Should I buy my own skis.

A snowHead

The age old quandry

I’ve just taken ownership(rental wise) of another pair of skis and before my first day tomorrow I’m debating whether I should just buy a pair for future use.

I’ve noticed every time I rent a pair they seem bashed up or have really poor edges, and yes I’ve asked for a better pair and even gone behind the counter with a fitter and looked at the poor stock left.

I have my own boots, ski 14 days a year and am trying to justify whether I should.

Help... or help me convince my other half Very Happy

A snowHead

I've gone back to renting in Europe as carriage charges and traveling with a child make it not worth bringing my 10 year old bangers any more. My only suggestion is, if you're going to buy don't do it spur of the moment, wait for a deal, end-of-seasons, maybe someone on here can advise of ski swaps?

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

Buying skis, for one or two weeks a year, is not about financial sense; it's about:
- Having skis that you know and like
- Having control over how they are serviced
- Avoiding the queues in the hire shop

You just have to make decisions over what type of ski you are looking for. If most of your time is on Piste - then the decision is easier.

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I ski mainly ST Anton and then a family venue. St Anton is hardly groomed so on piste skis aren’t the right call more of an all-mountain ski is required.

I’m not bothered about the carriage charges so I think I’m erring to buying a set.

I’d love a recommendation.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Buy buy buy

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@DanFuller, To come up with half decent suggestions, can you give some info:

- Weight
- Height
- Skill Level
- Speed you ski at

Also:

- Do you like a lighter, more playful ski (Scott The Ski/Slight, Atomic Vantage 90 CTi); or a damp, stable, hard charger (Blizzard Brahma, Nordica Enforcer 93, Volkl Kendo).
- What skis have you liked in the past.

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

I love owning my own skis. They look great in the living room during the winter when I'm not away for my 2-3 weeks a year skiing Happy

Joking aside, I love that I don't have to faff about with hire shops. I know my skis suit my skiing and are in good condition.

After all it is free

@DanFuller, @Old Fartbag has it spot on - for a 2 week a year skier it's about having what you want and know, not saving money (and also not about having the ideal ski for every situation).
Of course, the real answer is yes. The next question is, "how many pairs" with the inevitable answer of n+1. You have been warned Toofy Grin

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The skis that @Old Fartbag, has suggested are all similar to the Kendos that you don't like which is not surprising if you like the Head titans which are a very different beast, I have the iRallys which I love, I tried the Titans and loved those too but they are heavy, I think the Rallys are a touch lighter and more versatile on the bumpy stuff. I'm looking at wider skis for offpiste but at the moment the Rallys are my one ski quiver as I spent my new ski budget on a week in Tignes.
The Rallys cost me about £370 in the previous years graphics and 8 weeks use so far, that level of ski is >£100/week to hire so £430 saved and I certainly haven't spent that on ski carriage.

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You know it makes sense.

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

Brahma is a fair bit bigger than the Titan isn't it (IIRC Brahma is 88 and Titan is around 80) - I would say that Titans would handle ungroomed pistes well but potentially perform better than the Brahma on groomed pistes if the OP wants to do a bit of that too.

I think Titans would probably be a great choice and last a long time. You'd have to be bloody good to grow out of them. (Although the same does of course go for the Brahmas and anything else listed really).

Whatever you do, I'd wait til the end of the season or the pre-season sales for 2019. You could do worse than to attend the Oktobertest.

A snowHead

A snowHead

The head supershapes have very wide tip & tail so their "float" in softer snow is greater than the width of the waist would suggest, the Titans and even the Rallys have a similar footprint to the Brahmas despite the much wider waist of the Brahma.
After numerous threads like this, It is clear that there are very different skiing styles that suit very different skis and asking advice here is of limited value, the oktobertest is a good chance to meet with friends but is like taking a car on a test drive around the garage forecourt.

Should you buy your own skis?

Economically, with top end skis, it's cheaper to have your own as top skis can be €150+ to hire but cost no more than basic planks to put on a plane.

Servicing, waxing is very easy to diy and don't expect hire skis to be freshly waxed & edged every time. Hire shops will still charge you for damage.

Transport, no question, easier to hire in resort.

Take a private lesson and ask the instructor to look at your skiing and suggest a type of ski that will be enjoyable.
Find a shop in resort that has a good selection of test skis, don't buy without testing, I had a ski on my shortlist based on tech spec and found it truly awful on the snow.

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

Don't forget the Nordica Navigator 90 (big but well behaved tip, race-inspired tail, some metal but quite light), definitely worth a try if you can.

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the Atomic Vantage is a great skier. I'm 6 3 and 151/2 stone and find it fun ski but stable.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I bought some half decent second hand skis just to avoid rental faff. Worth every penny!

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

After all it is free

I forgot to ask. What about bindings. Is there a better brand etc to choose.

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Thank you.

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Firstly, a major reason for my opting to buy was consistency, just like with the boots. Even with my boots and skis I get variation in how comfortable they feel, and how well/badly 'they' seem to ski. So I know that it's me, not the equipment. First time I bought, it was in the UK - which was a mistake. Next time I bought in the resort after trying them out which worked far better. As mentioned on another thread, try to get an instructor in the resort to recommend a shop they use, and ideally one which offers a 'try-and-buy' scheme. In my case, the ones I bought were the second pair I tried and after a couple of days I went back and got a new pair - they even gave me a discount. However, I acknowledge that if you are certain about exactly what bindings and skis you like, then buying in the resort won't be the cheapest option compared to if you can get them at the end of the season in the UK or online.

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How does the 'try and buy' work - is it simply a case of they have hire skis for every 'for sale' ski, or will they give you new skis to try out? What happens if you damage a new ski, e.g. scratch the paint?

You know it makes sense.

@tangowaggon, thanks, that sounds reasonable.

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

you might be able to get them cheaper on the t'internet
But I bought last year in the resort after testing them - they gave me a decent discount - knocked of the hire price - game me the same discount on poles and bag and I saved on ski carriage (altho jet2 at French check in did suggest I needed to pay for the return trip but they didn't put up much resistance to my gallic shrug) snowHead

A snowHead

Yes definitely buy, I love having my own skis.

Demo if you can though. I don't know where you live, but if you go to Xscape at Milton Keynes, you can demo skis for free from the Ellis Brigham store there.

A snowHead

I live in Essex so could do

I’m on my third set of shocking rental skis so this is the last time

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

Given your size and weight and preference for an AM ski, I'd take a look at the Head Monster series, 88 and 98 width. But there are bucket loads of really decent skis in this class, so I would look to demo a few options in resort before buying. Maybe shortlist 3 alternatives you can get to demo. Again with your size, make sure the demos are in a suitable length too i.e. 184+
Demo skiing in the snowdome is not great for AM skis IMHO. It's better than nothing and will give you some feel for their weight and agility, but not much else. I certainly wouldn't buy based on snow dome demos alone.

To help make your shortlist for demos, the only ski reviews I trust are "Realskiers" and "Blister Gear review". The popular magazines are all over the place with contradictory reviews, but those two websites are very detailed and consistent. Blister tends to focus more on big mountain skis, but Realskiers covers everything you need in resort. Just be realistic with yourself in your actual skiing ability and terrain and you will end up with a decent ski even if you buy off the reviews alone. But obviously a resort demo is preferable to confirm your choice.

Once you get your own skis don't forget that you will need to take care of them otherwise they will end up in poor condition like the rentals. Learn to polish your own edges and hot wax bases, it's not that hard. Machine shop tuning takes considerable material off the edges and base, so don't get them machined too often. Once you've had the bases ground a few times, there won't be much left.

Good luck!

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Going to throw a spanner in the works. Currently skiing on an Atomic Redster XTI and loving it 😂🤭

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Should I buy my own skis.

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