 Poster: A snowHead
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I know that this could maybe be in the equipment section, but i thought it might be of interest to those who aren't necessarily looking to buy skis.
came across this site online
http://rentasport.sport2000.fr/uk/reservation/2_reservation.aspx
and i can rent a pair of Dynastar Legend 8000 for just over 60 GBP for 7 days or a set of Rossi B78s for 55 for the 7 days.
I had been looking at buying a set of skis of this ilk anyway as i thought i couldn't rent this standard of ski for so little. I'm still considering buying as it would save me from having to rent skis if i go skiing in Scotland through the winter. This is all weather dependent though. Realistically, i'll only get away to the Alps for 7 days skiing a year so is it really worth buying a set of planks to sit and gather dust until next year?
So, two questions.
Buy or rent.
and
Legend 8000s or B78s.
I'm 6'4" and 14.5st and have decent ability, skiing blacks without problem, no fear, and like to venture off the bashed stuff when i can. I would also be spending time on the piste as well though so i'm thinking the B78s might be better there than the 8000s. I'm thinking snow conditions at the time might dictate what i rent/buy as well. Hmmm.
Cheers for any input. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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In general rental skis have thicker bases, edges and cores. A decent skier will notice the difference.
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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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Well you can buy a set of the B78s for £379 (including postage) on ebay express or from the sportsemporium.
So that is about 7 years worth of rentals. Without taking account of the cost of maintaining them, or the fact that ski carriage costs extra with most airlines and tour operators now.
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fallliner, Are you saying that the retail B78 is a different ski to the rental B78?
Or is that comment aimed more at the "generic" skis tat are cheaper end rentals?
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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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alex_heney, what if you sell them?
Buy for £299 (here) , ski for 4 weeks, sell for £180. That works out at less than £30 a week, and there's still plenty of airlines do free ski carriage)
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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If you ski often then buy. If you only ski one or two trips a year its a no brainer, rent. Like you have said hire sets are considerably better then they use to be.
I went through the very same thing, bought some skis, used them twice in two seasons.
Look at the cost of ski carridge these days, then there servicing (ok you could do it yourself) and then the odd repair.
Also if you hire you can try a few different skis. Say if you are going to have a day doing a lot of back country take a set of fat planks out or some carvers if you want to rip up the groomers.
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I mainly bought skis because I live and ski in Scotland as well as going on skiing holidays, if you are planning on doing that it is worthwhile as the quality of hire skis is not very good. Cairngorm charge £19 to hire a pair of skis for 1 day so a few days up north can make buying skis seem very worthwhile. I also bought some earlier in the year when they were at rock bottom prices and got a pair of Elans for £150 delivered so at that sort of price it s a no brainer.
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| Quote: |
| Also if you hire you can try a few different skis. |
The problem with that is if you are going at a busy period , you are going to spend a lot of time in rental shops..
Financially it's no contest, if you only do the occasional trip, renting is cheaper.
I am in the process of buying my own gear despite that, because I am fed up loosing precious time ( I only do long WE trips) waiting to be fitted with gear.... I guess I am of the impatient kind...
Then, there is the pleasure of owning your kit and looking after it, which adds to the fun/excitement of each trip.. 
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brian
brian
Guest
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shoogly, I think in these days of £30 ski carriage it makes more sense to rent, but the problem we have is that there's next to no decent rental stock in Scotland.
btw, if you're looking at that sort of 1 ski does all type thing then I would throw the K2 recon, Voelkl AC40 and Stoeckli Stormrider (L and XL) into the mix.
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But we wants it precious
Also consider Fischer AMC 79 this year or even last year's model. I picked a set up for approxx £130 on an ebay bid from ski bilek. I suspect I'd could sell them for the same, not that I'm going to. they were retailing for £500 in Ellis Brigham. At that price it changes the financial dynamic. My Rx8s were about £220.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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shoogly, this is an easy one. You should rent unless you're doing an absolute minimum of 2 weeks a year. Skis are a pain to transport and you need to get them serviced after each trip and once you get on the treadmill you keep wanting to get new ones every couple of years or so. Far easier to turn up in resort and take the irritating cost hit.
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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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| 666 wrote: |
| shoogly, this is an easy one. You should rent unless you're doing an absolute minimum of 2 weeks a year. |
You mean that there are snowHeads who do less than 2 weeks a year? 
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| Kruisler wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Also if you hire you can try a few different skis. |
The problem with that is if you are going at a busy period , you are going to spend a lot of time in rental shop. |
Last trip to St Anton I changed skis nearly everyday and had up to three pairs out anyone one day. Aside from change over day the shops weren't very busy and there are shops up the mountain so you don't even have to ski down to change.
Although I know what you mean about waiting, at the PSB I wanted to change skis one day but waited half an hour for the shop to open, at 9.15 it still wasn't open so gave up and went up the mountain!
I have my own skis now but would consider renting for a day to test new skis or maybe I could just swap skis with someone that is renting.
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brian
brian
Guest
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666, but he skis in Scotland and decent hire equipment just isn't available here (afaics). That makes it a lot less of an easy one.
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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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my dad was having a similar dilemma about whether to hire skis or not as he is getting a 2 week holiday this year - until he found the skis he wanted (admittedly 2 years ago's model but only the graphics are different) on sportconrad for 150euros - less than he would pay to hire! 
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Poster: A snowHead
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still haven't made my mind up... it's doing my head in. I think i'll go down the hire route and if i like the skis i'll make them an offer. Gives me a chance to test them in real snow i suppose. Might get them cheaper as well as there's a fair few ski shops in Montgenevre considering the size of the place.
It would be a no brainer if i didn't want to ski in Scotland, but i do and i've always found that the rental skis here are crap.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Got to admit I am completely clueless when it comes to what to expect from rental shops - last year I paid for premium hire with Neillsons and think I got the worst, old knacked skis in the world. Should you expect top notch stuff?
I am off to Alpe D for New Year with Crystal - if you upgrade how do I bluff my way to convincing the hire shop that I can tell the difference between good skis and a sledge?
PS I would love to buy but it really isn't worth it for one/two weeks a year - esp not when trying to push a pram through manchester airport!!!
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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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What the rental shops say they have online and what you end up getting might be two different things....
The best way to get what you want is to walk into the shop and find it but you will still probaby have to have a big wish list and be able to take in the ski that the shop recommends because you might not know its strenghts.
Sometimes, this can work out well..as it did with me last year, when the shop said I must try the Movement Sparks.......top ski...rails the hardpack and floats pretty well, so through that into the mix for an allrounder.
Some skis like Stockli and Movement might not crop up in your average shop tho'....
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Buy second-hand. I got a pair of 06/07 Zag le Rouge used for what looks like 1 day. £122
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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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| Quote: |
I paid for premium hire with Neillsons
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The only time I ever hired through a TO we did get rubbish skis - even I could tell, as a near-beginner. I would suggest going to a local shop, and in a big resort you can find some possibilities on-line. Anyone who buys skis at full price, for a week or so a year, has to have money to burn. shoogly, you presumably have your own boots? Seeing the huge queues at peak times in the local hire shops I can sympathise with the wish to buy your own skis - but going for a second-hand pair, once you know what you're looking for, seems a good compromise. As long as you don't have to carry them whilst pushing a pram...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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shoogly, You can queue for hours for rental skis in Scotland on a good day. I got p*ssed off spending precious time waiting in queues. 
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fallliner, Are you saying that the retail B78 is a different ski to the rental B78?
is a rental ski different from retail???????
someone must know
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brian
brian
Guest
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shorty, they certainly are at the cheap end, I'm not so sure about higher end skis. Bindings are different though, they slide to fit more boot sizes and are a good bit heavier.
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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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One week a year in Europe - rent,
Two weeks plus in Europe - buy
Any time in North America - buy
shorty, I thought it was just tougher topsheets/tip protectors and demo bindings - probably wrong.
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alex_heney, shorty, yes, they are. They are designed for greater longevity in the world of quick-fix tuning at the end of a week bouncing off rocks, so are generally beefed up to allow them to be fed through machines regularly. In many cases the cores are made of different materials, sometimes to save money and sometimes for longevity. Rental versions are listed separately in manufacturers' trade brochures and priced differently. This applies to the majority of the popular skis you see available for rent, including top end models. The bindings are heavier because they have an additional set of plates in them to allow for adjustment.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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fallliner, Thanks - Interesting - makes demoing before buying a bit pointless?
Do you conduct your tests on rental versions or retail versions?
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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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I was worrying about the spark of enjoyment missing from my skiing when I started again after 10 yrs off - I thought it was just that the new-style skis were nbg! It turned out that even paying extra to rent the best rental skis in Val d'Isere I was using Salomon X-Screams - when I had skied previously, Salomon made bindings and boots only - and they were about as lively as 2 pieces of 2nd-hand chewing gum on my feet. Since deciding to buy a pair of Atomic SL11s I have found all my enjoyment coming back - they are as good as Blizzard Thermo RS were in the mid-80s. The moral of the story is: if you are going to spend a small fortune on going skiing, you might as well buy skis and maximise your enjoyment otherwise it is money wasted.
To regular skiers I would always recommend getting your own boots first as the comfort and performance are crucial to your enjoyment of skiing, however when you reach a standard when you can tell the difference between a pair of skis and a hole in the ground you should put your hand in your pocket and buy some after testing several to find out what suits you. Your skis are a very personal preference and while I am happy on my SL11s on any terrain, my wife skis GS10s and B3s depending on conditions. I would always test skis before buying, much like buying a car after a test drive, although knowing how a make/model performs is usually good enough for us recreational skiers rather than having to try out the actual pair you buy!
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stoatsbrother, samples. They should be close to the production versions but have rental bindings. Tweaks are made to some of these before the final production run, but not based on anything we say! They'll have been done a couple of months before. In general the bigger manufacturers will be well into main production by the time we get to see the skis (and snowboards). All the materials will have been sourced well beforehand - only small manufacturers can fiddle at such a late stage.
To give you an idea, some of the more organised manufacturers are getting their 2010/11 models well into development already. All the samples for the 08/09 season are either available or on their way - orders for the biggest customers will be on the books already!
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You know it makes sense.
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I only ski 1 week a year, but I own my own skis. Why? cos I like them, they're just right for me and I can put them on when I arrive and start skiing. No messing around in hire-shops
As I'm not a complete gadget freak I tend to keep my skis for a couple of years - I also tend to buy ex-demo at Xscape Ellis Brigham at end of year. As such I find it more cost effective
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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PS to previous post, at least with my own skis I know they are less likely to fall off - ski shop peeps never tighten DIN settings to requested level and so you need to remember to get to screwdriver at lift - it's "elfinsafety" gone maaaaad!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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For skiing up here in Scotland you need a pair of rock hoppers
Which may be the reason the hire stuff is not top notch
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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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I had a nice little win on my footie bets(£5 accumulator) a month before skiing 3 years ago, normally do 2 weeks a year so rent but as I had £300 spare(ish) thought why not treat my self to some K2's. So the moral is get another vice (gambling) that will pay for the skis. 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| brian wrote: |
| 666, but he skis in Scotland and decent hire equipment just isn't available here (afaics). That makes it a lot less of an easy one. |
I wouldn't agree with that. Glencoe's hire skis were recently replaced with Rossignol B2s. Exactly the same as you would expect on the continent. Yes there are places with bellow average rental stock but to say "decent hire equipment just isn't available here (afaics)" is rubbish. There are plenty of places that hire decent equipment here. Just don't leave it till Saturday midterm at 11am to try and hire skis.
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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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We’re going to Canada this year for 1 month (skiing 3 weeks) and are looking at buying instead of renting. We will probably not go on another holiday for 2 years (we live in Perth, Aus so have to travel even if we stay in Oz, which isn’t always the cheapest place to ski), but feel that the cost of 3 weeks hire would get us a half decent pair of mid-level skis (buying at the resort, along with a good pair of boots – 1st time buyers). There probably are some valid reasons to hire, and vice versa to buy, but sometimes it does come down to the individual. We will be going to 5 different resorts so not only the costs of hiring to put into the equation, but the hassle of having to hire at 5 different resorts (2 of the resorts will only be skied for 1 day) helps make the decision to buy a bit easier (I think).
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I have the rental model Missions. There's no difference between it and the retail model apart from the top sheet, and different colour P-tex on the bases.
If I were looking at skiing fairly freqently in Scotland I'd buy a pair of skis, if only for the convenience of being able to chuck them in the car and go on the days that looked good.
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| Kramer wrote: |
| I have the rental model Missions. There's no difference between it and the retail model apart from the top sheet, and different colour P-tex on the bases. |
So apart from the top and the bottom of the ski.......................they are identical 
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brian
brian
Guest
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| scottishskier wrote: |
| Glencoe's hire skis were recently replaced with Rossignol B2s. |
Ummm, QED
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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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Frosty the Snowman, I wonder did he check out the middle bits?
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FAQ
