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EpicSki.com is both the online home for dedicated skiers and the leading Internet resource for ski information and community discussion. Our community members' reviews, questions, answers, thoughts, comments, suggestions, and the like, on a galaxy of ski-related topics comprise a compendium of content that is perfectly designed to help skiers make really good decisions about just about anything related to skiing, from technique to travel. Even better, our eclectic community of ski enthusiasts not only enjoys talking about skiing online, we also like to meet up to ski and, of course, talk about skiing some more. There's no authoritative explanation for why we call ourselves the Barking Bears, or what it means, but the name has (affectionately) stuck! Learn more about EpicSki on our About Us page.

Why should I join?

In order to participate on the site, you will need to register. Joining the site allows you to:

Write reviews of gear, resorts, and more
Post new threads and reply to existing threads
Customize your community profile with information about yourself
Track the forums, wikis, authors, gear or anything else that interests you with your own personal subscriptions
Receive email notification and daily digests on the topics that interest you most
Send private messages to other members
Add photos, edit descriptions and specs on gear and resort pages

For more about the site, check out the site tour.

Is it free to join?

Yes! It's completely free to join the community, though it is by no means free to operate this site. If you'd like to support EpicSki to keep it afloat, we would be eternally grateful and can open up some additional areas of the site for your generosity.

We have three Official Donation Levels (and an infinite number of unofficial ones that make the term "official" completely meaningless!):

Very Generous: $35
Extremely Generous: $50
Extraordinarily Generous: $100

In addition to EpicSki's gratitude and its ability to continue operating, all donating members with an annual contribution of $35 or more will receive the "EpicSki Supporter" designation and have access to the "EpicSki Supporter Area"

I'm a long time EpicSki member. Things look different!

EpicSki recently underwent a transformation. Check out this video for an overview on what's new:

Registration Issues

Why do I need to validate my email?

In order to get e-mail digests of your subscriptions (stuff you care about around the site) and notifications of private messages and bulletin board posts from your fellow users, you must validate your email. We also may send a newsletter periodically to update you on the goings on of the community. You can choose to receive any, all, or none of these by clicking the "My Profile" tab at the top of this page, then the "Edit Account" button at the top of that page.

I never got my email validation email!

If it has been more than fifteen minutes, check your Spam folder in your email client to ensure that it was accidentally quarantined, then add "@epicski.com" to your Safe Senders list. To resend your verification email, log in. On your logged in home page, if you have not verified your email you will see an alert next to your avatar that says, "Your email address has not been verified. Please click here to re-send." If you're experiencing additional issues, please contact us.

I forgot my password. What should I do?

Head over to the login page. Below the fields to enter your username or email address and password, you'll see a "Lost your password?" button. From there, you can send a password reset email which will include a link to change your password.

How do I change password, email address, and my user name?

When you're viewing your own Profile page, there is a button that says "Edit Account." From there it's very easy to reset your password, email address, and other account details. At this time, you cannot change your user name after you have registered. For more information on how to edit your user profile, head over to our Community Profile Tutorial.

Why does registration require my Zip Code and Birthday for registration?

Have no fear, we will never sell your personal information on the black market. We are, however, legally required to make sure you're over the age of 13, hence the birthday requirement. We also request your zip code as we have some ideas for really cool features later on that will make it all worth while, but rest assured, your information will be kept private.

Using EpicSki

Forums, wikis, product reviews...which one do I use? How are they different?

There are countless stand alone discussion forums online as well as several prominent review engines and Wiki sites, but never before have these mediums for content generation been so effectively integrated as they are in our community. With so many options, which medium is appropriate for what type of content? While we believe it's ultimately up to you to decide, here's a bit of guidance.

First, forums, Wikis, gear and resort pages (and reviews of those) are all separate features and different ways you can interact with the site and its members. They are tied together across the site to make related information easier to find, but there are in fact many differences.

Type	What is it?	Suggested Use
Forums	ideal place for group interaction here each user can start new threads, respond to existing threads and posts, etc. learn more about using the forums in our Discussion Forum Tutorial	ask questions to the EpicSki community post links to interesting articles and start a conversation
Wikis	"collaboratively editable articles" wikis allow many individuals to work together to write and edit an article learn more about writing wiki articles in our Wiki Article Tutorial	"How-to" instructions and guides lists informational articles
Reviews	personal opinions of gear and resorts AFTER having personal experience with those particular products and resorts learn more about writing reviews in our Review Tutorial	candid and respectful personal opinions

Don't forget to tag your threads and Wikis, so that it shows up on the appropriate product pages and other areas so that others can respond and contribute! Learn more about tagging in our Tagging Tutorial.

Do you have tutorials on using the site?

Yes, we do! Here is the complete list of tutorials:

Community Profile Tutorial - learn how to edit your Community Profile, edit Your List, change your avatar, edit your Account Details, and change your password.
Discussion Forum Tutorial - learn how to start a new thread, reply to a post, reply with a quotation, edit your post, change the name of your threads, rate posts, report posts, and export a forum post to a wiki.
Wiki Article Tutorial - learn what Wikis are, how to create a new Wiki article, edit an existing Wiki, revert a Wiki to a previous version, export a forum post to a Wiki, and report Wikis.
Review Tutorial - learn how to write a review and edit your reviews.
Messaging Tutorial - learn how to send private messages, write on another user's bulletin board, and delete messages from your own bulletin board.
Subscription Tutorial - learn how to add subscriptions, edit your subscriptions, and change your subscription settings.
Image and Video Tutorial - learn how to add images and YouTube videos to your forum posts and Wiki articles.
Add a New Item Tutorial - learn how to add a new item to the database, like a pair of skis we missed or your favorite unknown resort, as well ashow to edit existing gear and resort pages with images, links, descriptions, and more.
Tagging Tutorial - learn how to tag your forum posts and Wiki articles to make them easier for other EpicSkiers to find.
Search And Advanced Search Tutorial - learn how to use the basic search mode and the advanced search mode to find the forum threads, products, reviews, and Wikis you're looking for.
Facebook Connect Tutorial - learn how to link your existing EpicSki account to your Facebook account or create a new account with your Facebook log in, invite your Facebook friends to the site, and share your posts and reviews on your Wall.

Can I search EpicSki?

Of course! At any time, you can search all of the site, from discussion forums, to Wiki articles, from Gear/Resort pages to images. At the top of every page, you'll see the search bar. Type in your keywords and click "Search." You also can use the Advanced Search form to narrow down your search results. Learn more about using search in our Search and Advanced Search Tutorial.

Where is my forum signature?

They're back! We have adopted the following policy to recognize the financial contributions of our supporters and sponsors:
Members may post up to three lines of text in their signature file.

Supporters may post text up to three lines of text plus live links in their signature file.

Sponsors may post up to three lines of text and live links plus images in their signature file.
[Images and complete editing tools for all levels will be available soon.]

To edit your forum signature, navigate to the My Profile tab. Below your image gallery, you will see a section called "Your Forum Signature." Below that is the "Edit Signature" button. Click here, format your signature (text, links, bolding, and italics only), and click save.

How do I personalize my Profile and change my avatar?

Personalizing your community profile and adding items to Your List are two of the best ways for you to tell the rest of the community about yourself. Feel free to answer any or all of the profile questions, add items to your List, and change your avatar. Learn more about how to personalize your profile in our Community Profile Tutorial.

What are subscriptions? How do I use them?

The members of EpicSki create A LOT of content, but not all of it will be for you - that's why you can subscribe to what's interesting. You can subscribe to specific threads in forums, to individual wiki articles, or to tags, or users so you receive updates of all of their content.

One very powerful feature of the subscriptions is that you can actually subscribe to whole categories of products/content. For example, if you're an avid skier in Colorado, you may not care if someone writes a review of a mountain in Vermont, but you'd definitely want to know if any forum threads, wiki articles, or reviews get written about your home mountains. At the same time, it would be a pain to subscribe to every Colorado resort's tag. On EpicSki, you can just subscribe to the colorado-resorts tag and it's as though you subscribed to every single resort underneath that heading. Pretty cool. Browse the Gear, Resorts, and More tab to see what other categories you can subscribe to.

We don't want to inundate anyone, so you can determine the frequency with which you receive these updates. When you're logged in, go to your home page and click the "Manage Subscriptions" link - here you can set the frequency to Instant, Daily, Weekly, or Never. Learn more about subscriptions in our Subscription Tutorial.

Can I remove someone else's post to my bulletin board?

Of course - if you're logged in and looking at your own Profile, each Bulletin Board post should appear with a "Delete" button underneath it. Clicking that link will delete the unwanted post immediately. Learn more about private messages and bulletin board posts with our Messaging Tutorial.

What's the deal with tags? They seem important but how exactly do they work?

Tags are a vital component of our system - they are the means by which we can tie together the forum, wiki, review, product profile, and other content. Learn more about how tags work and how to use them in our Tagging Tutorial.

If I read something that violates the Community Guidelines or just isn't helpful, what should I do?

Most all content in the site has the option to rate or vote it up. This helps the best content rise up above the mediocre (or downright bad) content. Beyond that, you can flag or report a forum post or Wiki article with the "Report to Admin" button.

I love the community. How do I invite my friends?

Great question - you gotta share the love. On your logged in home page, on the right hand side, half way down the page, you'll see a button that says "Invite your Friends". Simply enter their email addresses in the "To:" box (multiple email addresses separated by commas) and we'll shoot off invites from you to your friends.

I am a manufacturer. Is there anything special for me?

Our site's focus is user generated content, so we ask that you do not review your own products. However, we do think it's important to get manufacturers in the conversation. As such, we've got a brand new program launching shortly to help you engage your potential customers, get feedback from key influencers, build brand loyalty, and even drive traffic to your website and consequently sales. For more details on the Industry Insiders program, email support@epicski.com.

Gear and Resort Questions

What is Your List?

Your List is a way of organizing the gear you Own, Want, and Had and resorts you regularly visit or want to visit. When you want to add an item to Your List, simply go to that items's home page, and click "Add to Your List."

Lists are a means to connect you with other EpicSkiers with similar interests and experience who you can hopefully learn from or at least enjoying talking to. We also compile everyone's List data to provide you with really cool, unbiased statistics about what products the community is actually using. Learn more about editing Your List with the Community Profile Tutorial.

Items I "Had"? What does that mean?

So you used to ski with Rossignol boots, but have now moved on to Salomon boots. That doesn't mean you don't know everything there is to know about your old Rossignol boots does it? The "Had It" category allows you to reflect this knowledge to your fellow users.

I have a bunch of stuff that I want to add to my List, but it's not in the system.

At any time, you can add a new item to the database. It is, however, very important that you don't add a duplicate of something that we already have. If it's just a different color of something else in the system, please don't add it. If we really don't have it and it fits within the existing categories, then go for it! Clicking the "Add Item" links throughout the site will prompt a wizard that will take you through the process of adding it to the correct product category. Check out a step by step guide to adding items with the Add A New Item Tutorial.

The stuff I want to add doesn't fit in any of your current product categories.

If we are not covering a product category that you think is vital to this community, please let us know in the Feedback Forum. We need your help to make this the best resource possible!

There's a product in the WRONG category!

We've done our best to work with our product partner, Backcountry.com, to get the initial set of gear and resort data into the Gear, Resorts & More categories. However, there are likely a few things that need to get moved around. At this time, only site administrators can move products from one category to another. Please let us know any suggestions for product relocation by using the Feedback Forum - no need to write a negative review, just because it's categorized incorrectly.

Can I review a product or resort I'm connected to?

The focus of our community is user generated content. To preserve its integrity, you should not review your own products or business or a business at which you have been or are currently employed. However, we do think it's important to get manufacturers in the conversation. As such, we've got a brand new program launching shortly to help you engage your potential customers, get feedback from key influencers, build brand loyalty, and even drive traffic to your website and consequently sales. For more details on the Industry Insiders program, email support@epicski.com.

Can I delete a review once I've written it?

At this time, once you post a review, you cannot delete it. However, you can always edit it! Check out this tutorial on editing reviews.

Internet Browser Questions

The site doesn't appear properly in my browser.

If you're having browser problems, please check to see if you are using an A-Grade Browser. Our site performs optimally on the browsers listed in the A-Grade Browser Support Chart.

I keep getting a popover asking me to allow access to my Clipboard. I hate it!

Unfortunately, this is an issue with Internet Explorer 7 and 8. To deactivate this popover, you will need to change your browser security settings:

Go to Tools -> Internet Options.
Go to Security tab.
Select “Internet” zone, then click on “Custom level…” button.
Scroll down to “Scripting” section (at the bottom few).
Under “Allow Programmatic clipboard access” option, check or select (tick) Enable. Default action for this option is Prompt, which cause the pop-up message whenever there is any attempt to access the Clipboard.
Click Ok twice to exit from Internet Options.

Why can't I right click and use Firefox's spell checker?
Because we use a fully WYSIWYG (What you See is What You Get) editor, the right click is needed to be able to pull up image and table properties, cut and paste, etc. However, fear not. There is a work-around to be able to keep using it.

If you hold ctrl (PC) or Command (Mac) when you right click in FF, it will treat the right click as though it's outside of the text editor.

This is an extra step for folks, but the idea was to provide the power of the context sensitive menus in the editor (to align images, add borders, color table cells, etc.) but also enable you to take advantage of good 'ol Firefox. Hope that helps.

About the Huddler Platform

What is the Huddler.com platform?

You may have noticed that EpicSki is powered by Huddler.com. But what is Huddler.com? We think of Huddler as the next generation of online product review and research. The communities based on the Huddler platform are designed to be valuable if you're researching options before making a purchase, as well as a great community to consult for tips after you've already become an owner. Some beliefs that we've applied while building Huddler:

The sites with the best content online are generally narrow in their focus - that's why each community is specific to a relatively small set of interests like Green consumer products, Mobile technology, and Skiing.
We're not one dimensional and you're likely not either. Just because we're passionate about conserving electricity or reducing waste doesn't mean we don't also love to tear up the ski slopes or take beautiful digital photographs. As Huddler grows, we will be an interconnected network of vibrant communities where people can learn, and share their knowledge about all of their different passions.
You can only talk about products, which ones you like, and how to use them for so long. We're here to have fun too! Private message people you find interesting, chat it up in the forums - this was all built for you to enjoy.

I have a great feature idea for you guys - who should I talk to?

We have our Feedback Forum open 24 hours a day. Also, feel free to use our feedback form.

I would love to convert my site to the Huddler platform! Who do I talk to?

We're always excited to talk to site owners about converting their discussion forms to the dynamic Huddler.com platform. If you're interested in learning more about the platform, feel free to email partnerships@huddler.com or use our feedback form.

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