Where's the bias in ski testing?

Last night we had dinner at some acquaintances and one of the conversations drifted on the perennial theme of “what's the best ski?” It made me thinking about the difficulty, the oddity and the absurdity of ski testing as I have witnessed it when I still was in the ski business.

No matter the tester's background or technical acumen, everyone was bringing their bias. For instance, if you'd normally ski on slalom, GS or just fat skis, you'd be likely to project your that bias on the ski you're testing. The reference remained your “preferred, day-to-day” ski to which you had adapted, and the new ski you'd be testing would only perform “as compared” to your daily boards.

Say what you want, but there's no escaping that reality. We adapt to our skis and we fall into that rut. Just keep this observation in mind when you start reading this season's ski-test results. There is much more BS than just meet the eye. Stay wary, read through the lines and most importantly, stick to your guns!