Back in the market for skis

A snowHead

Hi

My wife and I ski annually, but this year we are taking two separate ski trips (I am not sure if this is me having a mid life crisis). We both would like to ski more regularly, but don’t have a realistic way of achieving that (we have two kids and live in the UK), so mostly European trips are on the cards; we have a trip in just under 2 weeks.

Anyway, I have regularly skied since I was 6, the other half since she was in her 20s (after we met). I am 90kg, 187cm and a strong intermediate (but late 40s). My wife is same age, 160cm and about 65kg. Intermediate. We have both just splashed out on boots and had them fitted, after years of renting.

I would like to look at some skis for us both. I think I’d like all mountain so I can dabble in a bit of off piste, but I think my other half would be happy with piste only. Anyway, I last bought skis in 1999, so technology has moved on.

I have been looking at Glisshop and Absolute Snow. So questions:

(A) any other places to look?
(B) any bargains/recommended skis to go for?
(C) Is ownership worth it? Renting ski/hire for 2 separate weeks pretty much is equivalent with a pair of discounted/budget skis. But we do plan more trips and are hoping to head for a longer ski trip in North America to celebrate us closing in on 50 yrs…

A snowHead

You might find that you improve quickly after buying professionally fitted boots, so renting skis for a while might not be a terrible idea until you get a better idea of what works well for you. Personally, I dislike being on a compromise ski when skiing *on* piste. I understand the appeal of all mountain skis but gained more skills, and had more fun, using dedicated piste skis.

It's good to be brutally honest with yourself and think about how much time you will realistically spend off piste. If you're renting, you can swap piste skis for something wider, and back again, whenever you feel like it, and you get to feel the differences between brands, models and lengths before you buy.

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

I would greatly second the comment above about taking a clear eyed look at what type of skiing and conditions you are actually going to spend your time doing. It is very easy to buy skis for those magic days only to find they are quite compromised for the 95% of skiing you actually do (bit of an exaggeration to make the point). There is the piste vs off piste question and also what kind of off piste - are you planning to just hop off the sides and play in the bumps/deep snow or are you planning to hike off well away from the pistes? The big question in my opinion regarding skiing style is are you carving (or wanting to) most of the time or is your style more of sliding the tails out to control speed? If you like to let the tails slide a lot, a slightly wider ski is less of an issue. If you are mainly carving (or want to improve that way) then a narrower ski is significantly better.

I would suggest: if you are more of a brushed turn skier and planning to be on piste 90% of the time maybe look at something in the high 70s to mid 80's waist width with a little bit of tip rocker.

If you are / want to be a carver don't go wider than mid/high 70s waist width and full camber.

If you really plan to spend time off piste you probably want something 90+ waist width but know that this will compromise your on piste skiing (especially if things are a bit icy).

All ski design is a series of compromises (regardless of what the marketing bs says). You could think about getting a piste focused ski and maybe later picking up a properly off piste focused ski for the deep days (maybe second hand). If you get them with removable bindings (either ski) it is not hard to slip the second pair into your ski bag for air or car travel.

I think having your own gear is worth it (despite rental gear getting better these days). You get used to it and that helps you to ski better especially when the going gets tough. Buy yourself an edge sharpener, use it little and often and you will probably get much better performance than rental skis (especially on icy pistes).

Others may disagree with the specifics but my thoughts anyway. Hope that is helpful.

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@Gribble69, Welcome to snowHead

In answer to your questions:

(A) Ekosport

(B) If you want an AM ski, then (imv) get ones that have a heavy Piste bias eg. Rossignol Experience 82Ti or Elan Wingman 82 CTi. As highlighted above - A Piste ski is the best choice for piste skiing...but personal preference is always an important factor.

For your wife, you could check out the Head "Joy" series and pick the one that is most suitable re Speed, Stability, Turn Radius and Waist width.
https://www.head.com/en/ski/skis/women.html

(C) IMV. Ownership is more than simply about cost eg. Consistency; Preference; Control over tuning; Avoiding scramble at hire shop etc

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Personally I'd always 'try before you buy.

One option is to keep hiring for now but either doing it by the day or with a package that permits multiple changes of skis, depening on resort/hire shop. If going this route hire 'normally' for the first day or two so you can get out on the snow, then spend the apres ski walking around town to see which shops have which skis. From there you can either talk to a retail shop about what you're after and most will have demo skis you can take out on a 'hire to buy' basis, where if you pay a daily hire fee but if you decide to buy themn at the end of the week they will knock the hire cost of the sticker price. Or you can just go into a rental shop asking for specific skis/saying the type of ski you're looking to hire/buy and which ones you've already tried so they give you something different. If you try and do this on Saturday evening/Sunday and you won't always get the best service as they have a queue of simple hires going out the door. Do it mid week and the ski tech's will often be board out of their minds and up for helping someone with something more interesting than "My boots hurt" requests.

The other option is to hold out and hit up Oktobertest at Hemel (see snowEvents forum section). Despite being ideal terratory for short turn skis you only tend to get a couple of pairs of short turn skis so it's mainly all mountain and wider on test.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Oktobertest may be a thing of the past with demo fleets in the UK being scarce to non existent as a Brexit bonus.

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

@Gribble69, I would question if it is really worth buying skis rather than renting. I go maybe 6 or 7 weekends a year. I have looked at buying but have stuck with renting. Partly this is down to the faff factor of lugging them onto a train and then back again. Mainly it is down to cost. I go with high end skis these days but think the money thing would be the same for less expensive skis. I have settled on Stöckli Montero AX skis which are in the second mortgage category, maybe I could find a pair of last year's model for around €1000. Hiring costs me €110 for the weekend but that includes storage next to the lift for the skis (and boots - mine). The cost of rental clearly includes waxing etc plus any repairs that might be needed. This is a consideration, last weekend hit an unexpected rock / stone (on a ski route so not off piste) which took a big lump out of the base and maybe damaged the edge. No idea how much a repair would cost but would guess around €100 but in this case it cost me nothing.

Buying would probably cover its cost over two seasons but I would be stuck with the same skis which I would have to keep in decent nick (or pay someone to do so) and also lug around. I can also try out different skis if I want too. I understand this is based on knowing there will be a reliable hire shop at the location (true in most of the larger places) and so having a decent selection of the skis you want. However I think this gives more flexibility and is probably more cost effective (though like anything ski related not cheap!).

After all it is free

Ah. The old question of the 1 ski quiver, particularly for the holiday skier.

I love my QST98. OK they aren't as good on piste as a more GS style ski it's true but they carve pretty well. They may not turn on a sixpence but for the days when I wake up and it's all virgin out there I don't have to faff about going down the hire shop to gets some phatties which is a very important consideration in my book. A mate has the QST92 and loves them, maybe those would suit you better.

If you want something that will perform in the softer stuff unless you're brilliant something with a <85 waist just won't do.

Why did I pick these? Masses of research online and an amazing price match deal with Absolute snow for planks and bindings but Ekosport are just as good a place. Under £400. Can't really complain when all my preferred alternatives were over the £600 mark at least.

Just my opinion for what it's worth. But really I wouldn't listen to me, I really loved my 8.9 BBRs! Laughing

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Do you want kit? You do want kit, really, don't you? That's me, that is.

If not, rent the skis. You'll get the latest fashions and have a much easier journey to the snow.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

@joffy69, Never had a lot of luck renting. I and my mates have been given some right old tosh, from knackered old skis from the shop's loft that hadn't seen the light of day, let alone an edge and wax for years (Alpe D'Huez), to skis with bindings that were actually loose on the ski (Les Arc 1800).

I've had my own kit for years, keep it until it breaks/wears out then buy more.

snow reports

Well, a big thankyou to all for your advice. So confession time, it went wrong and I got overexcited by interwebs research.

So some reasons for this (A) like some above, I have had limited quality rental skis more than once. Not a big deal, but i decided enough is enough. The rental availability in some EU resorts can be limited in choice; sometimes the bigger resorts have a good range, but on some trips we have just gone for the rental location that is the most convenient for where we are staying. (B) Yeah, I like the idea of my own stuff. Even if I can not justify it. (C) Genuinely, I think it will pay for itself in a couple of seasons. (D) transport for me isn’t usually an issue, we are often driving to where we are skiing. I’ve bought a bag for travel that will take both pairs of skis (to help with flying and keep them together when in the car).

Anyway, I bought my wife some Head Joy skis and for myself I have gone for Elan Ripsticks. Glisshop had deals. I will see if I have been too hasty and go and look for two pairs of piste focused skis again in the next season or two! Shocked

I bought Head SuperJoy skis this season off a handful of reviews and was pleasantly surprised. Very easy to ski so hopefully your wife will approve!!

You know it makes sense.

Thanks Lampygirl. I hope she likes them - they are my early Valentine’s Day present.

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

I’ve just switched to Elan Ripstick 96’s @Gribble69, I really like them. Very easy to initiate a turn and I’m at best a mediocre skier so by no means a handful for my technique.

A snowHead

Thanks big tub - looking forward to trying them.

A snowHead

I think your wife will love the Head Joys, I had Total Joys for 10 years until this year, so they were fantastic value for money and easy in a wide variety of conditions. Enjoy!@Gribble69,

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

So just following up here. I’d say overall ski purchases a success. We had also bought boots and it’s the first time I’ve managed to just get on and ski and not have to mess around with boots after the first day.

The Head Absolute Joys were really enjoyed by my wife - she synced well with the skis and probably was skiing as confidently as I’d remember her ever doing (we have skied together since our early 20s).

Rip Sticks were also fun; but took some getting used to compared to a piste/carving ski. They slide more than carve, but easy to initiate turns, much better in softer snow and great for short turns. I went for 180cm model, I’m 187cm and around 199lbs/92kg. So not sure if potentially I could have gone longer. Maybe it’s the motivation I need to lose 10kg of body fat!

We have another trip planned later this year and will see how I get on. Appreciate all the feedback and advice.

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Get your next trip to coincide with a ski test at a resort and try a fee that way. Someone asked here about a listing of those recently. or some bigger resorts have a test centre for a particular brand during the season.

You'll need to Register first of course.

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

After all it is free

On the ecconomics front. My last pair of skis have done 300 days and cost IIRC £600. During that tiem I have spent £30 on having them serviced in the resort and about £20 on wax and a new file. So the cost of ownership comes in at about £2 per day, a lot less than renting

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

I wouldnt bother buying skis at the mo. Enjoy those new boots. Rent skis and as already said swap around. Try different types. Remember you will pay min £50 to carry these on a plane and the hassle factor of lugging them about plus servicing costs. I have had a few pairs over the years and in the end i now prefer renting - but when you rent make sure they give you something decent. You may find that you and yr wife dont ski enough days per year to justify buying

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Back in the market for skis

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