Approximately 14 hours remain until the sale will begin. We are continuing to test our site to make sure everything will be working properly. Should you run into a problem, please report them to Jared via email at jared@bluehouseskis.com, phone at 801.232.5367, or skype at jaredrichards128.
We are less than two days away from the sale. All skis will be priced at $250 during the sale. For more information on the sale click here.
After being beaten in crappy conditions for 9 days the skis are now back from Chile. We have asked those who have rode the skis to post their independent reviews on various forums. When we find those reviews, we’ll post them here.
We’ve had a lot of people asking about how our skis compare to other skis lately. My interviews with our testers in Chile were focused on this. I asked questions to promote comparing BH skis to what they currently ride. I hope the following information is helpful:
Adam Swisher on the Districts
Q: What did you think of the Districts?
A: I loved them, they were a really great ski. They really charged hard, especially on this difficult snow pack that we have right now. They blasted right through it and were a lot of fun.
Q: Did you go airborne at all?
A: A little. I was following a couple guys that do some crazy stuff and I was able to keep up fine.
Caitlin Morgan on the 171 MRs
Q: What do you usually ski on?
A: I usually ski on the Volkl Mantras.
Q: And where do you usually ski?
A: Snowbird. Alta.
Q: How did the MRs compare to the Mantras?
A: The MR were a lot softer. However, they’re really grippy. And no chatter at high speeds. I really like them a lot.
Q: Did you do anything sick or crazy?
A: Yep. I did a couple dinner rolls, a breakfast burrito, and a Chicago bagel dog.
Q: Are you planning anything else with the day?
A: After lunch, I’ll probably do a flan.
Q: Alright, anything else you want to say about the skis?
A: Yeah, the skis rock. Ski them.
Caitlin Barker on the 171 MRs
Q: How did the MRs hold up in the heavier crud?
A: I wasn’t sure how they would do, but they were easy to turn. It was surprising.
Q: And at high speeds?
A: Good on the groomers. Fun to turn and I was able to go fast no problem.
Q: Chatter or no chatter?
A: The chatter wasn’t bad. The only thing I would say is I didn’t feel they were top notch in the heavy crud. Besides that, I liked them a lot.
Q: What do you usually ski and how do they compare?
A: I usually ski on Rossignal B4s. They’re pretty similar. The twin tip gives them a little different directional feeling. The MRs are slightly softer than the B4s and they’re more light weight.
Q: Anything else you want to say?
A: No.
David Pratt on the Districts
Q: What was your overall feeling about the Districts?
A: I was a little worried about length at first because I ski a 179. I got on them and didn’t feel overwhelmed with the length. They were light and soft. I was also concerned about getting some chatter based on the flex, but the bamboo cores snapped back, they stayed damp and quiet. I was also impressed with the sidecut, I could lay into the turns and really dig an edge in.
Q: What kind of snow did you ski?
A: I skid the crud, a little bit of powder, got them on the groomed runs and I liked them everywhere.
Q: What do you usually ski on? And how do they compare?
A: I ski the K2 Seth Vicious right now. They’re a little bit similar, but the Districts are little lighter and definitely softer, which they somehow pull off. Probably from the bamboo.
Q: Where do you usually ski?
A: Alta, UT
Q: Anything else you want to say?
A: I enjoyed these skis a lot. I’m looking to buy a pair. I’m also looking forward to seeing Bluehouse in the future.
Shane on the Districts and the 179 MRs
The Districts
I’m used to a Gotama. The Gotama is stiffer than the Districts. They felt a little bouncy on my first few runs. However, I soon learned I simply needed to adjust to a ski with more flex. Our bamboo cores are everything Jared and Adam told me about, they snap back hard and fast. Once I learned this, I started laying into my turns a little more and the bounce went away. I never felt like I had to hold back. I felt free to charge once I adjusted to their softer ways. The times I hit small patches of lighter snow felt good. I could tell they know their way to the top of the powder.
There were hardly any opportunities to drop anything with decent height. I found one ten-footer and flew it. I can honestly say the skis made the landing much more comfortable than it should have been. I know I would have felt the stomp more on my Gots. Bamboo softness gets a point here for dampening power.
I was impressed with their smoothness at high speeds. . . Zero chatter. Nothing but good thrills on the corduroy.
The 179 MRs
I’m not much of an aerialist. But I was able to spin a couple times on the MRs (I didn’t go big and it wasn’t pretty, I just managed to get around easily). They were light for easy maneuverability and the same cushy dampening in the Districts is present in the MRs. What little I know about the park, it seems these skis hit the fatter park-ski market perfectly. So I was curious how they would hold up in the crud and on the big mountain. I blasted with ease. I didn’t expect them to be so fun at high speeds and steep inclines. I had a good time on the MRs. I recommend this ski for the perpetually indecisive skier. They rock on the hills as well as they jam in the park.
Shane’s Nutshell
The District is an all-around fun ski and will serve backcountry and big-mountain style skiers well this year. I have a hunch this ski will make its owners go more airborne on the big mountain. I mean it - landing on these skis is very, very cushy. That same softness makes them a little bouncy in hard crud, but I’m sure they’d be a dream in the pow (if only I could have got me some of that!).
The nutshell on the MRs is simple. It will be an insane ski for jibbers all over the country. And it might even tempt the purest of park rats to venture towards higher grounds.
The guys at 5ones.com got with Jared to get a little more information on Bluehouse. To see the full interview, check out www.5ones.com. The interview includes information about Bluehouse’s Chinese manufacturing partner as well as general comments Shane recieved about the skis while in Chile.
(Comments from non-Bluehouse skiers will be posted early next week.)
Here are a few photos from Chile. Although conditions were not ideal (extremely warm and heavy snow), everyone had a great time. Reviews from skiers will be posted shortly when they return Monday.
Thanks to all you who have shown confidence in Bluehouse, a community is beginning to emerge. We know many of you talk on TGR and Newschoolers, but if you prefer a different medium of interaction, we have set up pages at both MySpace: http://myspace.com/bluehouseskis and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4434140324. Join to be more integrated in the Bluehouse community. We hope to meet up with many of you in the mountains this winter. Please keep in touch.
Greetings to all you ski junkies out there who have caught wind of Bluehouse’s pre-season sale. . . Yes, it’s true, from September 1 through September 14, Bluehouse will be selling a limited quantity of its skis for $250 (shipping not included). The sale will begin sometime in the early morning on September 1 and will last until inventory is gone or 11:59 p.m. on September 14, whichever comes first. Because this is a unique deal, there are several clarifications we need to make:
1) Each participant (shipping address) will be allowed to purchase a maximum of 3 pairs of skis. We really want those who purchase the skis to use them, not just put them up on eBay.
2) A one-year warranty will accompany skis associated with this special sale. Although Bluehouse normally backs its skis with a three-year warranty, this is impossible at the price we are offering these skis. Skis purchased at the normal retail price will be provided a full warranty.
3) Products will ship no earlier than September 20, 2007. From the response we have already received we expect to be shipping quite a few skis. With our vast staff of three people, we think this will be quite a task and are asking for your patience. Utah residents will be given the option to pickup their skis at no charge at our facility.
4) Within the next week, you will be able to create an account at Bluehouseskis.com. All those who create an account will be sent a reminder email approximately one hour prior to the sale at which time the exact commencement time of the sale will be announced. Early registration on the site will also help us to know exactly how many skis we will need to make available so we can produce more in advance if necessary.
The underlying reason for this sale is twofold: First, we wanted to thank those who have encountered Bluehouse early on and are willing to take a risk on a company with whom they have had little or no experience. Second, we wanted to get our products out early in the year so that we might get your feedback in enough time that we can incorporate it into our next year’s designs and improve upon current designs, and expand upon what you dig in our products.
We wanted to respond to some of the request to see our skis. We put this video together to show what the skis looked like and to try and simulate how they flex. We apologize for the low quality but we promise to add better photos and videos later. We really just wanted to get something up as quickly as possible.
The Canyons is definitely the place to be on December 1. The Canyons will be inviting up companies from across the snow sports industry including Bluehouse to show off their products and to give people a chance to try them out in real conditions on the mountain. We’ll be set up mid-mountain so stop on by, say hi, and try out a pair of our boards.
With everyone from the industry there at the same time, it should provide quite the fix to all you gear junkies out there. More information will be provided as the date approaches.