Skis suitable for mainly snow dome use?

A snowHead

Hi,

I'm after a bit of advice as I'm possibly looking to purchase a pair of Skis and hoping to pick something up in the end of season sales. I'm fairly new to Skiing having only been away for a week last year and probably done around 6 days in total in a snow dome (Chill Factore) on top of that. I'm going to be taking further lessons in the coming months and hopefully move on to some sort of race training after that (just at a basic level and only to keep me occupied). I'm also currently planning a trip for next year.

Anyway, after all of that..... I have my own boots and would quite like some skis too. I'm 180cm tall and weigh around 70kg so I'm looking for some recommendations please.

Thanks,

A snowHead

Welcome @Bash82, I go to Hemel all the time and have found that my head Magnums are brilliant there. I have Blizzard Latigo's and I really like them but with 18m turn radius and quite stiff they don't like the size of the dome (my technique is likely the cause). Whereas the magnums are 13.something turn radius and they're ace and would buy them again tomorrow if I lost them. Not sure they'd be suitable for the race club but then I'm not either. I bought mine from ebay but I've spent a lot of time learning about what to look for.

Having said that it might be worth spending more time on the rental skis and then buying once you've got some more time under your belt. There are people that ski at Hemel who look absolutely amazing on the slope and they are on the rentals. Therefore, ability is more likely the limiting factor (it is for me and I've done 5 holidays and 100's of hours at Hemel).

p.s. I've owned since my first holiday but I threw away my first pair (sold for 30% what I paid) as they were wrong for me.

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

Are you planning on taking the skis with you on your next trip, or do you plan on renting? If you plan on taking them with you, I’d choose skis that will meet your needs for the type of skiing you intend to do on holiday; mainly on piste, mainly off piste, a bit of both, racing, etc.

I, like you, am fairly new to skiing, having only done one trip (the Snowheads Birthday Bash) a few weeks ago, after having done 50 hours in the Chillfactore. I bought my own skis early on and took them with me. I chose 80mm wide skis so they’d be good on piste and be able to cope with some cruddy snow.

Others with far more experience and knowledge than me will be along soon with advice, but I suspect they will probably ask the same question as me, what type of skiing do you intend to do when on holidays in the near future.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Thanks for the replies, when I go away I'll be mainly (if not all) on Piste as it'll be a family holiday so want to spend the time with my wife and children and have a relaxing time. I'll probably do a bit around the edges of the piste but nothing much and wouldn't venture too far.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Buying skis is always difficult, especially in the UK, as it's often hard to test them. If you go to a snowdome, is there a ski retailer there who will let you test their range of skis before you buy (off them, they will hope)?
Otherwise you have to research a lot on Goggle and take a change on buying some (new preferably, second hand can be a minefield and often not a lot cheaper). Or continue to rent for a while longer (in the UK and abroad) until you're sure of what you like and what your style of skiing is.
I am not at all an expert, but I would say that whatever you think is right for piste use will be fine for indoor use too. I would aim for something which says it is right for Intermediate skiers. There's always doubt in how skis are described, but you should be fine on anything stated as suitable for Beginner to Intermediate or for Intermediate to Advanced. For piste use, look for a waist of anything between 68-85 (say) depending on if you want it to be very 'edgy' or want something more all round. Turning radius is also down to personal preference but maybe in the early to mid teens? A lot of skis are called 'All Mountain' and will work fine for you most likely; others are designated 'Piste' or 'Frontside'.
Look at 'best ski' reviews (for several years) online to give you some idea. See what's on special offer and research it.
If you want to do indoor race training you will need a slalom-type ski, so a thin waist (60s-early70s) and a reasonably short turning radius (10.5-12?).
Height they normally say around 5-10cm off your overall height, but again some preference, some adjustment for weight and design of ski: rocker tips go longer usually.
More experts will be along soon, doubtless. Have fun.

You'll need to Register first of course.

@Bash82, see if Snow and Rock in the Chillfactore will let you test skis. As it’s mainly piste with a little bit around the edges; check out Rossignol Experience 84 HD skis. They are lightweight with carbon fibre to stiffen them and have front rocker for easier turning. They would be the right width to meet your needs. A snowhead who I sometimes meet at the CF has recently bought some and loves them.

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

Thanks for the advice. I've been looking at the Dynastar Speed zone 10 and 12 Ti, they seem to get good reviews everywhere. I know they'll be a bit much for me at the moment but I'm happy to grow into them.

Has anyone got these who can offer an opinion?

After all it is free

Help!!

Skis suitable for mainly snow dome use?

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