I was looking at a pair of skis recently and nearly gagged when I checked the price.
They weren’t something exotic either. Just a normal high-end model from a mainstream brand.
Nearly a grand.
And the strange thing is, that didn’t even feel unusual. It wasn’t even the most expensive ski on the rack.
Ten years ago that number would have caused riots. Now it barely gets a comment. Boots have quietly crossed the four-figure mark. Bindings aren’t far behind. Touring setups cost what full resort kits used to.
So the obvious question is: are we actually getting something dramatically better for that money?
Or have we just got used to it?
I’ve been around long enough to remember when rocker was the “new thing.” When lightweight touring gear felt revolutionary instead of expected. A lot of what we’re skiing now is genuinely refined. Some of it is excellent.
But has price moved faster than performance?
Probably.
What’s Actually Better
Some things genuinely are.
Skis are easier to ski now. Rocker isn’t experimental anymore, it’s refined. A 100mm ski can carve properly and not feel like a boat in chop. That wasn’t standard fifteen years ago.
Boots have improved too. Modern shells, liners, fit systems. They’re way more adjustable and more comfortable when done properly. Touring bindings are far more reliable than early pin setups.
There’s real progress there.
What Feels Like Marketing
Carbon everywhere.
Sometimes it works. Sometimes it just makes the ski lighter on paper and more expensive on the tag. Most skiers – myself included- – don’t actually need the weight shavings and probably couldn’t tell the difference in a blind test (which sounds dangerous).
Yearly “all new construction” tags are everywhere. But flex it and it feels suspiciously like last year’s ski with a different top sheet.
Pro models with a $150 premium because a name is stamped on them.
This isn’t some conspiracy I’ve cooked up either (or is it?). It’s just how the industry works.
The Price Creep
A high-end ski pushing $900 doesn’t even shock people anymore.
Boots over $1,000. Touring setups north of $2,000 without blinking.
It happened slowly. No one big jump. Just steady movement.
The expensive stuff still breaks too.
Edges pull. Topsheets chip. Lightweight touring bindings still explode if you treat them like alpine clamps. A $1,000 boot can still crack in the cold.
Price went up. Physics didn’t change.
So Is It Better?
Yes.
Is it twice as good as what we were skiing ten or fifteen years ago?
No.
The improvements now are incremental. Smoother flex. Better damping. Lighter materials. Margins.
Nice? Sure.
Essential for most skiers? Probably not.
A strong skier on a solid ski from a decade ago will still ski strong. A weaker skier on the newest carbon build won’t magically level up.
The gear improved.
The price improved faster.
What a surprise.
