Field Notes

From "Did I Make a Mistake?" to "This Has Changed Skiing"

One experienced skier's first full day on ShredShox at Breckenridge - 13 runs, 26,000 vertical feet, and a complete change of mind by the bottom of the hill.

We handed a set of ShredShox to an experienced, high-mileage skier and asked him to do one thing: ski his normal day and tell us exactly what he felt - the good, the weird, and the doubts. Here's how it went, run by run.

Getting Started

The first impression happened before the snow. "Walking with them sucks," he noted - the added weight makes the walk to the lift a chore, and a ski tie helps. "Balanced center of shoulder works best. Definitely need a ski tie to make it easier." On the chair, the heft was noticeable: "You feel the weight on the chair lift." It didn't take long for the platform to draw eyes, either - "Are they shocks? Cool." Curiosity from other skiers started immediately.

Run 1: First Encounter

"First run is super weird." The initial adjustment felt unfamiliar. "Releasing the back edge takes more effort. Good practice for powder... maybe more effort for weight compensation." The early read hinted the platform might shine in specific terrain. And then the honest gut-check every skier would think:

"Did I make a mistake? Has this completely ruined my skiing?"

Doubts, sure - but tempered by curiosity. He kept going.

Run 2: Smoothing Out

Something started to click. "You find the edge before you realize it. Weird at first." The mechanics began engaging the ski naturally. The dominant sensation was smoothness - almost too much of it:

"So freaking smooth. Disconcertingly smooth."

"Am I on edge? I don't know! I can't feel the snow. Just smooth." The damping was impressive, but the missing tactile chatter felt strange to a rider used to feeling everything.

Run 3: Building Confidence

"When you forget about them, you start skiing normally." Muscle memory came back. Then the speed crept up without effort: "45 mph! What?!" Trust was building - though not everywhere yet. "Not confident for quick edge-to-edge transitions. It feels like I'm learning to carve again." Dynamic transitions would take more time.

Run 4: Customizing the Damping

This is where it turned. A few clicks of adjustment transformed the ride:

"Luxury sedan to sports car in 3 clicks."

"Getting the front a little more responsive really helped while still being soft." The tuning gave him control and comfort at the same time.

Run 5: Breakthrough

"OMG. 45.9 mph." Top speeds became routine as confidence grew. The mental shift was the real milestone: "I trusted the edge. I trusted it would hold." And the mechanics finally made sense: "It makes sense. You have a heavier ski with more surface consistency and dynamics."

Run 6: Mastery Emerging

"46.6 mph. Feeling GOOD!" Trust translated straight into speed. Then the line of the day:

"This has changed skiing!"

"My theory was right: sitting slightly higher makes edge-to-edge transitions easier." Small adjustments were unlocking big gains.

Runs 7-8: Technical Turns

Not everything was effortless. "Parallel push turns on the fall line are a lot more work." But the payoff showed up in carving: "It holds a line better than ever before." More tuning pointed the way - "Push turns are easier with a soft front and harder rear."

Run 9: Tweaking the Settings

"Front at 8, rear at 7... it absolutely helped with push turns parallel to the fall line." The dialing-in continued, and he was already planning ahead for other conditions: "For powder, I probably want damping at the front to be soft and a little stiffer at the rear."

Run 13: Comfort Mode

By late in the day, with fatigue setting in, the platform's real advantage came through:

"Carving beast! I can dent the turn, rely on the edge, and not get all the bumps translated to my knees."

The attention kept coming, too: "Love it. Gave an older guy the details. Two lifties asked for the brand." And the verdict at the end of 26,000 vertical feet said it all:

"All I can say is awesome. 26,000 feet today and it just kept getting better. My knees are happy!"

One day. Thirteen runs. From "did I make a mistake?" to "this has changed skiing."

ShredShox - Full Suspension for Skiing.