I’ve written a lot (maybe too much) over the years about ski selection. Since we returned to Vermont, Amy has been an equal partner in ski selection. This year she has handled the ski picks and inventory selection for all of our women’s skis. We work together through every step of the process, comparing notes and sharing experiences along the way. I don’t manage to get her to write very often, but she agreed to outline the ski selection process. And it’s timely, given that I’ll be headed out for our last ski picking trip of the summer next week. Here it is, according to Amy (in about 1/3 the number of words that I would use):
What does ski selection mean from Caldwell Sport?
by Amy Caldwell
As ski racers know, it is nice to have the confidence on race morning of knowing that the skis you waxed the night before are going to be perfect for the conditions you will see while racing. Cross country race skis are interesting in that no 2 pairs of skis are identical and that one series of skis from a company can be very different from another series of skis.
The World Cup technicians from the major ski manufacturers put a lot of time into testing the new models and series that are produced throughout the year and they know which are best, and in which conditions. Even though they may only change the top sheet graphics of a model every two years, the companies are always trying to refine and improve the different top end skis. The top ski nations with budgets that include full-time ski technicians year-round do a lot of systemic testing to manage top athletes’ fleets year round and keep the athletes’ fleet at a manageable level.
At Caldwell Sport, we have a similar approach. Because we don’t have the luxury of returning hundreds of skis that we test and don’t like, we need to go into picking skis with a keen idea of what characteristics we want from them. We manage many World Cup athlete fleets and get testing feedback from the athletes when they are at camps or are on trips. We pay attention to what model and series they like and in what conditions they are excelling. Based on that feedback we have a good idea of what to look for (or maybe what to avoid) when we are hand-selecting skis.
We also put a huge emphasis on testing skis ourselves. We get large demo fleets from each of the companies we work with and put a lot of time into grinding them, waxing them, and then skiing on them in different ski conditions. We spend a lot of time identifying what we like and don’t like and also compare notes. And it is OK if our notes don’t always line up exactly because we are slightly different sizes and ski differently.
Last year at our 2 demo weekends in Craftsbury, Vermont; we were excited to see so many different skiers come out and try skis. The ability level of the skiers varied tremendously as did their sizes. Different skiers at the demo liked different skis depending on what variables were most important to them. Some were looking for a very stable platform while others were looking for a ski that matched their technique. Regardless the level of skier, we were happy to see so many skiers enjoying our demos and deciding that it was time for them to upgrade and that they were worth it.
We also get the opportunity to test a lot on racing trips. Last year, we had the opportunity to test skis at West Yellowstone, US Nationals, World Jr. Championships and the Olympics to name just a few of the highlights. All told, we tested on average more than 100 pairs each. We invest a lot of time and resources each year so that we can stay on top of the game and give our customers the best skis possible. We may charge a little more than other retailers out there, but our value-added approach is worth it to our customers.