Thanks for watching everyone, very different content today, but I hope you enjoyed, lots of respect to Dave for doing what's best for him and his family, Peace and Love.

Your reviews are inspiring. Don’t stop!

1. It’s important to have a diverse crew. There should be an app to connect the semi-pro guy who helps everyone else in the group a better skier, the guy who finds good food, the gal who’s handy at finding the best travel deals, the person who loves driving, etc etc. 2. Love the casual style of your content. It was a bit of a “who tf is this guy invading my algorithm” at first. Haven’t looked back from the first click. 3. Things are best when we are unattached to the outcome. If Dave simply MUST succeed at YT to feed his kids, that’s crazy high stress/risk. 4. Mental health is underrated. There’s strength in asking for help. Keep rocking it E

I feel like your main purpose here is not to solely ‘grow a following’ and it really shows in your content. Such a big reason why I love your channel. So many creators get into this for the clout, and don’t realize how hard it is to grow a channel. Authentic content, consistency, doing it cause you love it. That’s the key to success on KZfaq. Keep crushing it Elliot thanks for the great content as always

I appreciate your sincerity in every video.

I find you highly entertaining!

I agree that the personality is more compelling than production quality. Authenticity is so interesting.

Love your original background

100% on the substance over style take - I watch you for your content and personality. I don't care that you're underneath a rug hanging from a kids play set (no offense of course). Every time I hear your opening " Today....!" I settle in to listen knowing I'm in good hands. Please keep up the great work - every morning I look forward to your takes. Thank you!!

Ski/snowsports content might be one of the toughest categories to please The Algorithm, especially if it's about gear. For at least half of the year, a lot of people are just not gonna be interested even with the highest production quality content about the most hyped gear. Production quality matters for some genres of content out there, but at least for this channel, where it's focused more on a personality/perspective, I think the audience prefers more content at what is a perfectly acceptable production quality. We can see and hear you, and we get valuable skiing footage to complement discussions of gear. Nothing necessarily better or worse if someone happened to replicate this formula with more production quality but fewer videos. The vibe of a friendly, casual argument about skis is what keeps me coming back even for the non-review content.

You are right on track with your comments. Sometimes, we put more pressure on ourselves and worry about things that other people don't really think or care about. You have to keep the main thing.The main thing and not worried about all the smaller things. Great video. Best of luck to Dave.

It’s least stressful if KZfaq is a side hustle of your passion while you’re developing your following.

I want to start a KZfaq channel about skiing, and I may do some gear with it. Right now though I am starting a channel on basic car maintenance and need to go with that, probably until closer to winter. Working full time doesn't leave a lot extra right now. I enjoy your content, and want to do more of the quick and easy content, once I get set up.

I really like your review style and honest opinions which really does meld well with the perspective that comes with SkiEssentials which is a nice channel unto itself. Your approach gives a nice contrast between the two. This allows people to form a good decision on what ski’s to demo or purchase. I actually made a recent purchase (Atomic Maverick 95Ti) based on your information and what SE gave. Thank you for all you do.

I stopped playing Hero Wars yesterday at least for the Summer.. The reason I did was that the teams that I was in could not work with me.. I like these channels for some sort of connection.. We live in this anti social social media world.. I live in the city but I try to get out of the city so that I can talk to people.. Where I go grocery shopping it is about 18 minutes away.. The workers there are friendly and peaceful.. That is a big reason why I go skiing is to be social.. I tell the ski locals that if they have a problem with me that it is me and I go skiing not only to get out of the city but to get the city out of me..

02:30 Elliot, you definitely watched too many horror movies... xD In regards to Dave's videos. Most of the videos I've seen of him, they mostly were well made explanation pieces on different techniques which often are filmed somewhere out and about. Like "moving in steep couloirs securely" which was actually filmed on a steep face or couloir. Or different techniques to rappel etc. So many things that were very dependend on weather etc. Very much like his "day job" as a mountain guide. Which also is what gives him the tools/knowledge to make his videos. I would never look at a music reaction streamer for tips on how to ski a steep couloir or rappell techniques. In regards to the app: i guess we have to consider that the hiking / mountaineering / skiing cultures here in europe in certain topics very different to north america. It starts with access to land (right to roam / "Jedermannsrecht" etc.), the way ski areas are avalanche controlled and goes all the way to general cultural differences like that e.g. in Switzerland it's rare that people spontaneously do something with strangers and rather keep to themselves than getting into an uncomfortable situation etc. So it could be that such an app for certain markets totally works. I assume that Dave started youtube as a marketing project for his guiding initially, but slowly became a main gig instead of the side gig. But a very fluctuating one at that on the monetary side. The other thing is, what I've heard from multiple guides I've been out with in the past years, that when they had kids, they had to re-evaluate if they want to continue guiding and how. Some stopped guiding certain types of activities (e.g. ice-climbing or mountaineering above a certain grade etc.) because those activities are things where it's harder to control what the guest does. Others i know were talking about only doing ski tour guiding and work in their original jobs during summer (some of them were carpenters, farmers, engineers, musicians etc.). To me, it feels like in such times it's much more that goes through ones mind if you have such a job like a mountain guide than if you're "just a normal 9-to-5-er"...

Agree with a lot of your points regarding why people watch, and production value not being as important (but that might be variable depending on niche and audience.) Love your stuff but I do have to say Dave's videos get pretty technical, I feel anyway, and I think it's a lot harder to convey that kind of stuff in a concise video. It can be pretty overwhelming trying to explain things linearly without going overboard or confusing people. But big agree with just getting something out there is better than nothing, though also care needs to be paid when discussing life and death things like climbing

ZachyD's dad here. Agree completely. For me, a retired TV Producer and now Media Professor, "it's better to be lucky than good." Yes... but with repetition, just doing, editing, you'll get lucky more often! Because your good, you're lucky. Good = Speed. Luck = Speed. We are getting ready to do a talking head video. Video like this one. Going to try copy points and extemporaneous takes, edited with open jump cuts and cut aways where possible. Got the ski GRX built, need some dedicated to a talking head. Style will develop over 3 to 5 videos, with the current ZachyD brand as the foundation. JUST DO IT...

Nice Click-Baity title today LOL! Please don't accuse me of being MEAN just messing with you E! I watch lots of finance on YT and get alarmed when down to earth people go all Green Screen or the super built out home studio. I much prefer humble authentic guys like yourself. You have to YT or any other hobby for yourself 1st and foremost. IF people derive value from what you're providing the success and revenue will follow. Follow your heart fearlessly and the results will come I promise. I now know 1st hand. I agree with everyone here saying dude's putting too much pressure on himself. Some might say he's taking on TOO much at once, child on the way, changing jobs, securing incoming in today's world, it's enough to drive anyone crazy! A different topic, but it's appreciated. We always need BALANCE. I appreciate the little details about yourself you let out. Ski racer, Timberline summer race coach, wrote ski reviews, worked in Finance & Tech, etc. I spent many yrs working with Autistics, very commendable of you to stay home and be FT dad. Gives more context to the 'playground' background. I can tell you're a heartfelt, warm-hearted person like me. So glad I found your channel. See you next time E!

I don’t agree with all of your takes but I know you come by them honestly. Unfortunately society does not reward honest opinion. It prefers hyperbole and shock. The channels I watch that have 1 million+ subs seem compelled to use some clickbait title even if the content in the video is a reasoned opinion. PBS Newshour has probably half the viewers of Fox News prime time. Same at ESPN.

i understand its all about the money, but somehow I still not comfortable with clickbaits like "I need to talk", "I quit" etc where its basically an ad or promotion of the product, what he needs to talk its normal day to day life we all living.

Do you make a meaningful income on your channel? I was under the impression it was a labor of love rather than any kind of income generator.

You've developed a shtick that's all your own, from the intro, to the hair style, to the poor-content rants, to the video close. Like you said, it's not the polish of the 'studio' or the fancy production, it's the meaningful communicated information regarding something people enjoy.