Time of season to buy boots and skis

[hammer]

When have you found the best time is to buy new boots and skis?

I'm looking to get my wife out of rentals and it's tempting to get something now with all of the end of season special going on. We may not get any more trips in this season, however, and I'm leery of getting anything without the opportunity to try it out at least a few times within a possible "return period".

Since my wife's still a novice, I'm mainly concerned about the boots...I'm guessing that a basic pair of skis in the right size will do fine for a few years.

[Charlie Schuessler]

Crotched Mountain sent this to me:

Zimmermanns at Crotched Mountain is having a huge end of season blow out sale Saturday March 19th and 20th from 9-5 each day!
Zimmermanns Ski Shop @ Crotched Mountain will be bringing everything to move. Lowest prices of the year on all kinds of new and used ski and snowboard equipment, including skis, boards, boots and bindings, as well as clothing and accessories. THIS IS IT AND EVERYTHING MUST GO!

Register at the door for prizes and give aways. If you ski or ride you don't want to miss this year end sales event. Get there early for best selection.

Everything will be 30%-70% off MSRP! TWO DAYS ONLY!!

================
WHAT: Huge End of Season Blowout Sale
WHERE: Zimmermanns at Crotched Mountain
WHEN: Saturday March 19th, 9a-5p AND Sunday March 20th, 9a-5p

[skintowin]

Late March/ early April is probably the optimum time. You can get great season ending deals and there's usually still some good stuff still in stock. Summer can be good, too, but you really have to look around because the supply is low and some ski shops are closed for the season. I've had good luck around Manchester, VT in the summer. There are tons of ski shops, and if you can find one that's open they may be looking to wheel and deal on last year's gear.

[bigbog]

...in agreement with skintowin,
Plus, with over a few days of skiing...the feet have gotten to their skiing-season size(for bootfit), unlike in August, where people's feet are still spread out from going barefoot to wearing sandals a lot. It's very easy for an intermediate skier to quickly grab a pair of "comfortable" boots in a size that they'll be swimming in by late-December.

[thetrailboss]

In sum, for best variety and prices, NOW is the time my friend. Went to the Sports Authority last night and they had some GREAT skis at GREAT prices (read: Atomic, K2's mainly). Just don't expect too much in terms of service/etc.

[Paul]

Originally Posted by thetrailboss

In sum, for best variety and prices, NOW is the time my friend. Went to the Sports Authority last night and they had some GREAT skis at GREAT prices (read: Atomic, K2's mainly). Just don't expect too much in terms of service/etc.

Agreed, SA has some killer deals right now. K2 5500's for $200. Atomic C9s with the integrated bindings for $390.

Of course, I now have 1 day left on my $220.00 bid on Ebay for new in plastic K2 Apache Xs with Marker IBX bindings...

[mergs]

Originally Posted by Paul

Agreed, SA has some killer deals right now. K2 5500's for $200. Atomic C9s with the integrated bindings for $390.

Of course, I now have 1 day left on my $220.00 bid on Ebay for new in plastic K2 Apache Xs with Marker IBX bindings...

my ski buddy was riding that setup on Sat. he was in a dream state all day, mumbling something about them skis being the ultimate east coast ski. good luck on the bid.

[Paul]

Originally Posted by mergs

my ski buddy was riding that setup on Sat. he was in a dream state all day, mumbling something about them skis being the ultimate east coast ski. good luck on the bid.

Thanks, but a bid war erupted at the last minute and I lost out. They ended-up at $360.00 Still a mighty good deal. I got a pair of Atomic C-9's instead.

[patentcad]

I purchased Volkl 5-Stars/Marker Piston Bindings for $700 and Salomon Ellipse 9.0 boots for $300 - total cost with mounting $1050. They threw in a pair of very nice carbon fiber ski poles. Total 'list' price for all this gear was: $1100 (skis/bindings, this varies depending on who's telling you what 'list' is on the Volks), $600 (Salomon boots), $100 (approx, very nice/pricey skinny carbon fiber poles), or a total of $1800. We paid $1050 with mounting. Not the best deal but aggressive enough, and exactly the gear that I wanted. With all due respect to the comments above if there is a better ski than the Five Star for Eastern conditions I'd be pretty amazed. Best ski I've ever encountered by a wide margin. Just phenomenal.

[riverc0il]

i just pulled the trigger on two pairs of skis for $350 each which isn't too shabby as it's over 50% off the standard retail price. one pair to replace my broken BC skis and the other pair just because