That’s right, folks. All is well in Snowmass Village, where the FREESKIER testing squadron is putting 250 of next year’s skis through the wringer. The ones that garner the best scores via our handy mobile testing app will make it to the pages of the 2019 Buyer’s Guide, dropping in September 2018.
On Monday, we were blessed with over seven inches of fresh, blower Colorado snow, which allowed us to test out the 115+ mm skis—the ones you want on the deep days. As the week has progressed, the temperatures rose a bit, and we’ve been fortunate to have damn perfect conditions for testing 100-114 mm skis, as well as the 85-99 mm skis and park-centric ones, too. Whether it’s been trenching groomers, navigating bumps, hitting cliffs, zooming through the trees, jibbing around in the Snowmass terrain parks or enacting the biggest human slalom in the history of skiing (yeah, we’ll claim that), our army of talented ski testers has been kicking ass and taking names.
If you’re OK with becoming green with envy, enjoy the photos below, and stay tuned for more coverage as the week progresses.
The welcome crew, recruiting ski testers to join the monstrous human slalom on Snowmass. Photo: Matt Power
It’s impossible to do justice to just how big this human slalom was. Photo: Matt Power
But we’ll try… Photo: Matt Power
Photo: Matt Power
Faction’s Dave Bottomley provides encouragement. Photo: Matt Power
Seriously, this thing went from T2B. Photo: Matt Power
Still going… Photo: Matt Power
Impressed, yet? Photo: Matt Power
Nearing the end. Photo: Matt Power
Pure joy, post-human slalom. Photo: Matt Power
Aspen local and veteran ski tester JoAnna Coffey, trenching. Photo: Matt Power
The legend, Jason Levinthal, out for a groomer lap. Photo: Matt Power
Folsom’s Max Tabor shows off his flexibility. Photo: Matt Power
FREESKIER art director, Gunter Jones (a.k.a DJ Hott Dawg) and Zach Berman providing the tunes, with help from Suerte Tequila. Photo: Matt Power
Sam Coffey, sending. Photo: Matt Power
FREESKIER’s Cian O’Connor spreads ’em for the boys. Photo: Matt Power
Legendary tester Steve Karczewski. He’s skis better on one leg than most people do on two. Photo: Matt Power
FREESKIER’s Henrik Lampert, layin’ down the hips. Photo: Matt Power
Olympian Torin Yater-Wallace joined the crew for some park laps. Photo: Matt Power
Reps have been dialing in ski testers all week long. Photo: Matt Power
Tester Tae Wescott gives himself a face shot. Photo: Matt Power
Folsom’s Mike McCabe… a true hot-dogger. 
Business casual, standard attire. Photo: Matt Power
Nordica’s Evan Williams tests out the ski blades. Photo: Matt Power
Tester Tae Wescott, earning that Suerte après cocktail. Photo: Jordan Curet
