 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm considering buying skis, poles and boots for my 9YO son for next ski season.
Up to now I have rented skis and boots for him but picking up and returning skis to a Skiset ski shop in Arc 2000 at Feb half term took so long (more than 1 hour to collect and even longer to drop off) and was so annoying that I think I'd rather take the extra weight with me to/from resort and avoid the renting experience. I already had my own hardware so I won't need to get anything new for me, and as long as I'm prepared to remove bindings I can fit everything in one large ski bag.
My plan would be to measure his height and pick up a pair for him some time in the Autumn for use in the coming season. I'd get a bindings safety check done at the start of the season to make sure everything is ok.
Questions
Am I right that the 1 hour plus queueing to pick up and return skis is unavoidable at Feb half term in a big French resort? or did I just make a bad choice of ski hire shop?
Does this sound sensible?
Have I failed to consider something important?
How important is it to keep him on skis that are the right length? i.e. if he ends up 5-10cm taller should I replace his skis
Any other 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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We ended up going down this route, and have to say a big part was to get away from the faff of queuing, trying stuff on but also the quality of the kids hire stuff tended to be much lower than that of adults.
I have a pair of Rossignol Minions skis, 120 skis that I must get around to selling, I also have skme 100cm leki ski poles. If ether are any good? Regularly visit Malvern, and East Grinstead (West sussex) in addition to living kn edge of Hampshire close to dorset and wiltshire borders.
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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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How many days a year are you skiing?, if you have a chalet or live in a resort and are doing a season then only then when I consider buying him boots and skis. If you are just doing 1 or 2 weeks then I would say no. At aged 9 he is rapidly growing and you aren't going to get more than a season or two out of a pair of boots. Ski boots have very poor 2nd hand value as well.
French hire shops will be incredibly busy on Sat afternoon until Sunday morning as the French resorts are consistently Sat-Sat changeovers. If you have the availability and do Fri or Sun arrival and drop off it is unlikely you will have to queue.
Ski length depends on multiple factors, height, weight, skiing ability. The advantage of renting is that you can switch skis every trip, or multiple times within a trip to find something that works for him.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Tue 7-03-23 13:49; edited 1 time in total
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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in Germany there are something like second hand markets for ski/boots
usually End of Oktober till Mid November.
i buy always second hand ski/boots because the kids need every year new sizes and i re-sell the old ones.
I dont know if in UK is something like that.
The cost of second hand ski / boots it is almost the same for a week or two of rentals.
Do you have intersport? they have also a programm for kids. Buying one set and change it max 4 times (1 pro year) according to the high of the kids etc
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Tue 7-03-23 13:51; edited 1 time in total
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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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I personally did not, and would not buy skis and boots for my kids, while they are still growing (unless I lived in the Alps).....but it is a personal decision.
Hiring skis does give the opportunity to try different types of ski out as they get better and when conditions change.
I think that within reason, having skis roughly the correct length is reasonably important.
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part of reason that it made a lot of sense to us was have two girls sufficiently aged apart that all the stuff we bought for eldest was handed down to youngest. I am already servicing mine and hubbies gear, so just added in doing theirs. Some stuff was bought new at very good sale prices, some stuff second hand (the minion skis I mentioned about were new but have been through both girls, and a good couple of seasons each). Flying BA I have been able to get 2 adults and 2 kids skis in one ski bag under their 23Kg weight limit, so again hasn't been too much of an extra in scheme of things. Whether it saved us money or not, who knows, but it has saved us a lot of inconvenience, and has ensured the skis have been in good condition, I have rejected ones in the past due to poor servicing and maintenance, the same argument I apply to my own stuff applies to theirs.
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@NickyJ, Thanks this is 100% a faff avoidance plan but I also get the quality point. I think I'll be looking for 130cm or possibly 140cm depending on summer growth spurts (or otherwise). I was thinking of trying him on small adult telescopic poles because he won't grow out of them and they are seriously light weight. Although I concede that it would be annoying if they got lost off a chair lift.
@NoMapNoCompass, We will most likely be skiing 2 weeks (max 3) next season and I'll look at the possibility of a Friday (or Saturday morning arrival). I guess I need to factor in the queuing when choosing where we go and the dates/accommodation we book.
@Old Fartbag, Thanks for the advice, sounds like he'd need a new pair each season which adds to the cost and faff factor. So perhaps another plan is needed.
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@turms2, Thanks I think we are limited to Ebay where I live for second hand but I am reasonably confident buying eBay stuff. I have found that 99% of the time it is in great condition and excellent value. Apart form Oakley goggles which seem to all be fakes.
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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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Honestly, with kids if you can do a non-Sat or Sun changeover then it exponentially reduces the stress.
No airport chaos
No long transfer traffic jams
No long queues at hire shops or hotel check ins
I realise not everyone can due to school and work but it is definitely worth it if you are flexible.
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@Henwc, it could be girls grow slower but we got at least 2 years (so 4 weeks on snow plus snowdome and dry ski slope usage) out of each pair per girl.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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When we used to take the granddaughters skiing we bought them skis and boots. Got some boots secondhand, and some Roca extending boots in a sale. Bought skis at sale prices. Passed them down, then sold secondhand for 70% of original cost. Cheaper than hiring, and they had their own kit.
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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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@NoMapNoCompass, Agreed, last year we did the overnight ski train and arrived at resort early on the Saturday morning. Got to the ski shop for opening and it was deserted, the assistant even had time to help us buy a replacement spine protector that we forgot to pack.
School and work mean getting to the airport is difficult on a Friday but we can get to St Pancras in London relatively easily.
I baulked at the price of the ski train packages for Feb this year and went DIY but perhaps I should just pay the premium and accept it. Although the price difference to DIY would have paid for quite a bit of hardware.
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@NickyJ, Thanks, he can't keep growing forever although I'd expect a massive growth spurt the second I buy him some skis!
@RobinS, Good idea on the reselling, I know a few people with younger kids that ski I may be able to pass them on.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Henwc wrote: |
| @turms2, Thanks I think we are limited to Ebay where I live for second hand but I am reasonably confident buying eBay stuff. I have found that 99% of the time it is in great condition and excellent value. Apart form Oakley goggles which seem to all be fakes. |
yeap...ebay is also a good option
I bought my son skis from eby (indeed from ebay kleinanzeigen, but its almost the same)
We usually do so.
buy for the son.... (7), then after a season he needs (usually) new ones.
Leave the old ones to side. After 1-2 years they are perfect for my daughter (5)
Then resell what the dayughter do not need any more and the again and again
In such a way and buing usually second hand in a good condition we almost have to pay e.g. 50 for Ski + bindings and then resell them for 30 or maybe 35
I think it is cheaper als renting everytime
However if you go one or two weeks i dont know..
what we do NOT buy second hand ist HELM & PROTEKTORS
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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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We did the same as @NickyJ, @RobinS, @turms2,
For some reason heads don't seem to grow much so helmets are a less frequent purchase.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I guess it depends how deep your pockets are. Just one a quick google and assuming you're buying new kit:
1 pair childrens skis ~£125
1 pair childrens boots ~£80
Is that queue time worth £200+ to you - remembering that you'll probably only get 1 season out of the boots and 2/3 out of the skis?
Personally I'd look at a different hiring arrangement. Maybe a different shop in the same resort or a different resort - in Morzine this half term we had a pair of 1 adult/2 children families hiring from 2 different shops and neither took more than 30min to collect/under 10 to return.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| NoMapNoCompass wrote: |
| Ski boots have very poor 2nd hand value as well. |
Buying 2nd hand seems a good plan in that case, even a want ad on the equipment thread or on the fb ski club? Same for skis, sell them on for what you paid for them.
Hiring can seem attractive when you look at the basic hire costs but this cost rises significantly if you actually want to hire decent equipment that is serviced each time.
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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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| Mjit wrote: |
I guess it depends how deep your pockets are. Just one a quick google and assuming you're buying new kit:
1 pair childrens skis ~£125
1 pair childrens boots ~£80
Is that queue time worth £200+ to you - remembering that you'll probably only get 1 season out of the boots and 2/3 out of the skis?
Personally I'd look at a different hiring arrangement. Maybe a different shop in the same resort or a different resort - in Morzine this half term we had a pair of 1 adult/2 children families hiring from 2 different shops and neither took more than 30min to collect/under 10 to return. |
Except it isn't 200+ every year; typically you'll get at least ~50% back (shops here have schemes that guarantee that), and as noted you don't have to buy new stuff. That said some years we have gone through 3 sets of boots  , so don't assume you can buy some in November and when you get them out in February or March they will still fit!
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Wed 8-03-23 0:30; edited 2 times in total
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Plus when it came to my kids skis the most I paid for brand new was £80. Significantly less for the second-hand ones.
Boots ended up about that for the new ones
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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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@NickyJ, same for us, we've picked up skis and boots in the summer sales for round about those prices.
We've been in Canada for the last two trips so it's worked out no more expensive than hiring.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Always bought kit for my 4 kids. But then we ski quite a lot, and live in Scotland so ski here when possible also. Sometimes hire skis also if someone wants to try something different and there is good quality available. Does not seem to work out more expensive than renting (2 x skis per sportube on EasyJet is no problem). Lots of opportunity to hand down to next in line and I have a clear out once in a while (normally donated to friends and family).
It does depend quite a bit on level of skiing though. If your kids are advanced then they will want good kit and appreciate the difference. If they are less so, it makes less difference.
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We started off hiring but I think like those above mentioned the quality of the kids boots were not great and I don’t think they were comfortable.
I started buying equipment when we thought we were going to Canada and the hire prices are crazy out there. But we didn’t get there because of Covid. But using own kit a few years later was really worth while - the kids were happier, I knew their boots fitted them and I have managed to get nearly new stuff for great prices and where I have bought new managed to sell for nearly the same price once they have finished with them so haven’t lost much and saved a fortune on hire costs. We drive so there are no sports equipment fees.
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@Henwc, ...the bit which I noticed in your post was ‘as long as I am prepared to remove bindings..’ which - as you probably know - is fine with tracked bindings but not with screw mounted, since they would need to be reinstalled with wood glue and will be a bit compromised each time they are removed.
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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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| valais2 wrote: |
| @Henwc, ...the bit which I noticed in your post was ‘as long as I am prepared to remove bindings..’ which - as you probably know - is fine with tracked bindings but not with screw mounted, since they would need to be reinstalled with wood glue and will be a bit compromised each time they are removed. |
Good point!
@Henwc, to get the 4 pairs in a double ski bag we retracted breaks, and put skis in binding to bindig 1 rotated 180 to the other.
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Thanks all, I'm pretty sure I can get reasonably priced second hand pairs on eBay so and overall the cost will be lower than the equivalent hire for the quality. It's really a balance of effort between hiring and buying once all the faff is taken into account. Boots are much easier overall and the second hand prices are excellent so I'm going to get boots at least. I'll look into the skis in more detail but I'll probably wait until late summer.
@valais2, Sorry I was a bit lax in the wording on the bindings I meant take off as much as I can, so yes for screw mounted it would just be the brakes.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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well, we 'bought' the skis/boots for our 3-year-old almost by accident. We rented them for two weeks, and it got to 80 euros for rental. Then I asked them if we can buy them instead of paying the rent, and he said yeah that'd be 60 euros- and he even changed them to another pair one size up for the next year... as surreal as it was, but it made perfect sense for us 
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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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We rented while they were outgrowing stuff each year, then bought. Regardless, beware when grabbing them off the rack outside the lodge: lots of kid's skis look the same because they are the same. Real easy to grab the wrong ones...
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