| I don't think it's overrated but I don't think it's absolutely necessary either. It depends on the person and their buying habits. If you're the type of person that doesn't like to spend a lot of money without trying something out first (or you have limited funds & don't want to make a costly mistake), then demoing is important. If you're easygoing about your purchases & can go with the flow, demoing is not essential.
I personally have found demoing to be very valuable. It gives me a good feel for the comparative benefits & drawbacks of particular skis when compared to others that I've demoed. For instance, I demoed some rather burly boards & concluded that they were too stiff for my liking. I was able to conclude this after demoing other skis on the same day in similar conditions. If I hadn't demoed them, I might have purchased them & not really understood their comparative stiffness. I have also purchased skis without ever trying them & generally had good luck.
Because I have to outfit ski equipment for me, my wife & children, I need to get the right ski model for myself or else I'm stuck with an unfavorable ski for several years. My wife would say "But you just bought new skis, why should you get another pair?" She wouldn't care that I chose the wrong model because I didn't demo them. I'd be stuck with them (and I don't blame her).
Also, doing a demo day is a hell of a lot of fun because you get to try out the latest models & see how they feel. It's very educational as to how different skis perform in different conditions. Plus, I'm somewhat of a gearhead so I get into trying all the various models for my own satisfaction.
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Jeff |