On the test run, assistant test co-ordinator Ian Logan goes through the test run and shows terrain features that will help testers assess the ski properly. As a test reader, you should judge the scores in each of the criteria by what's important to you. Some skiers appreciate versatility, while others are very single-minded about how they view a ski's function. Demo bindings are used by each of the ski companies. This year, Ski Canada allowed manufacturers to supply two different lengths for each ski, and let the testers decide for themselves which length they wished to test.
Testers mark their scores and comments on the test card immediately following their run.
Once they're finished marking, testers are not allowed to alter their cards, such as during the debriefing session. The purpose of the debriefing is to help achieve a majority consensus on each of the skis. This is the 20th season that Ski Canada has tested skis, the world's longest running magazine ski test. A record number of skis were tested at Sun Peaks Resort over the five days of the test. Improvements to this year's test include grading skis in each of the criteria on a scale of one to 10, as opposed to one to five.