The Wedze brand is available exclusively through the Decathlon retail stores and online through Decathlon.co.uk - a sports manufacturer and retailer that brings equipment direct to the consumer, cutting costs.
At £300, the Freeride 500 represents very good value for money for anyone looking to purchase entry level all mountain or freeride skis, but do they perform?
The simple answer is yes they do. The turns on-piste are easy and smooth, allowing carving style turns on even hard pack snow, despite the relatively wide 90mm width under foot.
In deeper snow, they have enough float to make skiing in powder snow easy - providing the rider is competent enough of course - and with the fairly easy flex, they are forgiving and not too taxing on technique.
For these reasons, they make a good entry level freeride ski for anyone who is looking to explore more of the mountain away from the marked runs, but doesn't want to spend big money to do so.
What are the downsides? Decathlon are producing good skis, but the performance isn't as high-end as some of the very top freeride skis on the market that might cost double or more than the Freeride 500's. Saying that, expert skiers might enjoy the ride too - they are fun and easy to ride, and have a snappy entry into the turn, with good edge grip and a really smooth arc-line from the start of the turn, through to the end. It's only when you push these skis to the edge of their capability that they start to show signs of weakness and you might wish you'd spent a little bit more.
Overall a good ski for seasonaire's who need to save their money and need a one ski to ride option.
