My family has been skiing quite a bit over the last 5 years, but we still know next to nothing about equipment. Before our first ski trip 5 seasons ago, I bought equipment on EBay for two adults and a child for about $200. My wife and I got Rossignol Cut 10.4 skis with demo bindings that looked like they had been skied as rentals for a couple years. Despite a lot of scratches on the top, the base was in pretty good shape. In hindsight, buying on EBay was a great move. If we had rented for the weekend, we probably would have spend just as much and may have never skied again.
The skis were Ok for me, though I felt uncomfortable at high speeds and finally replaced them last fall at a local ski shop's tent sale. My wife was a complete beginner when we bought her skis and they have worked well for her. She is now an intermediate skier, does parallel turns and can handle all of the blue trails at Belleayre. In the last few weeks, she has made it down a few black diamonds, but she does not love them. Her form is far from perfect, but at this point, I feel that her equipment is holding her back. It probably does not help that we have not had them tuned since we bought them. As I read more about ski equipment, I realize I have been negligent here.
My wife is about 5'6" and has an average build. She will ski primarily on groomed trails in the Northeast. Her current skis are 150cm, but I don't know if that is the right length for her. Should her skis come to the middle of her nose? We paid $60 (including shipping) for those skis and are hoping not to pay more than $250 to replace them. At that budget, we are looking to buy used skis. We have been looking on EBay and at ski shops for demos in good condition. Unfortunately, I have no clue what to buy and I feel that I have no framework to make a good decision. I do tons of research before buying a new camera or TV, but I am finding it much harder to learn about ski equipment. I found a couple ski buying guides on the Internet, but they were not that helpful. So, haved turned to this group for advice.
So here are my questions:
Many thanks for you help.
The skis were Ok for me, though I felt uncomfortable at high speeds and finally replaced them last fall at a local ski shop's tent sale. My wife was a complete beginner when we bought her skis and they have worked well for her. She is now an intermediate skier, does parallel turns and can handle all of the blue trails at Belleayre. In the last few weeks, she has made it down a few black diamonds, but she does not love them. Her form is far from perfect, but at this point, I feel that her equipment is holding her back. It probably does not help that we have not had them tuned since we bought them. As I read more about ski equipment, I realize I have been negligent here.
My wife is about 5'6" and has an average build. She will ski primarily on groomed trails in the Northeast. Her current skis are 150cm, but I don't know if that is the right length for her. Should her skis come to the middle of her nose? We paid $60 (including shipping) for those skis and are hoping not to pay more than $250 to replace them. At that budget, we are looking to buy used skis. We have been looking on EBay and at ski shops for demos in good condition. Unfortunately, I have no clue what to buy and I feel that I have no framework to make a good decision. I do tons of research before buying a new camera or TV, but I am finding it much harder to learn about ski equipment. I found a couple ski buying guides on the Internet, but they were not that helpful. So, haved turned to this group for advice.
So here are my questions:
- Can you recommend a brand and model that would be good for my wife's skill level and expected development?
- Are we more likely to find a good deal this spring or next fall?
- Can we find good skis for $250? We can afford to pay more, but I did not think we would need to.
- Any website recommendations for novices looking to learn more about ski equipment.
- Any other thoughts or advice?
Many thanks for you help.
