 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello, I am new to this forum and hoping I may be able to get some advice about buying some skis. I am an intermediate skiier who has been skiing at least once or twice a year for the last 20 plus years. But I am very nervous! I have my own boots and have always hired skis. As we drive to the Alps most years and have the facility to carry skis (my husband has his own skis) I feel the time has come to own my own pair. I ski pretty much all on piste, but.... I have done some ski touring with skins which I love. I prefer the walking up to the downhill! However my children are getting better and better and now they are keen to do more off piste I know I probably have to up my game, and increase my confidence. I am sure it is purely psychological but each time I hire new skis I worry that I won't like them etc which makes me more nervous. I am 172cm and 64kilos. I am quite strong and fit but I am just very nervous. Last week I did try some BBR sunlite at 160 and quite liked them (despite having read the very bad reviews) I can not however get hold of them. I then tried some Movement skis at 168 but felt very unstable - would that have been the length. I am afraid I can't remember the make but they were purple and white! Every one has different opinions and when I throw ski touring into the mix it gets even more confused. Should I just look for all mountain skis and hire if I tour or could I find something that does everything (which is not mega expensive)? The most critical thing is that it is a forgiving ski that looks after me (is that even possible....) Thank you for your advice.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@MyLockey, Hi and welcome 
That is quite a question you have there, with a few things to think about. I'd normally suggest lessons first, in an attempt to get over your nerves, but as you drive I can see the economical benefit to having your own skis, as well as you feeling more comfortable with them. So do you primarily want a ski for the piste or for touring? You could try and get one pair that does both, or two more specialist skis.
I'm not sure that the BBR is the best plan for you, but if you really want some Ekosport have some in a 169, though that might be a bit long for your weight. They were last made in 2014, as far as I can see. I'm sure you can do better.
There's a big list of Movement skis on the forum here: http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/skibase.php?skibrand=Movement so you might be able to find the ones you tried. Longer skis tend to feel more stable, but 168 may still have been too short, depending on which ski you tried.
I think you need to narrow down your requirements a bit, and then try out a few models that fit so that you're not feeling nervous about a pair of new skis you bought after talking to people on the internet! Oh, and you should still think about lessons.
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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'm a big heavy guy who isn't nearly nervous enough, so I can't directly recommend skis to suit you. But here's some thoughts anyway -
What was it you liked about skiing the Sunlites? My wife used to own a pair of Skylites which I think are pretty similar, the main features being - a) wide shovel was quite stable in cruddy conditions; b) narrow tail makes it very easy to skid; and c) overall it's quite a soft ski so easy to bend into a tight turn. If you're a nervous skier then you'll be controlling your speed with either lots of tight turns or lots of skidding. A ski that's great at one might not be so good for the other. My wife decided she needed skis with much more edge grip and after trying a load out at a demo day is now very happy on Volkl Alluras.
Once you've thought about what it is you like about certain skis, go and demo some. Either in a fridge or by renting in resort. It's important to try to demo skis back to back, it's really hard to compare a ski you're on today to one you skied this time last year.
If you want a ski for pistes and touring then you'll be buying a flat ski that you can fit a touring binding to. That will limit your choices versus buying a piste specific ski, most of which come with a rail mounted binding.
eBay is your friend - second hand Sunlites are very cheap, you could buy a pair and use for a couple of weeks before putting back on eBay for virtually no loss. You could also buy another pair or two and create your own demo fleet (as long as there's space in the car). Keep the ones you like and put the others back on eBay.
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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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Thank you to both of you for your replies. I have decided to not rush any purchase and as I am skiing again in two weeks I am going to try some that have been suggested and then also go to S&R in Hemel and try some back to back. I suspect that I liked the sunlites because my tendency is to do lots and lots of turns and skidding which clearly isn't the best idea. My legs don't tire so I am happy doing loads of turns to keep down speed, but I'd love to be a bit more confident and not worry about going a little faster. I've also booked more lessons to try and get over my nerves. With regard to touring I think I may hire touring skis and aim to find the right piste ski. Thank you so much for your suggestions.
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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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@MyLockey,
You sound much better than you make out!
Put that to one-side. Both my wife and my daughter are skiing on BBRs at the moment and they really like them. I think they are a very friendly ski - plenty of shape to help with tighter turns, straight tail so you can pivot them easily when you want and a big shovel that helps in the off piste. They aren't going to set the world alight but I can see why they would suit a nervous skier.
But I also think you could do better.
Given your kids are dragging you off piste and you like to tour a bit I think you could look at (for example) the Rossignol 7 series (my son is actually skiing on a women's model - he is 13 and very light and so the softer flex suits him) or the Dynastar Cham series. If you avoid the fattest versions then these are nice friendly all mountain skis that have enough shape to come round quickly and enough float for the off piste. Not too heavy for touring either. Could mount either with frame touring bindings and they would meet all your needs I think.
But given you are nervous, you should definitely test them. When you buy you want to be very confident that they are right so you don't have "wrong ski" anxiety adding to your nerves.
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