Poster: A snowHead
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Ok perhaps not change my life.
I am a very proficient skier yet every time I ski I am paying for a rental ski for which I get little choice. I have had some varying skis over the last few years but mostly they have been cheaper priced skis or provided skis with no thought about the way I ski.
This year I have considered purchasing as I have been reading the marketing hype and I think I may benefit from buying a ski that suits me. Have I been sucked in?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Why not hire skis that suit you. Most hire shops have a large range of skis. Ask there advice and be prepared to pay for a better ski.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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no, its great to have your own skis because when you have the same ski for a while, you will have a constant reference. or maybe its like having your own violin, you will discover its quirk and best qualities.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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They'll change your bank balance for sure.
If you're a very proficient skier you can probably answer the question yourself - do you get better performance out of some pairs rather than others?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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The thing is its a lottery, when renting I have had good, bad and unskiable. It depends as much on how the skis are set up/ maintained as on the make/ model of ski.
So if you are reaching a certain level of competence - test a few, buy some you like and look after them. Chances are you will ski better and enjoy your skiing more.
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sledger wrote: |
..So if you are reaching a certain level of competence - test a few, buy some you like and look after them. Chances are you will ski better and enjoy your skiing more. |
+10
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Yes, it will change your life -but i does not matter if your new own skies are the model from 2 years ago.
Will not change the bank balance much that way
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Cookiandmilk, Im hoping you have your own boots - if not boots first!! After that, choose a style / level of ski you think best suites you (and get advice off the guys/girls here - they are all helpful) and demo demo demo!! Try not to buy from your usual snow and rock etc, we will find you a cheap deal somewhere!!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Definitely buy your own, but do try and demo first. Pluses outweigh the negatives:
Yes-there will be a cost upfront, but then you wont be paying the 100 euros or whatever each week you ski for hire.
yes-you will usually have to pay ski carriage so that cancels out some of the hire cost, but it's still cheaper;
If you ski more than a week a year then you save twice as much.
Sell em here or on Ebay, when you fancy a new pair, and you can get as much as half the purchase cost back... (or, more often in my case, keep them and get a stable full of skis for varying conditions)
Or...buy some on Ebay or here in the first place and grab yourself a bargain!
Having my own skis definitely helped me, and it's not long before you do know the difference between skis you like and skis you hate.
There are plenty of online reviews etc. I like skicanadamag's annual review and they have an online ski finder programme which can point you in the right direction.
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And then you can enter the world of ski servicing.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Do you own your own boots? If so have they been fitted and aligned? If yes then start thinking harder about skis...
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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This has to be a sock.
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Not sure - the other 2 posts aren't suggestive, but who knows.
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You know it makes sense.
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It is essential to try skis before buying. The fact that someone else swears a ski is awesome does not mean that it will suit you.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I own longish ones that are a wee bit narrower in the middle and turn up at the ends just a little. Very proficient skiers should probably get shortish ones that are very narrow in the middle and turn up at the ends a lot.
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Thu 10-07-14 13:06; edited 1 time in total
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Poster: A snowHead
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Cookiandmilk wrote: |
This year I have considered purchasing as I have been reading the marketing hype and I think I may benefit from buying a ski that suits me. Have I been sucked in? |
Yes this season you will buy a pair of skis and for about 3 days you be content and at one with the world around you. Then you will start thinking about how maybe other skis will suit you better. Your only hope to to see if a local priest can conduct some sort of exorcism to get this out of your system.
If that doesn't work then I'm sure these people will help.
http://www.telemark-pyrenees.com/en/
http://www.sport-conrad.com/
Good luck.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I'd recommend starting off by hiring premium skis and being quite fussy, though polite in the hire shop - most won't mind you going back after a couple of days asking to try a different pair and saying what you did/didn't like about the first pair so they hopefully pick out a better-matched set. It's amazing what a difference a newish pair of skis with good edges can make (and also how crap the edges can be on said same premium skis).
Anyway at some point you'll strap a pair of planks on your feet that you fall in love with - they work for you, so you trust them, so you commit to them so they work even better still. Make a note of what they are and buy a pair when you get home!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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DB, exorcism pfft, if the wife cant stop me through her nagging and her lack of understanding to why we need more than one set of skis, what chance does a priest have with some water and a book
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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No . . . But a snowboard will.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Cookiandmilk, i am on my second pair of skis. The first I had for five years and the second pair I have had for nearly six. A couple of years ago I did not take my skis with me and hired instead to give something new a go. The hire shop was decent enough but the edges were just not as sharp as my skis and I never felt as comfortable on the hire set. It could of course been the type of ski I hired, but I am still using my older pair and they have easily paid for themselves even when taking carriage and service costs into account
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Peterkct wrote: |
It is essential to try skis before buying. The fact that someone else swears a ski is awesome does not mean that it will suit you. |
I'd say if you have absolutely no idea about what type of ski you like then yes, try before you buy. If however you have skied a few different type, brands, sizes and shapes of skis then ou can make a pretty good guess on how you'll feel about a ski. There are an awful lot lot of good skis out there, I'm sure if I tried 20 skis back to back I would have one or two that stood out but if someone gave me me any of those I would probably happily ski it.
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