Oct 30, 2020 | ACTIVE LIFE | By Lorea Zabaleta |
Snow has arrived in the mountains (location dependent), meaning it’s finally time to break out skis from their summer exile or to think about getting new ones for the coming season.
For those in need of new skis, and/or ski adjacent gear, purchasing them can be a horrible, stressful process filled with a bunch of unnecessary jargon. If you fall into the latter camp, may I offer a solution — choosing skis solely based off their name and appearance. Intrigued? A little confused? Keep reading to see examples of how one may review skis based on the aforementioned criteria.
Rossignol Women’s Freeride All Terrain Ski with Blazer 9/14
This ski gains points from me for its colors and pattern, while its name leaves much to be desired. Sure, it’s an informative name for a ski, but is that what we want? I would argue that no, we want names that invoke awe and have a certain je ne sais quoi. This fails. However, it still receives a 6/10 on appearance alone, as this is a very pretty ski. It has a lovely, soothing color pattern that is reminiscent of tie-dye or watercolor with a little playful asymmetry. Delightful.
Now THIS is a pretty ski. If I understood this name even a little bit this ski would be a 7/7. First, the pattern on the top of the ski is thematically relevant, depicting a snowy landscape that is also connected to a coastal one. Very avant-garde. Not to mention that the skis, when together, complete the picture — incredibly poetic. But wait, there’s more! On the bottom of this already beautiful ski we’ve got another mountainous picture but with a background of sunset (or sunrise) colors, which is overall very pleasing to the eye. Great work, Atomic.
Men’s All-Mountain: Nordica Enforcer 100 20/24
Now for a ski that, while it doesn’t particularly stand out in appearance, is both pleasing to the eye and has an intriguing name. Nordica Enforcer? Enforcing whom? Exactly. This name, paired with an eye-catching color combination of bright red and blue and some mountainous imagery, places this ski at a solid 20/24.
Armada ARW 86 Women’s Skis 2021
Last, but certainly not least, is the Armada ARW 86. Despite its absolutely abysmal name, this ski comes in at a cool 23789/23701. With its colorful pattern absolutely popping against the dark background, this ski is a veritable feast for the eyes. The way its art dares to venture beyond realism and add blue to what probably is an illustration of a giraffe is a risk that truly paid off. Additionally, the giraffe’s little horns look like mushrooms, which is very cute.
Hopefully, these examples have cleared some things up for you and you are ready to head into the wide world of ski purchasing with a fresh perspective, armed with an extremely clear and detailed method for rating skis. Now go forth and prosper!