The Winter 2021 edition of the Masterfit Buyer’s Guide is now available for a limited time as a free download at Https://masterfitinc.com/buyersguide. Called the ski sport’s most authoritative guide provides unvarnished reviews and analysis of the upcoming season’s new gear.
The Masterfit Buyer’s Guide is produced by an experienced group of snow sports equipment professionals including:
Steve Cohen (publisher), co-founder of Masterfit University and former editor of SKI magazine; Jackson Hogen (ski test program director) creator of realskiers.com and a former product manager at major ski equipment brands; Mark Ellling (boot test program director), education director of the Masterfit University Bootfitter Training Centers and a master bootfitter in Bend, OR; Iseult Devlin (editor), certified level 2 PSIA instructor and former editor of Skiing Magazine and Sue Yarworth (art director), graphic designer and PSIA level 2 Alpine instructor.
The ski testing team includes 24 individuals – six men and 18 women – with a combined 600 years of experience. The boot testing team totals 39 skiers – 27 men and 12 women – with a combined 975 years of experience.

According to editor and publisher Cohen, “there has never been a more important time to own or upgrade your gear. With resorts struggling on how to handle rentals and demos, this is not the year to be sharing boots, helmets and other gear or to be waiting in lines.”
All the major and boutique ski brands are reviewed including Atomic, Blizzard, Head, Liberty, Kästle, Dynastar, K2, Nordica, Rossignol, Salomon and Völkl. Boot brands reviewed include Atomic, Dalbello, Fischer, Head, K2, Lange, Nordica, Rossignol, Roxa, Salomon, and Tecnica.
The Guide details how ski and boot tests are conducted along with candid assessments of how products perform. Ski model analyses include those designed for five general types of terrain – Frontside (primarily groomed), All-Mountain East, All-Mountain West, Big Mountain, and Powder.
Boot reviews target a variety of skier types. Men’s and women’s boots are segmented into the following categories: All-Mountain Traditional, All-Mountain Walk Boots and Freeride and further sub-divided by foot width. The boot section also includes an informative piece on custom fitting and an article on Backcountry boots.
The Guide delivers practical advice on selecting poles, maintaining bindings, women’s products, gear for kids, how to carry skis, tips for beginners, how to interface with gear sales people, bootfitting in the time of Covid and what to pack for skiing during a pandemic.
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