Searching for the right skis?

Sunset Head SkisNo matter what part of the country you live in, we all struggle to make some sort of educated decision on what skis to buy. Owning a ski shop in Snowmass Village, Colorado,a 29 year teaching professional andjust carry the Head brand of skis I am stilled snowed under about what model to ski on for the season. Having the opportunity to ski on every model in the shop is an advantage but all skiers can demo skis if they just take the time before they buy.
In my opinion, Germanicskis are the cream of the crop. Differences between skis of one nation versus another are uniquely different; with ski performance still a point of national pride. Ski manufactures have characteristically different philosophies about how to build skis, the major difference is the core. Wood core skis are by far superior to any of the other cores. A skis coreis the heart and soul of the ski giving life and stability.
Certain characteriestics shout a skis origins just as clearly as the "Made in" stamp on the sidewalls. Germanic skis, Atomic, Blizzard, Fischer and Head, are precise, disciplined, exacting and analytical. Today's carving skis are a direct result of this style of manufacturing. French skis are built with foam cores which deliver a soft, forginving and lighter performance. K2 the only major U.S. player, which are out-sourced to China, use a glass wrapped torision box construction. The rest of the world skis are designed more to the Germanic style. You'll see Salomon, Rossignol and other skis known for their foam coreson World Cup racers but don't be fooled, race skis have wood cores, these skis are not even close to what stocks shop racks. It's all about marketing.
When it gees time to buy, the following guidelines may be helpful.

Find a shop with an owner and employees that live and breathe skiing.
Do your homework; read everything you can about what's hot and available with the features that are most important to you.
Ask questions; getting what's best for you is dependent on the dialogue between the buyer and seller. Ask your sales person how much skiing they do. Why does shop carry a particular brand? How long have you worked in the ski business?
Answer questions; a good sales person will ask you, what conditions you lik, where you ski, what type of trails you prefer. Conversation reveals you ability and aspirations. Sunset Ski goes a step further by taking the customer to the slope and evaluates their skiing andd regemendinga couple of appropriate skis to demo. The most gemon problem is getting "over skied" or buying a ski that's more than you need. "We sell a lot of these" is useless information. You want something suited ro you, not based on the shop's sales.
When buying new skis, it's awfully important that you're decisions is based on what you can handle, fits your skier profile; where you like to ski and the conditions you like to ski and last it must match your outfit, just joking. However, most avid skiers like sharp looking graphics and color design. For every skier there is a ski, it just may take some time finding it. See you next run.