Should I buy my own skis?

A snowHead

What skis to buy? if any!

Hi all, i'm a twice a year man (skiing that is Toofy Grin

) and I mainly stick to the reds and blues with the odd black. I would like to try a little off piste this year. would I benefit from buying my own skis? If so what brand and type should i be looking at?

A snowHead

First off have you got your own, properly fitted, boots? If not buy those before you buy skis, they will make far more difference to your enjoyment. At a couple of weeks a year probably not worth buying, technology moves on and you will soon find your skis aren't the latest and greatest they were when you bought them despite being in nearly new condition. And don't forget they need regular servicing to keep them performing at their best.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@gazzaredcruiser, it depends. You've got to factor in the following:
(i) are you going to improve much in the foreseeable future? - if you are, then you may not want to bother because you'll only want to try or buy different skis;
(ii) what's the cost of hiring where you ski cf cost of transporting skis - if you ski somewhere where hiring is expensive, having your own skis makes more sense;
(iii) do you want to try out the skis before you buy - does that mean buying in resort?
(iv) can you be bothered with lugging them about, storing them at home, getting them serviced and generally looking after them.

I cannot be bothered with having my own skis (I have my own boots which are grand), but I only go once a year.

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@davkt, +1 - posts crossed

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Only reason I have my own skis is we go to Tamworth fridge quite often and their hire skis are OK but not brilliant, the Tamworth ice is much more fun with a pair of old but well tuned slalom skis!

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@davkt, familiarity is a big factor for me. I know how my skis behave in various conditions so I don't have that breaking in period. Yes technology moves on but not dramatically enough year to year to make an appreciable difference over, say, 5 years.

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I would say yes go for it . . .most technology advances are nothing more than paintjobs, its great to have your own kit especially if you add short breaks / indoor use to your normal skiing activities etc . . .hiring twice a year vs website deals they'll have paid for themselves within 3yrs and saving cash after 5 . . .

After all it is free

thanks guys, i do have my own boots, bought them about three seasons back and they are nice a comfortable. I'm off to La Plagne in Jan and Alpbach in March, the hire costs through Snowbrainer are really very cheap and by the time you add the transport cost on it doesn't seem worth buying. I appreciate when hiring your pretty much using new gear, i just wondered how much difference it would make to have my own skis.

i think you've all confirmed my thoughts that it's always best to own your boots but hire the skis.

I never thought I'd buy my own skis until I had a couple of bad experiences with hire shops. Unfortunately, some of the skis I've been given on hire have been far from new and the shops haven't been keen on swapping them (or in fact haven't got anything better). I've never figured out where these amazing hire shops are that have a wide range of shiny new gear, that is always serviced between hires and where they're happy for you to keep swapping skis.

I bought my own skis a couple of seasons' ago and am so glad I did. It saves so much faffing when you get to resort and as @Dr John says, you know what you're going to get. I've found it especially good on weekend trips, where every minute of skiing is precious, and the last thing you want is to waste time in a hire shop.

(I also like to sit and admire how pretty my skis are Embarassed

)

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@gazzaredcruiser, the buy/rent argument is much more than a financial consideration. £30 saving over a skiing week, assuming skiing for ~5 hours a day, is basically a lunch or a large round at apres. Being able to concentrate on my turns, rather than wondering how my rental skis (which will 2-3 years old and have been in constant use for that time) will cope in different conditions, is worth the extra cost alone.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

@sugarmoma666, spot on. The idea that you get spanking new skis when you rent is a fallacy propagated by the rental companies. Unless you pay top whack for 'platinum' skis (in which case you'll have spent the average purchase price in 2 or 3 weeks skiing) they'll give you whatever rubbish they think they can get away with because it's all money in the bank to them after about 1/2 season rental.

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ok so what brand are good for all mountain use?

@gazzaredcruiser, every brand does all mountain skis, look for 85-90mm width underfoot and use (as a first indicator) the manufacturers guide for intermediate/expert and piste/off-piste ratings of the particular models. Then it's down to the depth of your pockets and styling choice. Try first if at all possible.

I have Black Crowe Orbs because I'm a flash bar-steward.

You know it makes sense.

Most points above are valid. It's a 'you pays your money' situation.

I own and have done for years. I like turning up in resort and clicking into familiar boots/skis, rather than having a period of 'getting to know'. I buy nearly new, rather than new skis, keep them for 3 seasons and then eBay them off. I usually lose around £100 over 6 or more ski trips.

However, the cost of carriage, servicing etc is making owning less and less attractive.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Im on my third set of skis, even used to wax them my self, Having your own skis can give you a bit more confidence as you feel that you are used to them, if you do get some make sure they are good ones, plenty of help either on here or the GB ski magazine, this year i bought some Scotts "le ski" and they are far better than my prevoius skis, they came up as one of the best all mountain skis, also they are lightweight , as far as i know you can not rent them in resort..probably proved wrong though... My second i bought after trying a lower soec set in resort for a few days, bought them when i got home as they were cheaper in UK at the time.

A snowHead

@sugarmoma666, I also never thought I would own my own skis until I rented some skis that I absolutely loved one year, went back to the same hire shop next year, rented that year's model, loved them then casually browsing on-line the following summer found them at such a bargain price I couldn't resist. They had been "discontinued in favour of some flashy new graphics".

@Dr John, Not all hire shops are like that, when we used to rent in Chatel we used a lovely independent who greeted us like we were long lost friends and always made sure we had the best even though we were only one week a year skiers. If he spotted us walking past his shop late in the afternoon he would ask us in for a glass of his special "local" liqueur. Never found out exactly what it was (didn't have a label on the bottle) but figured it must be ok as he hadn't gone blind with it.

A snowHead

@gazzaredcruiser, if you can get to a local fridge, Ellis Brigham and Snow and Rock both do try before you buy. I found this really beneficial as the ski that had one all the awards that I thought I would buy, I didnt think was all that. Doing a few side by side comparisons I could really notice the difference between them and was able to pick something that suited my skiing. Hence I'm another +1 for buying your own skis for all the reasons @Dr John, and others have said

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@gazzaredcruiser,
This thread I started a few months ago has some useful advice on this subject from snowHeads I think...
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=2736051&highlight=#2736051

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@Timc, Good to hear. If @gazzaredcruiser is staying in Chatel he's sorted, if he's staying anywhere else in the Alps it's back to the wisdom of crowds.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

There are exceptions, but on the whole, hire shop staff are miserable, condescending a/holes, especially the owners. I encountered one in Livigno who deserved a backhander across the earhole. I later found out that he not only owned the hire shop, but half of the resort also. Confused

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@Mollerski,

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

@Mollerski, special memories of a hire shop in Pettneu who fitted my pals bindings so badly the skis basically fell off each turn after an hour use. This was in part due to cheap plastic parts that had worn down to nothing. We did a lash-up repair job good enough to get him back, where the fitter found our wasted ski day utterly hilarious.

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@Dr John, nice! I can see why you've got your own skis.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

@dobby, I ski like Ray Charles, but they look good in the rack at lunch.

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I gave in this year and got my own skis after many years of hit and miss hire shop experiences. The most friendly and helpful shop I've encountered was in Chatel, which may possibly be the one mentioned above, but generally the service has been ok but nothing special. One or two can't get you out the door fast enough Confused

Skis have varied from practically brand new to something that appears to have been ravaged by a pack of angry wolves. Some I have really enjoyed, but others have not suited me at all. Unfortunately, the times when I've requested a swap have been in shops which have very little in a suitable size.

If you go to the same resort often and can build a rapport with your local shop, then you might have a more consistent experience. This is what it came down to in the end for me - I can't seem to guarantee any kind of consistency with service or equipment.

You know it makes sense.

@mountainaddict, does Ray Charles feature in any of them?

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

There used to be a wonderful shop in Avoriaz that we used all the time, we used to send all the renters to them, so bascically most years I rented on turning up to pay he would say don't bother, or put what you feel like to the tip jar for the lads, so I was very lucky.

Sadly they moved on and my experiences since have not been as positive so I bought some ski's

Go all mountain for your first pair something between 80-90 underfoot.

I tried the Dynastar Powertrack 89's at the Snowheads Hemel ski test and they were awesome. I also tried the 79's good ski but no major advantage compared to the 89 were not that much more turny. You could split the difference with the Powertrack 84 or is it 85 can't remember of the top of my head.

If I were going to buy a new ski this year it would be the Dynastar, I have to break my salomons first in order to justify it to the missus, anyone know any goods drops where I can break a ski but not my leg (joke)

G

A snowHead

Turn up to a Snowheads Oktobertest and find skis that you like before you buy 'em.

A snowHead

@gordonrussell76, drop them in the road as a ski bus drives past. Worked for my mate, although it wasn't entirely intentional at the time.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

There's a bit of a technique to getting good service in a rental shop. You need a combo of nice but $$$.
Inquiring is there no place in town i can rent stoecklis ? usually is a good start.

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Genius

We have piste bashers and little tracked vans dropping people to the posh blocks behind us going past all the time, right outside are ski room, job done Smile

G

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Liking your style essex

My tactic was to let my wife flirt shamelessly with the owner, she is going to do it anyway i might as well get some cheap ski's out of it Smile

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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

@Mollerski, Stöckli or Stoeckli are both correct....

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In champoluc just for reference have your skis serviced at noleggio ski, half the price

Help!!

Should I buy my own skis?

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