It’s 8.57am and I’m already blasting down the third run of the day. Countless more will follow, but I won’t be using the same pair of skis twice. I quickly learned: ski testing is no holiday.
I’m in Stubai, Austria, with Ellis Brigham (ellis-brigham.com), the UK’s biggest ski retailer, at their annual staff ski test. Taking employees from their 24 shops across the UK to the Austrian Tirol might seem extravagant, however the aim of the week is clear: core staff test the new brands and equipment so that when it comes to selling, they have invaluable first-hand experience.
It may sound like fun, but ski tests can be laborious (I know, your heart bleeds!). Days spent fiddling with bindings and DIN settings, only to ski one run on each pair, no matter how much you love them. Steve Wells, Ski Hardware Buyer, who runs the Ellis Brigham tests tells staff on the first night, “Really one run should be plenty to get a good feel for the ski, but don’t ski along with your head in the clouds, make turns, ski on and off piste, and think critically.”
The programme for the week took me back to my days of ski racing: your alarm clock ringing before the sun first glimmers onto the mountains, wearily eating breakfast, and queuing at the turnstiles waiting for the gondola to open. For the Ellis Brigham team this was just the start of the story. Once off the mountain the focus of the day turned to talks and seminars; boot fitting, ski selection and customer service all under the spotlight.
The Stubai Glacier, Austria’s largest, is already open for the 2012–13 winter season, and won’t close until at least June next year, making its season one of the longest in the world. Skiing in the Stubai Valley is split between four main resorts: the Glacier; Elfer (accessed from Neustift, the nearest major town to the glacier, 20km down the Valley); Schlick 2000 (from Fulpmes); and Serles (from Mieders). Altogether the four resorts offer 147km of skiing, with 45 lifts.
We were based in the small village of Fulpmes, which sits at the foot of the Schlick 2000, the most extensive of the lower resorts. There is a regular bus shuttle (half-hourly) from the traditional Austrian village to the Glacier, which also stops in Neustift. Fulpmes is a traditional Tyrolean village, without the touristy feel of many ski areas. Sadly I didn’t have a chance to explore the village properly, but I can thoroughly recommend a walk around the nearby countryside and wooden huts.
Over dinner one evening I talked with Bob Brigham, Co-Managing Director of the company, and brother of Ellis Brigham (their father, who shared his brother’s name was the Founder of the company). He told me how Fulpmes has a long history with the business, “We bought our first ice-axes and crampons from this little village. The company, ‘Stubai’, is still in operation; they presented me with a 6ft ice axe many years ago – there are matching crampons of the same scale, which can be found in the [Fulpmes] museum.”
Whilst in Stubai, Ellis Brigham take the opportunity to film staff on, and reviewing, the new equipment for their website. The company shoot their ski catalogue (known as The White Book) in Steamboat, Colorado, in March, but there is no time for filming then. On the last day Mark Brigham, the company’s Marketing Director, asks if I’d like to ski a few pairs for the camera? “Yes please” I respond excitedly – I’d always fancied myself as a ski model; however, I think I might be waiting a while before they ask me on the transatlantic shoot. You’ll be able to see the outcome of my ski film debut on their website this autumn.
There’s no question, ski tests are an exciting part of the season for winter sports fanatics. Speculating over what’s going to be hot, and what will flop, is the lifeblood of diehard skiers, and there is no better opportunity than at ski tests. At the end of the week the Ellis Brigham staff sat at dinner mulling over their “favourite pair”, the new kit, and sharing anecdotes from the week. I know where I’ll be going for my new season equipment.
