Ski Rags

[highpeaksdrifter]

couloir, baby. can't wait for the next issue. you can have your ski, skiing, and powder :lol:

HPD: virtually embarrassing that you read such publications. I would think a "hard core" skier such as yourself would be a devout Coulior, Powder, Skier reader and would simply not comment about such pedestrian mags as those mentioned in your post.

Does what we read define us as a skier or rider? Like many of you I'm a gear head. I get Ski and Skiing mainly for their gear reviews. I know that they arn't the most objective reviews in the world, but sometimes you can read between the lines. I also like to see what they say about skis I have demoed. As a Nordica rep I'm very interested in what they say about that line.

I also like to read their resort reviews, even though it's pretty much a rehash of the year before.

I got Power for awhile, but didn't care for it. Free Skier is just too young for me. I've never seen an issue for Coulier.

I know that alot of 5 to 10 time a year skiers subscribe to Ski and Skiing, but that doesn't define me.

BTW - this is not a shot at Oil or AHM, their quotes just fit in well with a point I wanted to make. The point is just because you subscribe to Ski doesn't make you a poser and/or gaper IMO.

 

[riverc0il]

i don't think ski, skiier, or powder define skiers, but couloir certainly defines a reader because the magazine is strictly earn your turns and doesn't carry a mainstream audience that picks it up just for the heck of it like ski, skiing, and powder have. ski, skiing, and powder definitely have their core demographics such as ski catoring more towards well to do folks that travel to ski and are fashion conscious. but i don't think that the rag your read defines you as a skier, no. in other words, reading ski or skiier doesn't make you a gaper but a lot of gapers read them :lol: i really could care less, read what ever interests you and i have found nothing of interest in the major rags but love reading couloir because every article is writen by a kindred soul.

for gear reviews, i have yet to see a magazine that does them right. techsupportforskiers.com is a great resource and ski-review.com also has good info. epicski.com is packed with the most info around. for the rags, only ski press's mag does a decent job, but they have gone WAY down hill recently. but at least they cover everything out there, not just the big names.

 

[Ski Diva]

they have gone WAY down hill recently.

Is that a ski joke?

 

[thetrailboss]

I get SKI, SKIING, N'East (the AZ Promo), and Vermont Life (which every winter runs stories/pictures/profiles of VT Skiing). SKI and SKIING are becoming the same da%^ magazine...I have noticed reading an article in one magazine and then picking up the other and reading the same da%^ article!!! Now usually they stagger it so you "might not notice," but every once in a while it will be in the same month. I also get :angry: when I read the five-page eastern ski section and have to navigate around all of the Western Ski Area ads...come on...can't we get an eastern section that is NOT interrupted by ski areas from other spots????

 

[JimG.]

My skiing defines me...not a ski rag.

Coulior and Freeskier do have nice pics.

 

[andyzee]

I get SKI, SKIING, N'East (the AZ Promo), and Vermont Life (which every winter runs stories/pictures/profiles of VT Skiing). SKI and SKIING are becoming the same da%^ magazine...I have noticed reading an article in one magazine and then picking up the other and reading the same da%^ article!!! Now usually they stagger it so you "might not notice," but every once in a while it will be in the same month. I also get :angry: when I read the five-page eastern ski section and have to navigate around all of the Western Ski Area ads...come on...can't we get an eastern section that is NOT interrupted by ski areas from other spots????

Same here witht he exception of Vermont Life. Mostly get these mags just to look at the pretty pictures, drool, and get psyched for skiing. Not that I need this to get psyced, it's just become part of the drill. When it comes to getting any real info on skiing, mountains, and gear, I rely more on forums such as this and Kzone

 

[2knees]

i don't get any mags anymore. I've tried ski, skiing and powder. Too much western slant, among other things, which is understandable. I want to read about areas that i ski regularly or are within reach. I would love a mag dedicated solely to eastern skiing. Maybe there is one that i just don't know about. I'm probably in the minority in that i don't care about gear very much. feet go in boots, boots go in bindings, turn skis a lot.

 

[Greg]

I would love a mag dedicated solely to eastern skiing. Maybe there is one that i just don't know about.

There have been a few that never really materialized - Eastern Slopes and Snow East. I know of something in the works. Nothing definite yet, but this is still a possibility AFAIK.

 

[AHM]

Does the rag define the skier..............

HPD: What the various mags that I read do for me is make suggestions on where I might "consider" skiing and add some "sole of skiing" pieces--ie the new powder and coombs as the ultimate ski partner--very sole of skiing. Or Jack Shaw's piece on great guides showing clients runs of a life time--also very sole of skiing, we all probably have a current run of our life time--I sure do.

For ski and skiing (not skier--this is a very different mag, and few americans read it as it is a canadian mag), where they go, I have already been or uninterested in going.

Coulior, Powder, and Skier provide potentially usefull information for me to determine future ski destinations, backcountry safety gear, and some cutting edge aspects of the sport. Each, has suggested a destination, typically ahead of mainstream publications, that I have visited due to the reco, and thoroughly enjoyed. Without the mag article, I might not have decided to visit.

Consequently, the mag can help define the type of skier you are-->if you are a coulior reader you are probably not a Vail vacation skier (you might live in Vail, but that is different). You probably are considering buying a transceiver or already own one, and will probably look at the BD integrated avilung pack as a potential purchase (I own an avi lung). On the same tokin, I doubt most ski/skiing readers are considering skiing Bansko, La Grave, Haut Route, etc. nor are they typically debating BCA Tracker II vs a barryvox or the Ortivox new F1. So, the mags that we "gravitate" to, may say more than we think about what type of skier we associate with.

Case in point, a while back there was a Hatrap v Plake thread. I would say tardival or Sprieceneks(sp). Not really ski/skiing types of guys. I am enjoying my new Powder, but I am enjoying more trying to pick some dates to go to La Grave.

 

[lloyd braun]

I read Pottery Barn, J Crew, and Mountain Home.

I don't subscribe but they tend to send me free copies all the time in the mail......so i read them.

I skied 70 days last season.

someone define that.

J/K

but seriously I get Powder and Outside.

 

[riverc0il]

Is that a ski joke?

absolutely not!! ski press ski reviews? the blurbs that are written for that rags gear reviews are all inuendo and tongue in cheek cutesy savings and allusions. the reviews are written to be funny, not informative. i was really not impressed with last years review from this source. i recall being rather impressed a few years ago. like i said, i love the fact that they cover all the skis out there instead of the major ones paying for ad space or select picks in each catagory, but the write ups have been really poor lately.

 

[riverc0il]

HPD: What the various mags that I read do for me is make suggestions on where I might "consider" skiing and add some "sole of skiing" pieces--ie the new powder and coombs as the ultimate ski partner--very sole of skiing. Or Jack Shaw's piece on great guides showing clients runs of a life time--also very sole of skiing, we all probably have a current run of our life time--I sure do.

ahm, i almost never pick on someone for typos and spelling, goodness knows i make enough horrible mistakes... but soul is spelled soul, sole is what you find on a shoe. sorry man, i normally don't do that on forums, but it was really driving me nuts... worse than the helmut misspelling that occasionally surfaces around these parts. :lol:

 

[AHM]

editing doesn't really bother me................

Riv: No biggie, my mistake...............must have been thinking of fillet(sp ?) ....................hadn't had my breakfast.

 

[kingslug]

I get Ski, Skiing , and Powder. I like Powder as it has the best photos and some of the best writing. But what you read does not define you. I subscribe to about 25 mags, I get huge discounts, and just like to read about almost anything. It's what you do with the knowledge that defines you.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

My skiing defines me...not a ski rag.

Great answer. Your one sentence answer hits the nail right on the head IMO.

 

[tirolerpeter]

Ski Mags

Once again, (I'm starting to feel like a "groupie") I'm with JimG. I am not defined as a skier by any magazine. The articles are mostly irrelevant to my skiing "style." Some of my ski clothes, such as my Columbia shell, are more than 15 years old, and the velcro on the belly pocket is getting a bit lame. My five year old powder suit cost me about $80 off a clearance rack, and (god forbid) I consistently own skiis with "last year's graphics. Also, I rarely stay at a "white glove" (hand out for a tip) resort establishment when I travel to ski. I just need a clean, warm, room with a TV (for the weather channel) to rest my bones. The articles about "family friendly resorts" with all the stuff about things for the kids to do make me laugh. When my kids were little, they went to ski resort areas with me with one goal in mind, to ski. The "fun" was in being together on the mountain, and time together off the mountain. How they managed to have a good time, and continue to beg to go again and again without all those amenities I'll never understand; but they sure did. I will put money into well fitting boots, and I do like reading the techinical information presented in equipment articles. That information definitely helps me make choices about stuff I might want to buy. And, I do love the beautiful pictures in those mags. They nourish my fantasies!

 

[SkiDog]

I like Powder as it has the best photos and some of the best writing.

I agree 100%. I was waiting for someone to say this...I think the writing is great..

M

 

[from_the_NEK]

I just got my issue of Powder There are some great pictures in there, as always, that really get the juices flowing. However, I do wish that they would publish more stuff from the east coast. I understand that East Coast powder is sometimes hard to come by but it does exist. I know I got a few very good pictures this year and I'm not even a professional photog. Whenever there is a right coast picture in Powder I feel like I've hit the jackpot. It always puts a big smile on my face :grin: . I do like the idea of a East Coast oriented mag.
It should be noted that I also get SKI magazine. But I get that for free through a NASTAR membership that I have. I race on a team of skiers (non of us are "actual" racers) that I work with and race with on Friday nights at Bretton Woods. :beer: Racing can be a lot of fun. However, I have yet to jump into a GS suit :dunce: .