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RealSkiers.com
- Thread starter Skidmarks
- Start date
I subscribe. Great reviews — maybe a bit over-written for my taste, but Jackson & Co.* know their stuff.
It's great, too, for archived reviews. If you're not deep-pocketed enough to buy current season skis, you can get strong reviews on skis that are now used or NOS.
*Realskier is Jackson Hogan, John Clendenin, Peter Keelty, and someone whose name probably shouldn't be mentioned here — also a coterie of testers.
It's great, too, for archived reviews. If you're not deep-pocketed enough to buy current season skis, you can get strong reviews on skis that are now used or NOS.
*Realskier is Jackson Hogan, John Clendenin, Peter Keelty, and someone whose name probably shouldn't be mentioned here — also a coterie of testers.
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Jackson does a great job for sure.
They are pretty good. For the most part I think they are useful but there are some real misses here and there. One huge miss this year was the Enforcer which received a very odd review. It seemed like he wasn't really sure what to do with the reviews from his team and frankly many of the comments were way off base. . Overall it didn't score well. That ski should have, at the every least received a recommended award if not best overall ski of the year.
It's my go to (other than Phil of course). Partly because I know some people here who test for them, partly because there is a racer background with many testers and to some extent because I can pick up the phone and call them. Also, the background and insight they provide is useful, interesting and generally not available with other reviews.
They do have a narrow bias and like skis with energy and that are carving tools. They think the fat ski thing is to some degree loony although they test and review them. I don't know why they didn't score the Enforcer higher, they did include it with their recommended skis and acknowledge it would be great for certain skiers. Maybe I'll call and ask.
As we all know, no review source deserves our proxy and they don't fully test and review everything but generally if they do love a ski I will too.
Here in town Jans, who I consider to have the best wall for my tastes and the most credibility, puts Realskier recommended tags on qualifying models. If they and Squid like a ski I take notice.
They do have a narrow bias and like skis with energy and that are carving tools. They think the fat ski thing is to some degree loony although they test and review them. I don't know why they didn't score the Enforcer higher, they did include it with their recommended skis and acknowledge it would be great for certain skiers. Maybe I'll call and ask.
As we all know, no review source deserves our proxy and they don't fully test and review everything but generally if they do love a ski I will too.
Here in town Jans, who I consider to have the best wall for my tastes and the most credibility, puts Realskier recommended tags on qualifying models. If they and Squid like a ski I take notice.
What is cool is that Realskiers, Blister and what we do all fill niches and we complement each other more than take anything away from the other.
If you have a chance to sit and have a drink with Jackson Hogan, you should.
At a GTG here in Tahoe 2012 Tog and Jackson Hogan were in a group together. I was not with them but I'm betting the chair lift rides were insane! I think @SBrown was with them.
Hopefully Jackson will stick his head in here from time to time.
Sounds like a blast. Jackson's a guy who can't resist a shiny new metaphor, but I bet he's a riot in person.
And @The Dad at Alpine Meadows.
I got to do that, too! What a great week it was...
Realskiers serves up the most comprehensive reviews of technical, front-side, and 'step down' race skis on the internet. And, that is unabashedly their bias. As the waist widths creep up past 95mm, their commitment and assessment diminishes proportionally. As already stated, Blister is a great source of over 95mm waisted skis (and they have some great reviews on narrower frontside models as well). Phil has always delivered great reviews on models people actually buy, and as he said, they fill in a great niche between these two other review resources.
Interestingly, they changed their assessment of the Enforcer but still are stating its a ski that demands an aggressive pilot, not good at slow or short radius turns. I am totally baffled by this review.
Generally, I think think they do a very nice job. The Enforcer review's an odd one though. Never got the impression that they needed a particularly aggressive pilot, but will respond well under the feet of one. 
new site!
facebook link brought me here, congrats Phil. Looks clean.
saw this, I like Jackson and the boys too, skied w/ 'em a big at the Rose demo last year, and as Lorenzzo said, they have a known bias, and it's a good filter for their reviews. Good accent to Phil's bias...
Also, Ron, I skied that nordi that day at rose too, and it may have been the tune. Nordica seems to come w/ very sharp skis, and they end up being best if hard, can be felt as demanding if not hard snow... I didn't love that ski that day, wasn't top 5 for me, and I love nordicas usually. tune? new shape? not sure, but I can see their thinking.
First post at new site, good luck Pugs.
Cheers,
Wade
facebook link brought me here, congrats Phil. Looks clean.
saw this, I like Jackson and the boys too, skied w/ 'em a big at the Rose demo last year, and as Lorenzzo said, they have a known bias, and it's a good filter for their reviews. Good accent to Phil's bias...
Also, Ron, I skied that nordi that day at rose too, and it may have been the tune. Nordica seems to come w/ very sharp skis, and they end up being best if hard, can be felt as demanding if not hard snow... I didn't love that ski that day, wasn't top 5 for me, and I love nordicas usually. tune? new shape? not sure, but I can see their thinking.
First post at new site, good luck Pugs.
Cheers,
Wade
Great to see you here! can you please clarify a bit, I am uncertain about what you are saying here. The Enforcer is a soft snow biased ski for sure and I wouldn't recommend them to someone who ski's primarily hard(er) snow.
I talked a little to Jackson about it too, I don't think the Enforcer they skied at Rose was up to snuff.
@WadeHoliday mentioned "bias". I have to agree that there are biases, everyone has them wether they are conscious to subconscious, and that is not bad thing. I am working on a thread on this topic.
@WadeHoliday mentioned "bias". I have to agree that there are biases, everyone has them wether they are conscious to subconscious, and that is not bad thing. I am working on a thread on this topic.