Buying used skis

dlague · Oct 21, 2014

Ragman said:
I went to the local used sports equipment shop and they were selling boots that looked like they had been thru WW3 for $100 to $300 Most boots Ive seen in the shop new are starting at $250.

Am I shopping in the wrong places? What should an entry level boot cost?

They have these in 30.5, comfortable, good reviews and best of all - $126 - buy them and if not right for you then ship them back. They will be new and no other foot was in there. For that price they will be good for you and if you are really hooked then buy up in two years. I would not go crazy and this helps towards your goal of keeping costs down. This is just above entry level.

http://www.evo.com/outlet/alpine-ski-boots/atomic-live-fit-70-2014.aspx#image=68695/322963/atomic-live-fit-70-ski-boots-2014-black-smoke-side.jpg

deadheadskier · Oct 21, 2014

I would never recommend a 70 flex index boot to anyone over the age of 12. Waste of money

Highway Star · Oct 21, 2014

dlague said:
They have these in 30.5, comfortable, good reviews and best of all - $126 - buy them and if not right for you then ship them back. They will be new and no other foot was in there. For that price they will be good for you and if you are really hooked then buy up in two years. I would not go crazy and this helps towards your goal of keeping costs down. This is just above entry level.

http://www.evo.com/outlet/alpine-sk...ve-fit-70-ski-boots-2014-black-smoke-side.jpg

Those boots are SERIOUS garbage.

Highway Star · Oct 21, 2014

Ragman said:
I do agree tho. back in the day when I used to ski after a long day at the slopes the only thing that would be bothering me is my feet. But I thought most of the time was because they were so cold.

Today's average performance boot is a good bit more comfortable than in the early 90s'.

billski · Oct 21, 2014

Ragman said:
Im just trying to get back into skiing, if I find I like it and go often then more money will inevitably be spent. Right now Im on a budget but I only went once last year and felt an urge I hadnt felt in over 20 yrs. So this is me slowly getting back in, not dumping $1000 on equipment if I'm not sure how it will go for me. Hence why the thread says used. Maybe I should start another thread about the boots but I didnt want to clog up the forum with a bunch of newbie threads.

Ragman -these guys are getting off on a tangent, which happens sometimes here. OK kids, Bruno the bouncer says THEY SHOULD go start your own thread!

Savemeasammy · Oct 21, 2014

Highway Star said:
Those boots are SERIOUS garbage.

Not to mention they are only 2 buckle...

I would err on the side of getting a better performing boot rather than a "comfort", intermediate/beginner boot. A quality boot isn't going to hold back your skiing performance, but a $#itty one will. Before too long, you will forget about the "extra" money you spent, and you will be the happy owner of boots that will last for several seasons.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

BenedictGomez · Oct 21, 2014

Highway Star said:
Today's average performance boot is a good bit more comfortable than in the early 90s'.

My first ski boots were 1 buckle, 1 snap, rear entry.

These babies!

Ragman · Oct 21, 2014

So would you guys say it would be better to get the Rossi's from craigslist if I could get them for $125 and if they fit well, over the Atomic's Dlague posted or neither?

Highway Star · Oct 21, 2014

ragman said:
so would you guys say it would be better to get the rossi's from craigslist if i could get them for $125 and if they fit well, over the atomic's dlague posted or neither?

Yes.

dlague · Oct 21, 2014

deadheadskier said:
I would never recommend a 70 flex index boot to anyone over the age of 12. Waste of money

Highway Star said:
Those boots are SERIOUS garbage.

Highway Star said:
Today's average performance boot is a good bit more comfortable than in the early 90s'.

I suggest going to a ski shop for the fun of it explain you goals and see who will be right on this one. I guarantee they will try to sell you a boot with similar flex. I do not think a performance boot is required starting out again. The stated goal was to just get out again. Most of us ski with stiffer performance boots but I do not think that is the best at this point. IMO

The problem with good skiers who ski a lot - they tend to think that the gear a beginner buys should be the same as theirs! I get the good gear idea for someone who is committed to skiing for the long haul and skis 30+ days per season. Don't need to be a snob about it!

Domeskier · Oct 21, 2014

dlague said:
I suggest going to a ski shop for the fun of it explain you goals and see who will be right on this one. I guarantee they will try to sell you a boot with similar flex.

When I started skiing again a few years ago after a 15 year break, I had a shop recommend a 65 flex!

Highway Star · Oct 21, 2014

dlague said:
I suggest going to a ski shop for the fun of it explain you goals and see who will be right on this one. I guarantee they will try to sell you a boot with similar flex. I do not think a performance boot is required starting out again. The stated goal was to just get out again. Most of us ski with stiffer performance boots but I do not think that is the best at this point. IMO

The problem with good skiers who ski a lot - they tend to think that the gear a beginner buys should be the same as theirs! I get the good gear idea for someone who is committed to skiing for the long haul and skis 30+ days per season. Don't need to be a snob about it!

First of all, let me start out by saying that you have proven without a doubt in this thread that you know very little about ski equipment. Dude is not a beginner, I don't care that he hasn't skied in 20 years:

Ragman said:
Hello all. Newbie here. I have a few questions for anyone who can help but first a little background.

I skied alot back from 1986 to 1993. Mostly local hills, I would say my experience level was intermediate. I would ski any run on the mountain but double black diamonds with tons of moguls wasnt for me - I would ski 10 to 20 feet, stop and repeat all the way down. I like long trails, carving turns and speed. Not into moguls.

I got into a nasty car accident in which I fractured my pelvis and figured my skiing days were done.

20 years later my 8 yr old son shows interest so we went to a local bunny hill and tried a few runs.
We both loved it and plan on getting season passes this year.

So my questions are - Skis have changed so much and the rentals I had were so easy to ski on, what style should I be looking for?

How can you tell how old skis are?

How can I tell if a used ski with bindings that housed a size 7 boot will be able to hold a size 12 without redrilling?

Also, are these any good. http://rochester.craigslist.org/spo/4667538611.html

Thank you all.

He just bought some pretty legit carving skis that are CERTAINLY NOT beginner gear, and THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL he would able to effectively ski on them with a 70 flex, mushpot beginner boot. Futhermore, why would he buy beginner gear when he will clearly outgrow it within the first day of skiing???

100 flex boots are NOT aggressive boots. They are just out of the range of being pure crap. Anybody, including an absolute beginner, can ski on them. I'm not advising him to get a 150+ flex plug boot here, or even a real 120-130 flex performance boot. Just some half decent boots that will work for actual skiing.

Ragman · Oct 21, 2014

Highway Star said:
100 flex boots are NOT aggressive boots. They are just out of the range of being pure crap. Anybody, including an absolute beginner, can ski on them. I'm not advising him to get a 150+ flex plug boot here, or even a real 120-130 flex performance boot. Just some half decent boots that will work for actual skiing.

So at the risk of sounding stupid, the higher the flex,the stiffer the boot movement, the more control you have? In other words the more you control the ski the less you let the ski do the work?

Highway Star · Oct 21, 2014

Ragman said:
So at the risk of sounding stupid, the higher the flex,the stiffer the boot movement, the more control you have? In other words the more you control the ski the less you let the ski do the work?

Yes, more or less, but it's a bit more complicated than that. Beginners typically would use a soft flexing boot, with a soft liner, and little lateral stiffness, because they are making rough movements with little finesse in their skiing, and are typically "pushing around" and pivoting light skis at slow speeds. Experts use a stiff to very stiff boot, with a firm liner, and lots of lateral stiffness (much more and stiffer plastic in the shell), because they are actually putting forces into a ski, edging it and flexing it, as part of advanced ski technique - they are skiing a ski. Having a stiff performance boot lets them put huge amounts of force into a ski, but also do it with the necessary precision and finesse. They are also skiing larger, heavier, stiffer skis, which may be as much as twice as heavy as a beginner ski/binding (<10lb vs. 15-20lb). For example, I'm skiing a boot with around a 140 flex, and my normal skis are typically heavy race construction midfats and fats, 185-190cm, 15-17 lb with bindings. 100 flex boots are a pretty good compromise - stiff enough to learn and ski with proper technique, but still cushy and forgiving.

Here is evo's guide to boots, which also discusses fit:

http://www.evo.com/how-to-choose-ski-boots-size-and-fit-guide.aspx

Ragman · Oct 21, 2014

One more thing with those Rossignols HS, My foot tends to be a little wide - do you see a problem with that? I saw you mentioned earlier 100mm and 104mm are these widths?

MadMadWorld · Oct 21, 2014

Someone hacked Highway Star's account! Just ignore all this friendly and helpful behavior

Highway Star · Oct 21, 2014

Ragman said:
One more thing with those Rossignols HS, My foot tends to be a little wide - do you see a problem with that? I saw you mentioned earlier 100mm and 104mm are these widths?

It all depends, if they are too tight then they are too tight, but they should be snug against the foot. The "last" or boot width is the internal measurement at the forefoot of the shell of a standard 26 mondo size boot, it can be taken as a nominal measurement - larger sized boots have proportionally wider widths. The stiffness of the liner is also a consideration, low end boots are not only wide, but have soft liners, while higher end boots are narrower with a stiff liner, resulting in a far more snug fit than the matter of a few millimeters would suggest. Mid range boots are....right in the middle, and just right for most people.

A large majority of boots are sized on people with too much length (one size too big). The boots you're looking at are likely already sized generously for a size 12 shoe wearer, so they should accommodate a wider foot. Most advanced skiers size their boots down significantly, for example I wear a size 9 street shoe, but ski a 25 mondopoint boot which translates to a size 7. You might want to find out what size these rossi boots are, they are probably a 30 mondo, which is plenty big. 29 would probably be ok but snug. 28 would likely be too small on a wide foot. But who knows, need to try them on. Here is the evo conversion chart:

http://www.evo.com/mondo-point-size-and-conversion-chart.aspx

Here's some more general reading on ski boots:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...=Ig9facOhFWKKFxW_ujhl8g&bvm=bv.77880786,d.cWc

Highway Star · Oct 21, 2014

MadMadWorld said:
Someone hacked Highway Star's account! Just ignore all this friendly and helpful behavior

Sorry, I'm trying to be as much of a condescending jerk about it as possible.

Ragman · Oct 21, 2014

Highway Star said:
It all depends, if they are too tight then they are too tight, but they should be snug against the foot. The "last" or boot width is the internal measurement at the forefoot of the shell of a standard 26 mondo size boot, it can be taken as a nominal measurement - larger sized boots have proportionally wider widths. The stiffness of the liner is also a consideration, low end boots are not only wide, but have soft liners, while higher end boots are narrower with a stiff liner, resulting in a far more snug fit than the matter of a few millimeters would suggest. Mid range boots are....right in the middle, and just right for most people.

A large majority of boots are sized on people with too much length (one size too big). The boots you're looking at are likely already sized generously for a size 12 shoe wearer, so they should accommodate a wider foot. Most advanced skiers size their boots down significantly, for example I wear a size 9 street shoe, but ski a 25 mondopoint boot which translates to a size 7. You might want to find out what size these rossi boots are, they are probably a 30 mondo, which is plenty big. 29 would probably be ok but snug. 28 would likely be too small on a wide foot. But who knows, need to try them on. Here is the evo conversion chart:

http://www.evo.com/mondo-point-size-and-conversion-chart.aspx

Here's some more general reading on ski boots:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...=Ig9facOhFWKKFxW_ujhl8g&bvm=bv.77880786,d.cWc

Somethin dont make sense then. Seller says he wears a size 12 sneaker (as do I) but he says the size on the boot is 27.5 DOnt think my wide ass foot will ever fit in those. Might still check it out. But according to the EVO chart and what youve told me they will be wayy too small.

Hawkshot99 · Oct 21, 2014

Ragman said:
Somethin dont make sense then. Seller says he wears a size 12 sneaker (as do I) but he says the size on the boot is 27.5 DOnt think my wide ass foot will ever fit in those. Might still check it out. But according to the EVO chart and what youve told me they will be wayy too small.

Kost people wear sneakers that are WAY to big for them. Its not manly to tell people you have small feat...

When I was in HS my shoes were size 11 and ski boots I had were a 29.5 (equivalent to a 11.5). After HS I got a properly sized pair of ski boots and then realized how big all of my shoes were. I am now down to wearing a size 9 sneaker and a 26 (equivalent to a 8) ski boot. My foot measures out to a 10 or mondo 28.

Buying used skis

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