Six Days at the Centre of the Skiing Universe

By late afternoon, everyone arrives at the hotel from different places – not just from Poland, but from Switzerland, Germany and Belgium too. After a quick check-in comes the pleasure of the first shared dinner of the week at Hotel Tia Monte.

As every year, it is a joyful reunion and a feast around generously laden tables. Roasted meats, vegan dishes, a wonderful selection of local specialities and an almost absurd variety of salads promise an excellent week ahead and rekindle the longing that has built up since the previous test. By the first evening, everyone already knows that a culinary orgy awaits.

Immediately after dinner, the testers meet to hear the organisational rules for the days ahead. These have barely changed over the years, but every newcomer must go through the procedure. The participants are divided into groups assigned to particular ski categories. The test cards are discussed, and the room erupts in laughter – or bewilderment – when Tomasz Kurdziel presents mistakes made in previous years.

Fortunately, years of testing have produced a system that, helped by Kurdziel’s humour and sarcastic comments, keeps these mishaps to a minimum. Nothing motivates quite like the editor-in-chief’s famously barbed wit. At this first meeting, we learn the testing rules, meet the whole organising team and find out who is responsible for what.

It is early morning, and in some rooms you can already hear the bustle of people preparing for the first day of testing. The drive to the upper station on the Kaunertal Glacier takes around 30 minutes, and the first members of the team are already there by 8 a.m.

The skis have been prepared the previous day and are waiting in a dedicated room. Every pair carries its own identification code, so that nothing is confused among the dozens of models and every evaluation is recorded correctly. The GS gates have already been set on piste number 11, with a line of slalom stubbies alongside them.

„I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” The first runs are for warming up and finding your ski legs. This is the most beautiful moment of the test: you know how many days of wild skiing, excitement and adrenaline still lie ahead. Ninety minutes later, everything is running at full throttle. Skis disappear from the racks at a remarkable pace, leaving their tracks across perfectly prepared pistes.

The dedicated room at the point where all the Kaunertal Glacier lifts either begin or end is a hive of activity. For several days, it will be the centre of the universe. More than one hundred pairs of skis stand sorted by category and carefully labelled to prevent organisational chaos.

The testers collect the models assigned to their group and hand them to the technicians, providing their boot-sole length and requested binding settings. This is the demanding job undertaken by the Super Serwis crew. Bindings click and snap as the technicians adjust them, and these professionals need around two minutes on average to set up a pair – an astonishing display of speed and efficiency.

Naturally, the work is accompanied by a constant stream of jokes and anecdotes. The senior technicians keep everything under control, while the younger generation usually hangs calendars featuring their skiing idols on the walls – for some reason. The female testers are less enthusiastic about this tradition, but it is apparently considered motivational by the men.

Occasionally – although less and less often – skis supplied for testing by distributors arrive in a condition that is, to put it politely, far from ideal. „How can anyone risk a poor score like that?” the testers ask. It is like serving a restaurant guest an undercooked dish and then expressing surprise when the review is unfavourable.

Our respect for the service crew is all the greater because, at the end of every test day, the skis are sharpened and waxed – Skimania supplies the test waxes – so that the following morning can begin with a grin from ear to ear.

Filling in a test card isn’t easy, especially for newcomers. There are several schools of thought. Some people do it in the lift queue or on the chairlift, trying not just to award scores but to describe the ski. Others fill theirs in over coffee, or wait until the day is over and write in the quiet of their rooms.

For years, the cards have been made of paper – fairly heavy card stock. The written descriptions are the real ordeal, particularly when you know that, once the test is over, Kurdziel will sit down during the summer with a magnifying glass and try to decipher what everyone has written. Comments such as „these skis are good for nothing” are rare and are singled out by the Editor-in-Chief with his usual charming cynicism.

From the 2025/2026 account

Every year, the same discussion returns: why, in 2025, can we not do all this electronically on our phones? The pressure being applied to Michał is now so great that electronic test cards will soon become a reality. In addition to the evaluations themselves, they will collect information about each tester’s height, weight and skiing ability, allowing the results and conclusions to be interpreted more precisely.

Completing the cards is, of course, the most wonderful part of the test – second only to the skiing itself. The participants become experts and, to the surprise of many, discover just how different skis within a single category can be.

The NTN Snow & More editorial team retains an archive of every card from the most recent edition, among other reasons so that a physical record remains to confirm the credibility of the test. The final results are built on the skill, knowledge and commitment of these lunatics, who travel hundreds of kilometres so that, once a year, other people can read their recommendations and reviews and choose the right skis for themselves. It is genuinely hard and demanding work.

In the full sunshine of the Kaunertal Glacier, you know from the first run that you are in the right place at the right time. The testers set the pace here.

From the chairlift, you quickly pick out the outstanding skiers and realise that this is the group evaluating skis for the readers of NTN Snow & More. It is a complete cross-section of ski-mad characters: former racers, instructors and advanced recreational skiers from every age group. As a result, the test findings are credible and thoroughly cross-checked by people who expect very different sensations and qualities from their skis.

On the lift, friends are regularly described as „beasts” or „badasses” – about the highest praise available in this particular world. You often hear recommendations such as „you absolutely have to try these skis” or „let us meet later and compare impressions”. Beautifully carved turns, immaculate technique and careful attention to a balanced position over the skis are the norm. You feel that you are talking and skiing with absolute experts in the sport.

During breaks, people record social-media videos and give their immediate reactions to particular models. Nobody wants to wait several months for the magazine to appear – everyone wants to share an impression and an assessment here and now.

Whenever testers pass one another while changing skis, there is plenty of banter and no shortage of additional tips – not only about the equipment in the test, but also about what is happening throughout the ski world. It is also a showcase for new clothing, recommendations for ski areas and all manner of other industry knowledge. That is an additional benefit for the participants: they go home knowing far more than when they arrived.

What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas – but there are several things for which the Independent Ski Test has become famous. One is the wonderful food served by Romanian waiters doing their best Italian impression. Hotel Tia Monte provides a culinary experience and hospitality of genuinely world-class quality.

Then there are the excellent evenings, during which participants can attend talks on subjects such as bootfitting and other developments from the world of alpine skiing. Another essential feature is the series of „academic” panel discussions held outside the only shop still open in the village.

Putting forward and defending ideas, challenging other views, clarifying your thoughts and looking for common ground often carry on in the nearby bar. That is where the discussion about the philosophy of skiing and its effect on the testers’ physical and mental condition finally comes to an end.

There are competitions too: who drove up to the glacier in the fastest time, and who genuinely managed to test the greatest number of skis in a truly professional manner. Competition is part of skiing in every possible sense.

From the 2025/2026 account

Well, there are 236 days left until the next test for the 2026/2027 season. In the meantime, you can study the results for the latest ski models that we tested for you this year. This was probably our 23rd year of testing, and I am certain that a great many readers have chosen the best skis for themselves thanks to our work.

During the summer, the Editor-in-Chief read all 2,215 test cards, and you can now find the conclusions in the new magazine. There are plenty of surprises, while several pairs have deservedly found their way onto the podium. I would also like to thank all the testers for their outstanding work and for the inspiring time we spent together.

For GDPR reasons, special thanks go to: Pershing, Aszkieły, Motyl, Ada, Pumba, Lapin, Antoś, Adzioszka, Czadownicy, Saviano, Obiad, Tadek, Cyrus, Marinna, Smuszzz, Xenna, Mr. Krosno, Szymusie, Jamrozy, the Swiss contingent, Super Serwis and all the other testers who are completely fired up about skiing.

On behalf of the editorial team and myself: Tomasz Kurdziel („Naczelny”), Michał Szypliński („Chomik”), Katarzyna Ostrowska („Ostra”), Mateusz Chromiec („Loczek”) and the author – Tomasz Schejbal („Fantomas”).