Featured Image: Rachel Zimmerman
We’re no stranger to testing the best of the best. Skis, boots, outerwear; you name it, we’ve tested it. FREESKIER Editor’s Pick awards have been a coveted selection in the wide world of skiing for quite some time. In fact, we’ve been ranking and reviewing skis for over 20 years. Quite the milestone if we do say so ourselves.
We don’t take that fact lightly. We know that readers like you take our words of advice into consideration when looking to pick up that next jacket or ski that might help you pursue some of the most memorable days of your life. This has been the case for some time. But with time comes knowledge, and with knowledge comes wisdom. With wisdom comes innovation. Innovation that excites. In the year 2024, we’re excited to be introducing an innovative new adaptation to our celebrated gear tests: the FREESKIER Gear Lab. The Gear Lab is the next step in taking a thorough, passionate look at the products from the top ski companies on the planet. Instead of five days, we’ll be taking four weeks to comb through damn near every ski out there in the massive playground that is Vail, Colorado.
We chose to bring our caravan of ski testing madness here to Vail because it exhibits all the good qualities you could ever ask for from a mountain to assess gear. The expansive mountain covers a lot of terrain, with different snow conditions on different sides of the resort every time you step out. It’s a wild experiment that never breeds the same day twice, and that’s exactly what we wanted. No matter what you think of it, Vail offers some incredible lines and a local following that is as devoted as it gets. Ask anyone who has lived in the valley for a number of years, and they’ll tell you why they stayed here. The skiing is bound to be on the short list of answers to that question, and that sums it up pretty well.
You can expect the same trustworthy reviews you’ve come to know and love, with a few extra perks mixed in. Each ski will receive more time underfoot from our talented testers, making the feedback much more pinpoint. Our extended time here will allow us to test each ski in a variety of conditions, from hardpack groomers to deep turns in the legendary Back Bowls (that is, if Ullr appreciates our snow dances.) Keep your eyes peeled for our weekly recap videos and write-ups, taking you along for the ride. At the FREESKIER Gear Lab HQ, we’ll be filming our tester’s initial reactions and going into detail regarding construction and the engineering behind your favorite skis. And yes, before you ask, there will still be the occasional party keeping the hype alive after the lifts stop turning. Plus, we might even have a few pros swinging through, dropping some knowledge on what they look for in a ski.
While there’s a lot of fancy lingo and exciting new details packed in there, at the end of the day, this really just means a more dedicated and trustworthy process for you, our beloved reader. We truly appreciate that you turn to us for words of advice on all things skiing, and that’s a responsibility that we do not take for granted. Skiing is an incredible, mind-melting, heartwarming, life-changing activity. It’s also a f*cking expensive activity. Before you buy the tools that might make your winter, you deserve to have suitable information in front of you. We all love sliding on snow with everything we have. It teaches life lessons and gives us some of the best memories of our lives, so why not dive into the products that enable us to do it? At the Gear Lab, we aim to do just that. We can’t wait to bring you along for the ride.
