2020 Blizzard Season

Whenever a brand launches a model series that succeeds commercially beyond any and all expectations, the natural tendency is to stretch the collection in as many directions as it can possibly go. The danger is that you’ll cannibalize your own line more than you’ll cut...

2020 Dynastar Season

While almost all of Dynastar’s collection returned intact, the one notable exception is right on top of a current trend. It’s the Speed Zone 4X4 82 Pro, part of an expanding number of 82mm-waisted models that aren’t your typical Frontside skis with an obsession for...

2020 Elan Season

Most of Elan’s 20/20 collection is comprised of returning veterans, with one notable exception. Wingman is a new series that blends design features from both Elan’s Ripstick and Amphibio collections to create a niche clan of narrow all-terrain skis. The premise behind...

2020 Fischer Season

There’s every indication that Fischer’s fortunes in the American Alpine ski market are ascending. Given my professional preoccupations, I naturally look at a brand through the prism of its products, like a fortuneteller inspecting tea leaves. I like what I read in...

2020 Head Season

Head has been on an R&D tear since it first industrialized the use of Graphene some seven years ago. Graphene is the lightest, strongest material known to mankind, but a matrix one-atom thick isn’t easy to manipulate, which is why after its initial discovery...