 Poster: A snowHead
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I know this sounds like a really stupid question but humour me please 
I went to Val Thorens last year and options for hiring ski's were: Beginners, Blue piste, Red piste, and Black/Expert. I went for blue because those were the piste's I was mostly skiing. I'm skiing twice this season, and the second time I'll probably be doing an even split of blues and red's.
Consequently I was just wondering what the difference is? Is it just a better ski (they cost more to hire) that I wouldn't feel the benefit of as an early intermediate? Or would they actually put me at a disadvantage if I migrated to the 'red piste' skis too early?
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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 say it's more related to the binding settings than actual physical differences in the skis, but then I could be very wrong. Certainly if you pay more you will get more expensive skis that might be more applicable to higher levels of skiing performance, but I would imagine that not being as relevant as the setup itself.
IMO, it's the skier, not the skis. A good skier will be good on any skis, a bad skier will still be bad regardless of how much money he/she spends (not inferring that you are a bad skier). I'd say go for the higher level skis, at the very least it certainly won't do your confidence any harm.
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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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The Blue Red and Black with ski hire does not equate to Piste Colours.
More like, if you are a beginner a blue ski will be softer and easier to turn, Red more difficult/stiffer ect.
Also with a black ski you may get a choice of a wider ski for powder skiing.
You COULD ski a blue ski on any piste, same with red and black
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| Quote: |
I'd say it's more related to the binding settings than actual physical differences in the skis,
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 you might want to crank up your bindings for leaping down death-defying couloirs but you wouldn't change the DIN setting going from blue to red pistes, surely?
Having skis too difficult for your skill level certainly can damage your confidence. A ski instructor, whose views I respect, told my daughter-in-law that the skis I'd lent her were too stiff for her and recommended she rented some beginners ones, which she did, and was a fair bit happier (both pairs were the same length, incidentally).
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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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Agreed - black/gold skis in particular can be way too much. Stick with blues (softer/easier to turn) for the first few ski weeks. Once you are skiing reds more often 'fast/fun' than 'terrified/carefully'  it's probably time to flip up a level to red. If you are light, you may never need to move up to black until you go offpiste.
a.j. xx
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Handy Turnip, If you start feeling as if your skis are wobbling at high speed and you keep skidding sideways when trying to turn without skidding then you should be looking at going up in ski stiffness and maybe length. Until then there isn't any real need
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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 of thenwrostbhings I ever did in early ski years was go up the hire ski level.
Far too stuff, couldn't turn well, painful thighs
One of those early years there was so little snow that the first pair got damaged, and the next pair were much softer/cheaper, but my skiing improved enormously.
Might be better to experiment with slightly better hire boots than skis. At a slightly higher boot price point, I found I was more likely together one that fitted my little feet better and that too allowed me to ski better also
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Cheers Avalanche Poodle, good to know the early warning signs of when I should be looking to change.
sev112, getting slightly smaller boots is something else I've also considered!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Granted I did emphasise my relative ignorance on the matter I was simply inferring to how a beginner might have low binding settings but an intermediate would want higher settings as they will skiing at different speeds etc.
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rasmanisar, you are right that the binding settings will differ depending on the level you are skiing at, but they won't be determined based on the type of ski you choose to hire. The hire shop will ask you to fill in a form with details of your skiing speed/style, weight, height etc and calculate the DIN settings based on that.
In my experience of hiring, as others have said, when I moved to 'red' skis, they were generally stiffer skis, plus the shop would suggest slightly longer skis, on the assumption that I was an intermediate skier. They generally seemed to be better quality skis too, commensurate with the higher rental cost.
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FAQ
I was simply inferring to how a beginner might have low binding settings but an intermediate would want higher settings as they will skiing at different speeds etc.
