Nah I get where he's coming from. Before he goes out and springs $400+ on a new suit, he wants to be as informed as possible on what he is buying and he wants to get a good mental picture in his head, so that he can be confident that his money is going into something he wants it to go into. I agree with you that skiing has become way too obsessed with looks, but I don't think this is an example of that.
I still love you, Rowen. No homo.