Flex on Your Buddies with $19,300 Hermés Skis

Between lodging, passes, and gear, skiing gets pricey. For many working class families, a full on winter vacation is out of reach. While the masses stay at home, however, the hyper-advantaged among us have yet another opportunity to flex their excess.

Feast your eyes on Hermés's range of uber-luxury "Off-Piste" skis, priced from $19,300 for the All Mountain set to a more humble $18,600 for the Alpine edition. Then, grab your self a pair of poles to match (sold separately, $2,425).

Without testing them out, it's hard to tell how the sets of skis are different. According to the product listing, both pairs measure 67.7" long. They follow up with a series of qualitative descriptions of the skis, none of them making too much sense to the trained eye. Then again, Hermés is obviously not trying to compete with say, Völkl. It's hard to know see exactly these skis are meant for, and maybe that's the point.

While gear-heads may wince at the vagueness of Hermés's product descriptions, it's hard to argue they don't suit the vibe of the brand. Crypticness is central to luxury goods. Even the written English somehow sounds vaguely French.

If you want a mountain trophy to flaunt while you sip Dom Perignon at the lodge, these might be your ticket. These are the type of skis that demand you don't stoop over when you drop a $20 bill. Just don't leave them in the public ski rack.