Something that I do when I get to the point of is it good or not, is jump on one of my old faithful skis. The point is that the difference will let you feel whether you are where you need to be on set up. I think we all can compensate for a less than ideal set up with changes in technique. Typically I get through the “honeymoon” phase of a new ski then usually some degree of frustration sets in. Then I usually begin to question whether in fact I’ve just gotten older and can’t do what I could do before, the water temperature change makes my settings stink, someone moved my buoys, the driver must be off, I’ve skied too much and need a couple days off, I’m not doing some technique wrong.
It helps me to go back to one of my favorite skis of all time, a 9100, and take a couple passes. With doing this I have a point of reference for what I might want to tweak on my new ski.
Several years ago I worked on a new ski and got it to the point where it was very predictable, off side good. The ski felt great but I was down a pass. So I told my wife think I’m kind of losing it. I pulled the 9100 off the rack and jumped on it and instantly felt like the the course was way narrow. The new ski was just too slow. It was easier to judge this with a point of reference.
This is the “Ski Theory of Relativity” a little known paper written by Einstein.