 Poster: A snowHead
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I am going skiing for the first time over spring break in steamboat springs. I am trying to balance the decision of buying used skis or renting. I would really prefer to buy if I can but don't want to spend over like 150-200 if possible. What are the things I need to be looking for if I decide to buy? I just want to be sure I avoid compatibility issues or shops not being to work on them.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If you are skiing for the first time, I'd hire for the first few times, until you get a feel as to what suits you. You will grow out of a beginner ski quite quickly.
Also, as you get better, the type of ski might change, depending on snow conditions, or where you are skiing.
BTW. Welcome to the Forum.
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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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Appreciate the info and the welcome!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@hammersticks, you could buy re-furbed ex-rental skis from ebay (dirt cheap), but then it sounds like you'd have to pay ski carriage. So, probably more cost effective to hire at this stage.
Ski boots are another issue.
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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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Boots are more important than skis. Buy boots, rent skis.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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So if I was to buy boots can they just fit them at the rental place to my needs in regards to the skis I decide to rent?
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Sun 26-01-20 17:50; edited 1 time in total
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| hammersticks wrote: |
| So if I was to buy boots can they just fort them at the rental place to my needs in regards to the skis I decide to rent? |
It is pretty common for folk who hire skis to have their own boots. Rental shops are used to adjusting the bindings (don't forget to bring a boot, and know your weight).
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| hammersticks wrote: |
| So if I was to buy boots can they just fort them at the rental place to my needs in regards to the skis I decide to rent? |
Yes. Rental bindings adjust at both heel and toe to fit your boot.
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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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Perfect! Thanks so much for the advice. Do y'all have any suggestions on boots to buy? I am a 10.5 shoe size.
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The other benefit of hiring is that you can easily change/adjust your skis & poles throughout your rental period. You also don't need to be quite so precious about damaging them due to being a beginner.
Generally, as Old Fartbag points out, you hire until you're experienced enough to know what kind of ski will suit you, so you can risk sticking with it for a few years once you've bought it.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Although it's definitely an advantage to have your own boots, very few buy before their first trip. You'll certainly outgrow skis before boots, so would agree with those recommending getting well fitted boots before considering your own skis, but (God forbid), you might decide skiing isn't for you on your first trip (or even turn to the Dark Side (snowboarding  )), so might be advisable to have a slide or two before forking out for your own boots, let alone skis.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@johnnyboy makes an excellent point.
For your first week, hire everything.
However, make sure that on your last day you book a snowboard taster session. 
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Lol I was kind of thinking about doing a snowboard rental on my last day to just try it out and see how I like it.
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You know it makes sense.
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| hammersticks wrote: |
| Perfect! Thanks so much for the advice. Do y'all have any suggestions on boots to buy? I am a 10.5 shoe size. |
When you get to the stage of buying boots - go to a recommended Bootfitter, who will put you in boots suitable for your feet and ability. This is a black art, which many "Boot Sellers" don't have.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@oldfartbag. Sounds great will do!
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Poster: A snowHead
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| hammersticks wrote: |
| Lol I was kind of thinking about doing a snowboard rental on my last day to just try it out and see how I like it. |
A good hire shop should charge no extra for switching to snowboard+boots for part of your rental period.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@crosbie Sweet. I will probably try it out for sure then just see which I like.
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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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Initially, I would buy everything except the skis.
Boots need to fit well and IME the majority of ski outlets don't know how to do it correctly. There is a lot more expertise in the big resorts than in the general UK retail outlets but everywhere it depends on who you get on the day. One guy in a UK shop told me he makes the same money on a ski jacket in 5 mins as on fitting boots which takes an hour, so why should he bother... I now have properly fitting boots but it is my 2nd pair, cost 400 quid, and had to be modded several times, most recently with different €200 liners. Rental boots get you blisters and tend to stink real bad 
Re buying skis, as with any hobby it depends to some extent how committed you become. There is no doubt that having your own kit is best, eventually. But at the lower end the numbers are not obvious either way. BA carries skis for free. Easyjet charge about 35 quid each way for ski equipment. OTOH renting skis for just one week will compare with what you might pay for lower-end ones on Ebay. For 200 quid you should be able to pick up 1-2 year old skis which originally cost 400-500 quid. Rental shops tend to offload their used skis each year to some middleman (one big chain shop guy in Austria told me the man collects 3000 pairs from them at the end of each season) and a lot of these seem to end up on Ebay although not as cheaply as you would expect, compared to what one can buy new ones for from mail order discount places.
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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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@hammersticks, don't buy second hand ski's unless you know what you are doing. There is a lot of crap about.
And with transport and servicing costs it can also be uneconomic.
Enjoy your maiden trip - hopefully you will get the bug.
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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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When I last looked at used skis, several years ago, it became very obvious that Ebay was flooded with ex rental skis, mainly it appeared from Poland. I can't remember the details but somehow it was obvious (even given the limited amount of description most Ebay sellers offer) they were in a poor condition. And not all that much cheaper than new but discounted. In the end I bought a pair from a mail order outfit somewhere in Scotland.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| hammersticks wrote: |
| Lol I was kind of thinking about doing a snowboard rental on my last day to just try it out and see how I like it. |
I'm not sure this is a great idea. Trying different stuff is great, but when starting to snowboard people tend to spend a lot of time on their butt. The first days snowboarding are debatably harder than the first days skiing.
By the end of your first week skiing, you'll probably be at a level where you're comfortable cruising on blue slopes, enjoying yourself and have high confidence. Spending your last day snowboarding might spoil that.
If you're dead-set on trying snowboarding, maybe try it on your third or fourth day. Then you can continue with it if you love it, or switch back to skiing for the end of holiday confidence buzz.
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@phillc Yeah my wife and I are going for 4 days. I will probably play it by ear and see how things go on the ski slopes. Hoping I can catch on quick lol. We are headed to Steamboat Springs in Colorado.
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No, no, no! All bad advices!
The right way of doing it is the following:
1) Go online to find a ski length table
2) Browse eBay to find a used package with the boot in the same size as street shoe size and skis matching the length recommended online, at no more than 150-200
3) Ski them, no lesson needed.
4) Sell them for the same price after the trip.
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