Caldwell Sport 2013-14 Buying Guide

Sophie Caldwell is our poster child from now on. She’s much better looking than Noah Hoffman. She might spend less time at our house than Noah, but she’s technically family.

This is a paid advertisement for Caldwell Sport, a retail and service shop for racers and enthusiasts who want to do their best, and could use some help from their equipment. http://www.caldwellsport.com/

We believe that the industry should be a resource to consumers, supporting the pursuit of the best and most rewarding experience that skiing has to offer. In most respects the industry is a great resource, providing continual innovation and product refinement, and making great performance accessible. However, the industry is bad at providing technical background and a solid informational basis for decision making. Somewhere in the labyrinth of marketing stories and advertising campaigns, good ideas and bad ideas all start to look the same. It can be hard to know what to make of marketing hype, and to distinguish real innovation from a bunch of hot air.

2013-14 is a big year for new product releases, and while there is sure to be a lot of hype (and no small amount of good old-fashioned BS flying around), there are also some genuine and meaningful innovations. In recent weeks we’ve published a series of articles examining some of the new stuff that will be coming at you next year. Most new race gear hits the World Cup a season or more before it hits the market. We’ve got quite a lot of experience with this year’s “new” offerings, so listen up!

You can pretend, as you read these articles, that we’re not trying to sell you new skis, and that we’re only trying to give you good, neutral information. But we really are trying to sell you new skis. Think about it.

Fischer Speedmax – http://www.caldwellsport.com/2013/04/fischer-speedmax/
We’ve known these as “HM” skis since 2010 when they were released to World Cup racers at the Olympics. Kikkan wins most of her medals on a pair of these, so you know they’re good. But the regular Carbonlite remains the more prevalent ski on the World Cup circuit. We think these are the future for Fischer, but you should read up on them.
Madshus REDline – http://www.caldwellsport.com/2013/05/madshus-redline/
Most of the time when we think about adjusted thickness profiles we’re talking about tenths of millimeters. The REDline skis from Madshus are a much bigger departure than that. Yet they represent an evolution in a 20-year-old design concept.
Clear Base Skis – http://www.caldwellsport.com/2013/05/1964/

Three companies are coming to market with clear-base skis. They’ve been gaining popularity in World Cup racing, and have a firm foothold on the biathlon circuit. But what are they for?

Rottefella SSR Binding – http://www.caldwellsport.com/2013/05/rottefella-ssr-built-in-skate-binding-wedge/
Fischer 902 Classic Skis – http://www.caldwellsport.com/2013/05/fischer-902/
OK – these aren’t exactly new, but did you know that they’re the most popular classic ski on the World Cup? You might be interested…