Testing new J skis
We're always working towards the next best version of J skis. We take your feedback, make tweaks, test & repeat! Check out what we were testing this week at Stowe.
We're always eager to try new things and see if we can learn something new when developing our skis. In this test, our engineer Giray had some new ideas for flex patterns so he made some tweaks and the factory sent us 5 new revisions to test against the current version.
Dale Phillips making sure this Hotshot prototype passes the Daffy test. Essential for every ski we make!!!
Getting first chair always pays off to get fresh corduroy on test days.
We had 6 testers of all different size and ability levels since everyone tends to feel something a little different. We were lucky to have some firm groomers in the morning but it quickly turned to spring slush, which is actually bad for ski testing since it makes it harder to feel how the ski is reacting on the snow.
After every run we take detailed notes on what we're feeling and then switch to a different version for the next run, repeat. Simon is adjusting the bindings for his next run of testing.
We compile all of our notes to compare at the end of the day. Here's an example of what we were feeling on some of the prototypes.
R3 ⭐️
Dale - Felt pretty good, not sure what to say on first run. 2nd run carved very smooth, felt good in chop
Ty - grippy just behind tip taper but in a good way. Engages quicker as you lean the ski into a carve. Rest of ski felt similar to production. Top pick so far
Oli - kept that hotshot feel with a little more backbone than R0 while making good turns in all radius and staying very easy to release.
J - Didn’t test (how does this guy still have a job here?)
Caleb - solid, hard to tell at this point with snow conditions
Simon - sluggish but firm underfoot, nice and turny, tips were stable, good for firm conditions
R4 ❌
Dale - Felt much heavier and clunkier than 3. Decent at speed, carved well once going fast. Tail was overly grippy
Ty - grippier tail section. Slightly harder to shut down speed. Felt ok edge to edge but not intuitive or easy feeling. Could be snow conditions at this point
Oli - weird and catchy
J - Awkward
Caleb - unstable, tail too flexible
Simon - similar to R1, slow but stable
We finished the day with some slushy spring park laps!!! Taylor (Dale Phillips stunt double) laying out a backie!
We're stoked to continue updating our ski models to make them the most damn fun you can have on snow! Think you know what the next greatest ski in the world looks like? Email us your ideas at info@jskis.com