The 'Buying the Right Ski' Thread

[thetrailboss]

So here is a thread we can start regarding advice for ski buyers.

Biggest thing to start: demo, demo, demo. Try all brands that you can and don't be too biased...you will be surprised by how some perform. I had never skied nor heard a lot about Head skis before and was skeptical...before getting on a demo pair in January 2003 :idea: I was operating under the advice of a ski shop and man were they right...loved the ski. So had I not been open-minded, probably would have landed the WRONG pair of skis.

To sum, demo, demo, demo and keep an open mind :wink:

OK, so additional tips and advice? Specifically brands, length, shapes, good shops, etc, etc.

 

[awf170]

obvious stuff-

big mountain/fat skis your going to want longer, carving skis are going to be shorter

check if the ski is a twin tip because youll probably wnat it longer because the tip on the end will probably take off about 10cm

basic ski size stuff-
<70mm- carving ski
70mm-80mm- probably a ski for about 50% percent groomers/5o% off groomers
80mm-90mm- probably more off the groomers than on
90mm+ powder ski






and never go to ski market...

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

To sum, demo, demo, demo and keep an open mind :wink:

You're right boss, but less then 15% of skiers have demoed the make and model of the ski they're on before they bought. The % is probably higher in here, but I bet not by much. I demo alot of skis every year, and get new skis every year, but the last 3 pairs I own I didn't demo ahead of time.

BTW, this is a great thread idea. I don't think we talk about gear in here enough.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

obvious stuff-

big mountain/fat skis your going to want longer, carving skis are going to be shorter

check if the ski is a twin tip because youll probably wnat it longer because the tip on the end will probably take off about 10cm

basic ski size stuff-
<70mm- carving ski
70mm-80mm- probably a ski for about 50% percent groomers/5o% off groomers
80mm-90mm- probably more off the groomers than on
90mm+ powder ski

and never go to ski market...

Ski market does have a bunch of incompedent boobs working for them, but I don't think most of there cliental notice. They mostly sell low to mid level gear to low to mid level skilled skiers.

 

[awf170]

Ski market does have a bunch of incompedent boobs working for them, but I don't think most of there cliental notice. They mostly sell low to mid level gear to low to mid level skilled skiers.

Ya I know, but it seems like there a few newer people on this site who never skiied before or just went a few times. And they should know never to go there. And I said I was just stating the obvious.

 

[ctenidae]

Ski Market brings up the other important part of buying skis- go to a reputable shop where the people know what you need and what they're talking about.

 

[riverc0il]

obvious stuff-

big mountain/fat skis your going to want longer, carving skis are going to be shorter

check if the ski is a twin tip because youll probably wnat it longer because the tip on the end will probably take off about 10cm

basic ski size stuff-
<70mm- carving ski
70mm-80mm- probably a ski for about 50% percent groomers/5o% off groomers
80mm-90mm- probably more off the groomers than on
90mm+ powder ski

i disagree with with some of these items. long vs. short has less to do with big mountain/fat/carve/race etc. and more to do with individual physiology and desired use of the ski. for example, if you're going to be in the trees a lot on a powder board, you don't want to go too long, you need something capable of real quick movement. carvers don't need to be ultra short either. big pow longer is helpful for, but how many big pow days can you expect in the east? one or two a year at best, no need for the extra legnth for pow in the east.

also, in the east there isn't much need for a 90+ waist ski. really, how many times are you really gonna need something that wide in the east? 80-90 is sufficient for a powder ski for the east coast, imnsho. ideally, a three ski quiver for the east coast would be 70~ish for the groomers, 80ish for the in bounds trees, bumps, natrual snow, etc, and 90ish for those big pow days. then again, i am biased as that is how i assembled my quiver

and never go to ski market...

completely agree with this point. unless they have exactly what you are looking for at a low price, but i can't imagine that ever happening.

 

[riverc0il]

i would like to note that reading the ski rags gear reviews in an attempt to help buy the right ski is not a good idea. most ski mags write short, unhelpful reviews with superfluous generalizations that often boarder on innuendo and worse. they are often meant to solicit a giggle more than disceminate knowledge. use a ski rag to help yourself catagorize skis and see what skis are in the same field and why. general base knowledge and that is all. a supremely good resource for ski gear is epicski.com's gear forum. i don't make a ski purchase without consulting that site's incredibly thorough back log of information, generally posted from reliable sources that state their bias, physical dimensions, and limitations.

also in regards to ski rags, they won't post a bad review of a ski because the ski companies pay for ads. consider that one long and hard before buying your next ski based on information from a source biased by money. can't advise enough against reading any ski mag for gear info.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

can't advise enough against reading any ski mag for gear info.

Well here's da thing bout dat. True what you said about generalizations, but at least the rags show you whats out there to research. New skis, deminisions, turn radius, type of skier a certain ski might appeal to.

Epic is a great place to talk and here about skis. I hope we can do it a little more here. They are skiers and so are we, but they seem into gear alot more there and maybe this forum is mostly into the ski areas.

 

[riverc0il]

yea, i did say the rags are good for a general knowledge base for getting an idea of what skis are out there in a particular catagory. i'm down for more gear discussion here and wasn't suggesting gear discussion be done at epic instea of AZ, but you can't beat the knowledge and depth of info on that forum any where on the net. they have an entire section with three forum divisions dedicated to ski gear.

 

[billski]

buying

i would like to note that reading the ski rags gear reviews in an attempt to help buy the right ski is not a good idea. most ski mags write short, unhelpful reviews with superfluous generalizations that often boarder on innuendo and worse. they are often meant to solicit a giggle more than disceminate knowledge. use a ski rag to help yourself catagorize skis and see what skis are in the same field and why. general base knowledge and that is all. a supremely good resource for ski gear is epicski.com's gear forum. i don't make a ski purchase without consulting that site's incredibly thorough back log of information, generally posted from reliable sources that state their bias, physical dimensions, and limitations.

also in regards to ski rags, they won't post a bad review of a ski because the ski companies pay for ads. consider that one long and hard before buying your next ski based on information from a source biased by money. can't advise enough against reading any ski mag for gear info.

I have to agree that there is no bad ski review that is published by the big mags. However, it's also been my experience that if the ski is in fact real bad, it's probably not gonna be rated/tested/published. So if it's omitted, don't bother. (Lisa Feinberg Densmore)

 

[Marc]

Yeah, the editor of SKI mag wrote in the gear issue this year that the reason they have no bad reviews published is for that reason, they didn't publish them.

He claims they tested far more skis than they publish in the magazines and then pick the best ones to go to print.


Whether you believe all that or not is up to you, but it seems like a reasonable explanation.

I also like the fact that this year they listed all the testers and their gender, physical stats and skier type and background, and then listed under each piece of equipment who particularly liked or disliked it. Very helpful imho.

Sure doesn't replace demoing but has helped me narrow down and fine tune my selection.