Tips/advice on buying downhill ski's

[Flames2007FIRE IT UP]

Hey folks,

I am looking to buy some ski's got into skiing the last couple of years, really enjoy it. I have mostly used my brother in-laws ski's but he has left Calgary and I was looking at purchasing a pair of my own any way.

Basically I will probably ski 15-20 times this year, am an intermediate level skier, do basically all blue runs, hopefully by the end of the year I will be doing some of the blacks along with the blues. I am not doing any back route/extreme skiing etc and would likely not be looking at doing any in my future.

I am looking for the full package of ski's, boots and bindings. Any tips on brands/where to buy would be helpful. I do not want to spend more than 800-1000. I am also 6 feet tall if that makes a difference. Tips on used skis would also be helpful.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[troutman]

Now is not the best time to buy skis - prices will be high until after Xmas. If you plan not to ski much before Xmas, I would wait.

[kevman]

I'm not a skier so I can't really start to recomend certain types of ski's but as for a good place to get used ski's at a good price check out:

www.skisale.ca

It's a giant used ski/snowboard sale that runs every year and happens to be this weekend.

As far as new, there is no reason to EVER buy new ski's at full price unless you just have to have this years graphics for the entire season. Every spring all ski shops blow their stuff out at awesome prices.

[Flames2007FIRE IT UP]

Originally Posted by troutman

Now is not the best time to buy skis - prices will be high until after Xmas. If you plan not to ski much before Xmas, I would wait.

Will probably ski 5-8 times prior to that, so the rental will probably cost me what the difference of cost will be.

[MacDaddy77]

My advice would be to spend money on a really good pair of boots!!

It doesn't matter what skis you buy if your boots aren't the correct one's for how you ski. When you go to buy the boots tell them that you do ski mostly blacks. There is really not a big differance between blue and black runs (except for your mind and atttitude) It's when you start getting into the doubles that there is a differance.

I know that Techno Sport (17th ave and another in Avaneda mall) have a huge sale every spring if you are able to wait till then. I never buy stuff during high season.

I got my boots there last year. Reg. $800 paid $375.00 so It's worth waiting till the end of season for major purchases.

Again though Without good boots the rest doesn't matter!

[Flames2007FIRE IT UP]

Originally Posted by kevman

I'm not a skier so I can't really start to recomend certain types of ski's but as for a good place to get used ski's at a good price check out:

www.skisale.ca

It's a giant used ski/snowboard sale that runs every year and happens to be this weekend.

As far as new, there is no reason to EVER buy new ski's at full price unless you just have to have this years graphics for the entire season. Every spring all ski shops blow their stuff out at awesome prices.

Thanks, I am definately not set on brand new ski's, any tips on what to look for in terms of used skis - ie what type of wear is ok, what will get me into trouble.

[burn_this_city]

Pay attention to the base and edges when buying used. Dont buy anything overly chewed up or patched. Also watch for the base delaminating from the edge or the top of the skis.

[FurnaceFace]

Agreed with the boots. I have $500 rossignol soft boots and ~$200 skis I bought that were end of season rentals.

I got the boots from Techno Sport. A big thumbs up as they have a 1 year boot guarantee and do lots of servicing. I have wide feet so boots are always snug. The soft boots seemed the best fit but after a few years I still got cramps in my one foot. I took the boots in and they stretched the boot a bit without charging me extra for it. Maybe you could get some sort of package deal from Techno.

My skis came from The SKi Barn out by COP. For my use the former rentals are more than enough as I'm just a turquoise skier (green-blue) so I'm not needing super high performance. These are Salomon skis with $200 Salomon bindings. Might be worth a look at rental places to see if you can score a deal.

[Boblobla]

Originally Posted by MacDaddy77

My advice would be to spend money on a really good pair of boots!!

I would second that advice 10 fold. It doesn't matter if you spend $2000 on your skis if you are in the lodge drinking beer because your feet are in agony.

[burn_this_city]

When buying new boots use a heat gun to warm the insoles. Then while they're still hot put them on and walk around the house. They will mold to your feet much faster than just wearing them skiing.

[kevman]

Originally Posted by MacDaddy77

My advice would be to spend money on a really good pair of boots!!

I forgot to mention this...seconded!

Buy your boots new, spend WHATEVER it takes to get comfortable boots. If your foot matches the last and you can get away with $200 boots, great! If it takes $600 and lots of customizing, well that sucks but do it! IMO, Keeping your feet comfortable is the most important part of riding!

As for buying used, the sale has lots of volunteers to ensure the condition of the equipment is an acceptable level. Check for sharp edges and base repairs to determine if the ski's have been abused. De-laminating ski's, or ski's with epoxy repairs shouldn't even be accepted so you hopefully don't have to worry about this. I wouldn't worry about whether or not the ski's have gone "noodley" since, as an intermediate skier, you probably a) can't tell the difference and b) aren't aggressive enough to get the most out of stiff ski's.

[BurningYears]

length i'd say round 180 cm is good. not too short not too long. like other posters have said ensure the base doesnt have major grooves/scratches. another thing to check is the amount of edge left if its almost down to 1mm or less i'd be weary as you wont get too many more sharpenings out of them. a good pair of boots will last you longer then a good pair of skis, i ski race and have had the same boots for 4 years now while ive had 2 or 3 differnt pairs of skis for each discipline int he same amount of time.

[MacDaddy77]

[quote=BurningYears;2110620]length i'd say round 180 cm is good. quote]

This size is too long in my opinion (unless your race training) If you are looking for a good size for all mountain skiing and (eventually) powder skiing I would suggest around 162cm if your around 6'.

This is what I ski and though they look kinda short at first, you can really shred with them.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

When buying new boots use a heat gun to warm the insoles. Then while they're still hot put them on and walk around the house. They will mold to your feet much faster than just wearing them skiing.

Basically the skiing equivalent of 'baking.'

[driveway]

I would like to add my voice to the chorus of "spend your money on boots". In addition to it being vital that your feet be comfortable when you're skiing, your boots are also the most important part of your equipment technique-wise. Your boots are the piece of gear that transfers the information your foot and leg muscles are providing to the ski, if that info isn't transferred well, it doesn't matter how good your skis are.

As for recommendations, my boots are Lange and my skis are Dynastar and I love them! I spent all the 07-08 season researching skis and boots and then waited for the new gear to come out in fall '08 and bought the previous-years models for significantly less than I would have paid for the latest-and-greatest.

I'd advise doing some research before embarking on that plan, and look for companies that have launched brand-new lines or technologies as there will probably be the biggest price-break on last-years gear.

Also, the people at Ski West on 14th St NW have been nothing but awesome to me. This thread reminds me, it's time to get my skis to them and get them ready for the season!

[The Ditch]

Skiers are passionate about their skis or the shop they go to. I would suggest going to as many stores as you can and talk to the workers there ask their suggestion on what you need, combine that with your own research. You're going to get a lot of biased opinions on message boards, I myself ride Czars but am thinking of getting some Rossi powder skis. I think 180 will be too long for what you are doing you should get something a bit shorter.

Go check out Fresh in Kensington, not the type of skis you are looking for but the people who run it are good, did anyone go to Freshtival this year?

[DFO]

My advice, like many of the other posters, is to spend the time and $ getting yourself into good boots. You won't regret it.

I'd also maybe stick to trying different rentals / demo skis from shops in town for now. It's an easy way to try different sticks while your ski IQ ramps up.

[twotoner]

Great advice so far.

Techno sport, Ski West, and Fresh all have competent staff that can actually fit boots. Buy boots at one of these places and try to go when its not the peak time of the day/week.

In the store, tighten them up as much as you would when skiing and walk around the store for at least a half an hour. It won't hurt to get in a pair of skis on the carpet and flex back and forth too. If you are having troubles deciding between different kinds of boots, this can help.

Once you hone in on a pair, after the first day skiing or weekend, mark the spots on the boot that really hurt. Take em back to the store and they will do a number of things to fix the issues. If you are getting heel lift after a few days, this can be fixed too.

For skis, try to get a good pair of rocks skis first. I'd argue pretty strongly if you want to ski more than ten days a year, you should have two pairs of skis. One for the crap conditions and another pristine pair for February and March (earlier if its a good year). Then you can have fun no matter what the conditions are.

If you only ski a few times a year, just get a ty pair of skis that are the right size with half decent edges. Rent high performance skis for the days you really care or when you go somewhere special.

Used skis: Figure out the size and two or three brands that sound good to you. I've had great luck with ebay, ski sales and from buddies who have too many pairs. You can tell if a ski is bent or abused too much by pressing them both together and then seeing if there are any air pockets between them. Make sure the edges aren't trashed and you'll be good to go. Make sure they spring back out after you press them together as well. After trying a few pairs, you'll have an idea of what it feels like when you come across a pair that's had the life beaten out of them.

The best time to buy new skis is after Christmas. There's more snow on the hills so there's less chance of trashing them and stores are way more willing to deal.

Don't buy brand new skis until you've skied at least one run on them. Look on the websites of hills you like to go to and show up on their "demo days" (I like to call them demolition days). They'll have reps from various ski companies with lots of different brands to try out. Give em your license, take a pair for a run. Repeat and at the end of the day, you'll have a way better idea of what kind of ski you'll like. Trying your friends skis at the hill if your boots match is another way. Some stores will offer high performance demo/rentals that you can take out for a day and they'll also let you apply that cost towards a new pair if you decide to pull the trigger.

Skiing is one of those sports that is pretty fun no matter how good you are at it. If your feet are happy, that's 75% of the battle. Good Luck!

[twotoner]

[quote=MacDaddy77;2110776]

Originally Posted by BurningYears

length i'd say round 180 cm is good. quote]

This size is too long in my opinion (unless your race training) If you are looking for a good size for all mountain skiing and (eventually) powder skiing I would suggest around 162cm if your around 6'.

This is what I ski and though they look kinda short at first, you can really shred with them.

I'm five 8 and ski on 193's that are pretty wide but I'm not a normal skier...

Anyhow, you need to try different sizes to really figure out what size you like. 160 seems a little on the short side for someone that tall. I'd guess about 175-185. Depends on the brand and how wide it is too.

If you are off by five or ten cm's it won't really matter, especially for an intermediate. Shorter are generally easier, but too short or too long aren't good for your skill development long term. If it was twenty years ago, I'd be recomending 195-205's for you. Things have sure changed.

[Redliner]

[quote=twotoner;2111412]

Originally Posted by MacDaddy77

I'm five 8 and ski on 193's that are pretty wide but I'm not a normal skier...

Anyhow, you need to try different sizes to really figure out what size you like. 160 seems a little on the short side for someone that tall. I'd guess about 175-185. Depends on the brand and how wide it is too.

If you are off by five or ten cm's it won't really matter, especially for an intermediate. Shorter are generally easier, but too short or too long aren't good for your skill development long term. If it was twenty years ago, I'd be recomending 195-205's for you. Things have sure changed.

I'm 6' 2", 210 lbs, and an expert skier with ten years of patrol experience, and I ski on 191s - and they're probably 10 cm too long for me.

Ten to fifteen years ago, when "straight" skis were still the norm, I wouldn't have been caught dead on anything shorter than a 207. Today's skis are much wider, have way more sidecut, and ski much longer than they actually are. I'm a pretty hard-charging skier, and my 191's are a real handful in bumps & tight trees.

I'll pile on with the stuff about the boots - definitely where you want to spend the most time & money. Cheap out on the skis if you must, but spend what you need to to get good boots. I also second the post about Demo days. Try a bunch of skis and choose the ones that feel best to you. Having a ski that inspires confidence will allow you to push your limits and become a better skier more quickly, as well as making the experience much more enjoyable.