I love it when personal experiences/learnings get backed up with real word findings (or vice versa).
Volkl Aura 156cm
I was on the prowl for a pair of Volkl Aura skis for my wife — specifically 156cm. These skis are darn hard to find these days. I’m not sure if Volkl did a limited run relative to the Aura’s male counterpart, the Mantra, or what the deal is. I’ve heard from multiple sources that every woman who demos these skis ends up loving (and buying?) them.
The story goes like this. My wife demoed a pair of 163 Auras and liked them a lot, but it was clear that they were too long. The local shop didn’t have any new pairs in stock, let alone 156cm. I turned to the web like a man possessed and did what I could to dig up a pair that were on sale commensurate with the time of year. (Note for non-skiers, spring is the time when progressive sales rules the shops — and bargains up to 50% can be had!) I was able to dig up a few pairs across the US. Literally just a few though. And it took some serious work. For gosh-sake, I had to page out well into the high 100 listings in order to find stores that had them in stock. Ironically, I ultimately ended up finding an ebay listing (by doing direct to ebay, not organically) that had a pair of 156cms at auction that didn’t sell. I was able to contact the seller, (who had a decent site, but it hadn’t turned up in my searches) to find out what the deal was. He still had them, and I bought them. Read the rest of this entry »
