Admit it. You’ve walked into a ski shop, admired a sweet pair of new boards, grabbed them off the wall, done the obligatory tough guy flex test (see photo), and emphatically proclaimed, “these are too soft for me.”

Well, tough guy (or girl), you’re doing it wrong.

In the following photo sequence, Daniel Tanzer, Kästle’s product line manager, shows Hugo Harrison and his Whistler posses what’s up.

The Wrong Way – Holding the tip and pushing into the center of the ski. Why? Because when flexing the whole ski you’re really only bending the tail of the ski. Most skis have softer flexing tails to allow for a snappier ski.

The Right Way – Place the ski on a table and try to bend the ski between the contact area without the tip and tail. By isolating the shovel zone one can get a more accurate feel for the ski’s flex and how the ski will perform in a turn.

After proper flex test, Kästle’s new MX108 receives Hugo’s smile of approval.