skiNEwhere
Active member
I know I got a good deal, on a hot ski and binding, in the middle of the season. So maybe I just don't care what others said, or it didn't register.
But it was a win to me!
But it was a win to me!
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I know I got a good deal, on a hot ski and binding, in the middle of the season. So maybe I just don't care what others said, or it didn't register.
But it was a win to me!
I cannot fathom paying $700+ for skis or that much for boots - what is the point unless you compete, but if you are that good you should be sponsored. !
I was not trying to impose my beliefs on him - I did not even quote him. I have trouble wrapping my head around spending a lot of money on gear especially when the prices on mush of this stuff drops so dramatically (especially online) - this is an expensive sport. He talked about how much he spends I like to talk about how much I save - is that so wrong?
To be offended, one must care.
On a random note, why do all of your posts end with "..........."?
Given his profession..... Hawkshot has been working ski retail for YEARS.
People really pay list price for skis and boots?
Is that even realistically possible? It's like MSRP on a car.
2nd, I'm pretty certain Hawkshot was talking list pricing and not what he actually paid. List price skis + bindings are going to be more expensive than list price boots. I doubt he paid those prices as a ski shop manager with the pro deals some people in that profession get. Given his profession, he also may take some issue with some of the gear advice you have given in the past; especially concerning boots. You might not appreciate the difference some higher end gear makes, but some others will. Hawkshot has been working ski retail for YEARS. Given that experience, he's going to know more about equipment than a recreational user like you or I.
dlague,
You can spare the disclaimers when you write correctly.
To review again. Your first claim was written that ANYONE who pays 700 for skis either should be competition level or sponsored. Meaning, you think someone like skianywhere shouldn't buy the skis he did. That's what caused Hawkshot to call you out for you telling other people how they should spend their money.
You have since further explained it's your own opinion for your personal skiing budget and you don't care what other people do. Fair enough....we can all move on. No need for future disclaimers.
And regards to the availability of information on the internet for research? Yeah, we all do that. No, none of us are going to be as knowledgeable as a long time ski shop manager. We're not privy to the knowledge coming from manufacturer reps that a store manager receives, nor do we go to the training seminars they do nor do we live, eat and breath ski talk 40-60 hours a week professionally. You can acquire a lot of knowledge on the internet, but no, you and I don't know nearly as much about gear as someone like Hawkshot. Amateur vs. Professional
Where a ski shop manager can really come in handy is knowledge about their product. The ski industry is full of shameless (and usually meaningless) reviews that are nothing more than pandering to the manufacturers. I'd love to see a website that has accurate and honest reviews of equipment. The only place you can find that is in forums, as far as I can tell.
On the other hand, I've often wondered if people critique skis like they do wines. Sure, there are differences - but some people seem to claim to have near paranormal sensory abilities. I'm not convinced that the difference in skis of a similar geometry is as much as people want to believe. I'm also convinced that people who pay top dollar are inclined to think that their skis are more special than they actually are. In other words, if you are not a racer or starring in a Warren Miller film, is a $1,300 pair of skis that much different than a $1,000 pair of skis? Than a $750 pair of skis? At some point there have to be diminishing returns.
We're not privy to the knowledge coming from manufacturer reps that a store manager receives, nor do we go to the training seminars they do nor do we live, eat and breath ski talk 40-60 hours a week professionally. You can acquire a lot of knowledge on the internet, but no, you and I don't know nearly as much about gear as someone like Hawkshot. Amateur vs. Professional