes.

[The_MS]

@Skimech Grab 4 stradas and a flex tester and you will find that they are all the same or as close as possible.

I skied on Dirts A2 and ran a big score. I bought an A2 last fall and it wasnt even close to the ski that dirt skis on. I ran 3@39 first set on a 9800 that I tried, bought a new one and couldnt run 35 on it.

When Eddie left HO, the Monza became unskiable. How do you explain that.

 

[SDNAH2OSKIER]

It would be cool for a pro/manufacturer to document walking into a shop, buying a stick off the rack and driving straight to a tournament.

[eddie_roberts_jr]

Don't know why Whit or Rossi would want to ride a "fresh" ski when they had their own ski right there, but they know that if their own ski was lost or damaged on the plane or whatever and there was a pro shop close by they could go get a stock Strada and rock it right out of the box. Just sayin' ; )

[skibug]

Maybe they should have a tournament where the pros all show up with out a ski and random pro shops need to suppy them with a stick they can mount their bindings on......then ski away.

[ral]

@skibug, why would they do that?

[skibug]

It was said in gest....anyway...do pros bring more than one ski to a tournament; I would think so.

[MattP]

@skibug no not usually, I'm sure it depends on the skier though. I know more big dawgs that will have let's say a mid ride or a traditional Goode with them. I remember hearing about some guys switching skis between rounds at tenOeru big dawg due to the conditions.

[Horton]

@MattP yea the whole two skis at an event is a few guys but is not the norm and I would say it means they do not have a ski that they really love.

[Skihack]

I am not accusing Eddie of lying. It's just that I do not believe that their pros are riding the first Strada they have tried. Each of them have probably rode a few dozen and picked the best one. I, myself have demoed the red/gray Strada and it is a good ski. Better than anything I have rode thus far. If I were to spend a thousand plus dollars on a ski, it would be the red/gray Strada. Haven't ridden the yellow one. Goode's are not my thing, but if you want a custom ski, a Goode is about as close as you're going to get in my opinion. I went with an HO for my daughter because she was allowed to demo for quite some time without a commitment. She tried an A2 for a two and half week period, didn't like it, then demoed an S2 for 4 weeks and we ended up buying the S2. For her style of skiing, the S2 is the real deal.