How to Get the Most from a Consumer Demo Day
Buying skis or a snowboard is a big investment. So is buying a car. Before you buy a car, you try it out, right? After all, you need to make sure it feels right and drives right.
Before you buy skis or a snowboard, it's a good idea to try it out first. Luckily, it's a lot easier to try out equipment than it used to be. There are basically two ways to do this:
- Rent high-performance demo equipment at a rental shop near your home or at a resort. Many shops let you pay one fee to try out a certain number of skis or snowboards.
- Attend a consumer demo day at a resort in your area. The best of these are demo days organized by a large shop or a sales rep association, because they typically have many brands, not just one.
Here are some tips on getting the most from an equipment demo- Take the first run of the day on your own equipment, so you can have a baseline for comparison.
- Have in mind several models you want to test, based on magazine equipment reviews and/or recommendations of the reps or shop employees.
- Don't try to test too many models in one day. Five or six is about right for most people.
- Take two or three runs on each model, staying on the same terrain.
- Try the product at various speeds within your comfort range, and make a variety of turns.
- Factors to take into consideration are stability, comfort, weight, edge grip and maneuverability. In a word, is it "you"ser-friendly?
- Make written notes. (Tuck a small notebook and pen into your pocket.) You may think you'll remember each model you test, but written notes are your best bet.
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