It’s the most wonderful time of the year. That’s right, it’s FREESKIER Ski Test, baby! Every season, we at FREESKIER gather a gaggle of the best skiers we know to hop on a variety of next year’s planks from myriad of brands. From brand-new constructions to totally unconventional designs and everything in between, we’ve employed our dedicated testers to ride, review and ultimately rate the best planks of the season for you—those who live to ski—to froth over in our annual Buyer’s Guide in the fall.
This season we are back at it again at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort for the 21st annual FREESKIER Ski Test. Notorious for its steep, demanding terrain, legendary snowfall—especially this season—and diehard locals who prioritize skiing over everything else, we couldn’t be in a better place to test the latest and greatest new product from some of the best brands in the biz.
Beyond the epic turns and non-stop faceshots, FREESKIER’s annual Ski Test is about bringing together stand-out humans to celebrate the weird and wonderful act of sliding down snow. Après parties, high fives and good vibes round out the week as we bask in the culture of this incomparable experience. And none of this would be possible without the support from our partners… our resort host Jackson Hole, the experienced testing crew at The Ski Monster, which also happens to be one of the best online and brick-and-mortar gear shops around, Continuum Hotel and Bar for housing our crew right at the base of the mountain all week, the famous Mangy Moose for all things après and live music, and Coors Banquet for fueling the madness once the lifts stop spinning and carry late into the evenings. We also want to thank Zipline Ski, Arcade Belts, Smartwool , Pit Viper, Phoozy and Booster Strap for decking out our testers in the best looking gear on the mountain.
Now, we want to give you a peek behind the scenes at FREESKIER’s annual Ski Test with a photo gallery from the entire week. Stay tuned online for complete coverage and follow us on Facebook and Instagram; check out the hashtag #FREESKIERFEST for more; and be sure to subscribe to the print-version of the magazine to see the complete results from the 21st annual FREESKIER Ski Test land on your doorstep in the fall.
DAY THREE — March 8th, 2023
While the visibility was a bit low, the vibes were high heading into the third consecutive day of the 21st-annual FREESKIERFEST. Fast, firm groomers and surprisingly soft leftovers were top of the menu as we finished riding, rating and reviewing the last of the 100-110mm planks before switching over to the skinniest category. Sub-100mm skis can be so damn fun when you live out West and regularly ski wide sticks—particularly this season with the insane amount of snow we’ve been blessed with. It was a welcome change of pace ripping carving-oriented skis down 2-3,000 vertical feet of prime corduroy and soft bumps. Just as the ski day wrapped the faucet turned back on and we’re looking forward to a few fresh inches for the final day of testing.
But before we officially call it a successful ski test, we decided to treat our dedicated testers to the very first FREESKIERFEST Gala event. Complete with industry awards, a beautiful dedication to Kyle Smaine from Matt Berkowitz of The Ski Monster and even a guest-star appearance from Your Girl Catherine, we can finally say FREESKIER’s ski test is a classy event…sort of.
