JOURNAL Blog Home

Give the best gift in the world to the skier in your life: a pair of Wagner Custom Skis. Every ski we precision-craft is dedicated to an individual skier’s profile which means our skis make skiing easier and more fun—and what gift could be better than that?

We at Wagner Custom firmly believe that every skier is best-served by a ski that’s made exactly for them. Thus when it comes to women’s skis, we don’t build women-specific skis as a category, but we customize each ski to each woman.

Walking into a ski shop and being confronted with a dizzying array of skis can be overwhelming. Get the knowledge you need to make an informed decision about skis (and not feel like an idiot).

The truth is there are a lot of good skis out there, wrapped in cellophane and priced competitively on the ski shop rack. With all these offerings, you might be wondering why you should invest in full custom skis. 

The leaves are turning, your mountain bike is hopelessly out of tune, and you’ve lost all motivation to keep your flower pots alive… These are all signs that ski season—our season—is fast on our heels. Let's prepare.

We know, you’re already eyeing your bike and jonesing to take the rocket box off your car... But before you do, you have a little work to do so you can start next season right. Here's how to best store your skis through the summer.

You’ve lovingly packed away your skis, but boots need summer love, too. When you’re done prepping your skis for storage, it's time to put your boots away properly. Here is how to store your boots for the season.

Eventually, any ski will reach retirement. How long can you expect solid performance from an older ski? Here, we look at when it's time to get new skis.

Ah, the good old days. Those dusty skis in your garage might bring back memories of skiing moguls and après nachos, but instead of letting them collect dust, why not repurpose them? Here are some creative (and ridiculous) ways to give your old skis a new life, keep them out of the landfill, offer a good DIY challenge, and show off your skier pride. 

If you live on the East Coast, you can skip this article and move on to your next procrastination—you folks know what a sharp edge is. But the rest of us soft-snow snobs may need a little nudge to schlep our gear to the shop or even learn how to do it on your own. This is why tuning matters.

In the last 30-plus years, the ski industry has gone back and forth about women’s skis more times than Mikaela Shiffrin in a slalom course. First we needed them. Then we hated them. Then we loved them. And, now, we don’t need them—what is going on? Let's find out.

While purchasing backcountry bindings is just one piece of the process, it can one of the most challenging. There are so many options with so many features, it can be overwhelming to figure out what’s right for you, not to mention how to work the damn things once you have them.

The incredible lightness of skiing: what differentiates a backcountry vs resort skis is not rocket science – it's all about weight. But when it comes to actually building a ski light enough to haul uphill and strong enough to ski down safely, not to mention enjoyably? That’s where the rocket science comes in.

Ski poles have long been treated as the red-headed stepchild of your ski kit. They get run over in parking lots, forgotten outside of bars, mismatched, scratched, and grow less and less basketed over time. As fun as poles are when it comes to euphemisms, try to take this at face value: Poles matter. Here’s what you need to know.

If you’re thinking about getting a pair of Wagner Customs (yay!), it may be helpful for you to understand what goes in your skis and why. Materials like carbon, fiberglass, and metal have huge impacts on a ski’s performance and personality. Here’s what the experts—us—choose to put in our skis and why.

Can't remember the difference is between ski rocker and ski camber? Up until the early 2000s, rocker was't even a thing! So what is camber, and how does it compare to rocker or early rise? Let's take a look between the two and how they play a role once you hit the mountain.