A common theme among the people who send in questions or ask for advice is that someone’s been giving them the wrong information.
So I ask the question to you: What’s a real expert?
3 types of experts
1) Fake experts
These are guys that know nothing. Their entire basis for giving you advice and recommendations is ‘my friend told me, so it must be true’ or ‘the guy at the store told me’.
Please never listen to these types of experts. They have no idea what they’re talking about and they’re usually wrong.
2) Paper experts
These are guys who may have some knowledge regarding snowboarding. On paper, they seem to know a lot about snowboarding. They’ve read magazines, online forums and stalk snowboard websites. However, I call them ‘paper experts’ because they lack real world experience.
It doesn’t matter how much they’ve read or learnt about snowboarding when all their info comes without any real testing or experience. How can they know that the new XYZ Rocker is the best thing ever if they’ve never gotten out and tested it? They’re basing all their knowledge on information that they saw somewhere.
I’m not saying they’re wrong, in fact, if they’re smart and spend their time reading the right information, they may be correct. However, you should still take their information with a grain of salt and double check the info.
3) Hands-on experts
These are people like Shayboarder or Nev from Snowboard Addiction who actually go out and find out how something really works. They’ve come to their conclusions from actual testing and real time on the snow. At the end of the day, these are the most reliable types of experts.
It’s similar to going to Uni to get a degree. Paper experts are like fresh graduates who have done the study, but haven’t worked in the real world. Hands-on experts are the guys who have already been working in the field for many years.
One more thing…
I always recommend thinking for yourself. Even with the best information from people who have years of experience in snowboarding, you should always try to think for yourself as well. Having good information is useful, but it’s even more useful if you combine good information with your own hands on experience.