Obviously, there's some trial and error in making skis. But the neat thing about doing this is that, over time, we can fix some of the stuff that bothers us. The fact that many things changed for next year (differing tip shapes, rocker patterns, sidecuts) indicates that we did have problems with how things were before, and now we've done what we can to fix it. No long park skis on the market? 186 Jmo. A hole in our line between the Jmo and Caylor? Jeffery. Not enough rocker on our prototype Pillowfights? We add more. Strange difference between the 181 and 191 Wrens at speed? We redo the sidecut on the 181.
I know people with contracts from large manufacturers who get no say in the design of their skis. You don't have to believe me, but I've always been involved in the design of the skis I get to ride. The Pillowfight really is the result of Josh, Rowen, and I sitting around slightly drunk and above-averagely interested in a colossal pow ski.
The hard part with your question about the negatives is that this is our new line, and we've fixed everything that we can for now. We have to coast on that success and enjoy the progress we've made before we get cynical, call ourselves dumbasses, and figure out how to change what we fucked up.
