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General Ski Advice

Euler

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Jan 28, 2007
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Location
Southern Vermont
I'm itching to buy a different pair of skis this year, but I'm seriously hurting in the $$ department for awhile. I'll be going to the Killington Ski Swap/Sale on Oct. 5th hunting for the deal of a lifetime.

Since I'll have to be flexible I'm looking for lots of suggestions for what would be a good ski for me.

I'm an advancing intermediate looking to improve all over the mountain this year. I feel pretty smooth on most groomed trails and would like to get more confident on steeps and bumps this year. I skied 24 times last year and saw some nice improvement in my skiing. I'm 5'11" and weigh 180 pounds. Last year I skiied on a pair of K-2 Twos at a length of 175. I picked these up for $45 from a rental shop that was getting rid of them.

Any and all thougts on what I might look for at the sale? (model and length)

Thanks!
 
Joined
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K2 Twos??? Wow..pretty much anything will be better than those. I'd look into Atomics or Elans which are both high quality ski brands. You should probably be able to pick up a 3-4 year old pair of Atomic Beta-rides/carves for about $100..For predominantly eastern skiing..I'd look for skis with a waist of around 65-70mm. The most important thing is that the bases aren't filled with core shots/dried out..and that there is alot of edge left and definitely no cracked edges..There are definitely some great deals to be had at ski swaps. Be sure to arrive an hour before the swap starts for first picks..and be sure to haggle..
 

Rushski

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Mar 14, 2005
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Nashua, NH
-Maybe a Fischer RX6 or possibly AMC73 from the last couple years would be good skis to grow on.
-Agree w/Steeze on the Elan offerings as they are putting out some great stuff, not sure of older models.
-For K2, if you like their damp feel, maybe a mid-range Apache (X, Stryker) or Comanche.
-Volkl AC2 or 4-Star.

Many other great offerings from all the manufacturers. Definitely shoot for something a notch or two above your level and progress into them.
 

Euler

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Jan 28, 2007
Messages
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Location
Southern Vermont
Got my ski-swap skis!

Thanks for your advice this fall. I never did make it to that Killington Swap, but I did succeed at the Wilmington winter sports sale. I picked up a pair of Volkl Supersport 4-stars in great shape, with bindings for $50 this past weekend!!!

The shop at Mount Snow was able to adjust and function test the bindings for me at 7:30 Sunday morning so I was able to ski on them Sunday and Monday at Mt. Snow. I love them! They made me feel like I was dancing when I followed my son through the little bumps that started to form on skiers right about halfway down Standard. Maybe this'll be the year I learn to ski those bumps???
 

spooner

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Apr 16, 2007
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Boston, MA
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Wow, that was a nice deal. I was looking at their products at the Boston snow sports show. The core's that they're using now are really interesting. Overall quality products.
 

Geoff

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Jun 30, 2004
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South Dartmouth, Ma
I'll write what I always write on this topic. Demo in the winter. Buy new leftover gear on eBay in April through June when shops are blowing out their inventory. Skis that are getting cosmetic changes to the topskin have the best prices. Buy skis that come with integral bindings since you get a better deal and it's cheaper to get them mounted since there is no drilling. Most people are best-served buying in the performance all-mountain category. This is the sweet spot in everybody's line and you really can't find a truly bad ski.
 
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