Ah, the Buyers’ Guide intro. Think you can guess what we’re gonna say this year? Go on, give it a try. If you think hard about it, you’ll realize it’ll probably go something like this: Sell your old stuff; give it to someone who’s more broke than you (like that’s possible); make a bench out of your now camber-less skis; plant flowers in your old boot shells; use your spent bindings as shoe racks—whatever. It ain’t cheap, but we’ll be damned if the newest advanced-expert freeride gear isn’t leagues better than anything you’re on now.

That’s the problem with technology: we always think the current models are the greatest possible designs ever, and we always think last year’s stuff is useless. But we’re obviously biased. We’re like dime-bag pushers forced to pack the latest and greatest into your pipe.

In reality, is this year’s gear really that different than last year’s? In some cases, yes; in others, probably not so much. But it is likely very different from the latest and greatest of five years ago. There are more condition-specific skis and more versatile skis than ever before, plus the largest women’s gear collection ever. In terms of construction and design, they’re tougher, lighter and better looking. A ski from 2008 will not only improve your skiing, it’ll also help you have more fun out there. And as much as we’re pushing new gear on you year after year, we haven’t lost sight of the fact that the greatest reason to ski is just having fun.

So, try out some new gear and decide which is gonna get you the highest. That first hit is free. Then check out your local retailer and buy that ski you fell in love with. And if you’re not sure you can afford to, we’ll only ask you this: Can you really afford not to?

Hey, all the cool kids are doing it

:: The Editors