Have I seen any commercials featuring people driving cars in ways that are retarded? Yeah, I have. Too many, in fact. But for every one of those car commercials I see, I see 12 in which the number 1 message is either safety, comfort, or practicality.
Look at ANY ad featuring a twin tip ski, and you'll have one of the following scenarios: Someone boosting HUGE airs out of a half/quarterpipe, somekind of invert or spin off a giant booter, or a rail slide. You don't ever see a twintip ad in which Tanner Hall is 'just skiing along', or in which the underlying message is 'this ski will get you from the top of the hill to the bottom safely and efficiently, without breaking the bank', do you? No you don't.
Next, look at what a car featured in a 'sliding around corners and catching air rally style' commercial is actually sold for: Basic transportation. How many people do you know actually drive their cars in the same fashion as the 'professional driver on a closed course' in ads? NONE. And if you happen to know someone who races rallies, they have a specially designed and built car for the specific purpose of rally racing. The typical aggressive driving ad is made to catch your attention and make you feel like the car you're buying can compensate for whatever part of your anatomy you feel is lacking in size.
Now let's compare to how twintip skis are sold, and how people use them. The underlying message in twintip ski ads is 'buy the troublemaker and you'll be closer to skiing like Jon Reedy/3phils/Deschenaux/Marie Martinod'. The images, and more importantly the movies, emphasize this REPEATEDLY(after all, skiers are sponsored because they are unequalled marketing 'tools'not the insulting version of the word). Twintip skis ARE PRODUCED AND SOLD FOR TERRAIN PARK RIDING. They are (supposed to be...) the equivalent to that specially built rally car. Anyone who tells you otherwise is WRONG. If it weren't for terrain park riding, the modern twintip wouldn't exist(Yeah I know Olin had a twin in the 70s. How long did that last?? Exactly..). Normal terrain park riding includes manoevres known as 'slides' on specially designed rails and boxes. If a ski which is sold for the express purpose of terrain park skiing breaks while being used for that purpose, and the manufacturer is at fault, through either workmanship, materials(such as edges),or just bad design, and the ski is within its normal warranty period, then it should be replaced at no charge. Simple. If ski manufacturers are having issues with edge damage due to railsliding, then maybe it's time they get some engineers, designers, and riders together to find a solution. Certain companies have started using thicker edges (Armada, for one), and I'm sure there's more that can be done. I can see where you're coming from, but I'm afraid you oversimplified the issue.
Of course, you are right, I could go out, pay money for a new edge, fix the sometimes serious base damage railsliding will undoubedtly cause(and shell out more money, possibly up to $100 if I can't fix it myself), then install the new edge, but unless it's 100% my fault, I'd rather just get new skis. Call me lazy if you like, but if a company sells a ski for the purpose of terrain park riding (which INCLUDES rail slides, and companies know that), and their workmanship, design, or materials just aren't up to the high level that a terrain park ski needs, then I'd rather have them fix their mistakes and give me new skis. Any company that can't understand that not-so-simple reality might be better off not selling skis that are specially designed for terrain park skiing.
'I've had some good sex, but it's not very reliable. You can't phone up the sex report, ya know? You can phone up the snow report'...Crucial Mike
Formerly NS.com's biggest tool.
