 Poster: A snowHead
|
@Belch, I run the marketing for a UK fishing company and can attest to the expense and investment some people put in.
Only the other day, one of our ambassadors was saying he’ll put £1000 per month into match fishing on weekends, and this is a guy who gets his gear FOC; so we’re just talking match fees, travel, bait… no outlay on tackle other than consumables. Definitely a hobby that sees some serious investment for not always equal return
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
| under a new name wrote: |
| ... think you end up with diminishing returns. ... I reckoned I'd skied about 1,300 days? that was 21 years ago and about 50-60 days a year ... |
That's a lot. After 1,000 or so deep powder days I thought I may have peaked, but then... I discovered some new equipment designs which completely changed my game. QED.
No one's suggesting poor people should go without food to buy toys which they've not tried and which won't turn them into experts. That's a straw man argument on steroids.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
| abc wrote: |
| ....On the occasion when I do travel to bike in places I don’t live near, I tend to overnight in a tent (free or nominal cost) and have grill steak/fish/vegetable by the camp fire. None of that $50 dinner at some overpriced resort/tourist restaurant.... |
I have to admit that my cycling has gone from just being something I do, to something that dominates my life and trips away to cycle in various places are now a common occurrence, almost essential for me and ingrained in the calendar.... not at the point where I could convince my riding buddy to stay in a tent though. LOL
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
@Specialman, I was down at Lac Serre Poncon last year and I saw guys with so much tech with their fishing gear, rods hooked up to a laptop? Radar on a small electric dinghy that also distributed bait in the air, then there were all their shelters and loads of other stuff, quite staggering!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
@Specialman, I was down at Lac Serre Poncon last year and I saw guys with so much tech with their fishing gear, rods hooked up to a laptop? Radar on a small electric dinghy that also distributed bait in the air, then there were all their shelters and loads of other stuff, quite staggering!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
It depends on the skier. I’ve had >1 holiday ruined because I couldn’t rent skis I liked so now I tend to buy. If you’re spending £000s on a holiday, you may as well enjoy it!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Specialman wrote: |
| abc wrote: |
| ....On the occasion when I do travel to bike in places I don’t live near, I tend to overnight in a tent (free or nominal cost) and have grill steak/fish/vegetable by the camp fire. None of that $50 dinner at some overpriced resort/tourist restaurant.... |
I have to admit that my cycling has gone from just being something I do, to something that dominates my life and trips away to cycle in various places are now a common occurrence, almost essential for me and ingrained in the calendar.... not at the point where I could convince my riding buddy to stay in a tent though. LOL |
I went through a period that I was crazy about cycling (yes, calendar was anchored by cycling events  ), which I’m now no longer in. (I also went through another period that I was crazy about skiing, though never quite to the same level of obsession as cycling)
Still, I live in a region with good cycling terrain/weather (cool and pleasant in spring/summer/autumn, variety of flat to hilly to mountainous terrain). So there’s not a lot of motivation to travel far away to cycle. At most, I drive for a few hours and spend a 3 day weekend if I feel like I want to explore in-depth of a different locale. As for camping, I just enjoy sleeping under the stars instead of in a small unfamiliar room. (The pleasant weather helps)
The same isn’t so for skiing. Although there’re mountains and snow, it isn’t very reliable. But the main problem is the snow quality isn’t too good. Often icy, plus the weather goes from bitterly cold to too warm in a matter of hours. So there’s a lot of motivation for traveling to ski at locations where the skiing experience is a lot more enjoyable. Camping in the winter isn’t for the faint of heart, which I’m afraid I am. After a day of skiing, I prefer a warm bed, and a soak in the hot tub if available. All that, on top of lift passes, adds up in terms of expense.
There are of course some traveling for either activity where the destination is exotic enough that the bike/skis are just the excuse rather than the real purpose. But the truth is, I really prefer to bike than to use my bike as a travel excuse. On the other hand, that doesn’t apply to skiing. I do use my skis as an excuse to travel to places I normally don’t go. But that’s balanced against all other interests. For example, for me skiing in Europe/Japan falls under the ski-as-excuse category.
I have yet another hobby that I travel extensively to do, which is kayaking. That took up the lion’s share of my (what someone suggests as “pathetically short”) annual leaves. Skiing had to fight against that to get enough days. Between kayaking and skiing, I really don’t have a lot of holidays to travel for cycling. Though fortunately, I didn’t feel the need to travel for the latter.
As such, there’s no “opportunity cost” for skiing due to the cost of gear purchase. For the limited amount of skiing I do (2-3 trips/year ~20 days), I’d happily spent whatever on gear that enhances my enjoyment. And whatever the extra expense for better gear maybe, it pales compared to the travel expense.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I dunno how peoplecould spend so much coin on fishing. I buy a fly rod and reel once every 10 years or so, $150 on an annual licence and maybe another $200 a year on tackle. I fish maybe 60-100 times a year. I’m lucky to live in amongst world class trout fishing rivers.
Never spend money on travel, just take a tent and a pack raft.
Chasing snow though - different story. I never add it up but chatting with mates we are all around $30k a year. Mostly travel overseas and heli time at home. I destroy my gear. Not brave enough to rent 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| Quote: |
Do you NOT want to pay for the newest innovation that fits your need, even though you know its price will likely drop as the new features “trickle down” into less expensive models?
|
It depends how much the cost is and how much it would improve something for me. As I said above I will happily pay for the most expensive gear if it actually is the best and relevant to my needs. E.g. i bought a pair of la sportiva sm G2 boots at RRP when they were brand new out, because when you are going to 7000m you need to trust your gear and not be worrying about frostbite! On the other hand my bike is a cheap gravel decathlon bike, which I've toured across Europe on. I also have a an entry level canyon mountain bike I've completed silk road mountain race on. Do I think having a top of the range bike would have made either of those things more enjoyable - not really.
As for the running comments. Go to any big marathon and you will see thousands of "recreational" runners that are not seriously competitive with anyone but themselves. Watch the people coming over the finish line in 4 hours (far from competitive time for "serious" runners) and look how many have £200+ trainers, £500+ watch, nice race kit, consuming expensive gels etc.
Some of us have multiple hobbies, plus travel, plus other things we want to do. It's about balancing those things. I could cancel my Nepal trip and instead buy a new top of the range splitboard and most expensive clothing I can find. It would absolutely not be worth it when the gear I have works fine, and there are much cheaper clothing alternatives that will be more than sufficient for my needs. I don't understand why this is particularly controversial - I suspect the vast majority don't have enough disposable income they can just buy whatever they want without having to sacrifice in other areas.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| boarder2020 wrote: |
| ......As for the running comments. Go to any big marathon and you will see thousands of "recreational" runners that are not seriously competitive with anyone but themselves. Watch the people coming over the finish line in 4 hours (far from competitive time for "serious" runners) and look how many have £200+ trainers, £500+ watch, nice race kit, consuming expensive gels etc....... |
Sorry that's utter bollox.....
When back in the UK we compete nigh on every weekend in ParkRuns, our local run attracts circa 650 runners, we then often run local 10km races and Halves (and I've run a good few marathons), and then out in France Trail races and when back in the UK train with our local running club, and we buy our shoes from an actual bricks n'mortar shop , who provides superb service/shoe fitting etc and we often nag about gear etc and he does not even stock uber high-end shoes!!
In every Sport there are people with far more disposable income than others and they will splash the cash, I'm sure those anglers I saw were in the top 0.5%, likewise the vast % of runners I run alongside are not splashing the cash, many have very simple sports watches.
And skiing all season in resort most people are not wearing top gear, it's only a very top % that are tooled up with the latest, though Serre Che is thankfully not up with the likes of Verbier, Val & Trois Vallees etc where I have seen obvious flashing the cash.
However the tables turn in the Summer as here is the Mecca for cycling and people travel across the world to cycle up our Cols, and we often host Etape de Tours etc and then you see a lot of $$$ on the roads, but at the same time you'll see the likes of boarder2020 on bikes costing a 10th of others cycling across Europe.
Each to their own.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
@Specialman, Interesting - who do you work for? (send me a PM)
Match fishing as stated can be an even more expensive affliction - its also got a 'gambling' related twist to it as at certain levels the right peg can pay dividends and I can see how this could be addictive . . .Like skiing, fishing for me is effectively escaping from the real world for a short period of time and for me both are effectively 'active meditation' . . .
Like all hobbies, for some part of the joy is being able to use the best gear you can afford; whether that's skiing / fishing / cycling / running whatever. As previously stated, who cares if it actually makes a difference in terms of performance - if it makes you feel good then so be it. Did quite a lot of work with Nike in the 00's and the ethos was always the same - Watch your hero / Dress like your hero / Play like your hero . . . maybe I've been brainwashed but then so have many others!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
@Weathercam, I've seen it myself with friends and family members who sign up to do their first marathon. Spend a small fortune on all the gear - including carbon shoes to "run" 5+ hours.
My friend (who is a very good runner) paced his sister in London marathon and took a photo of their starting pen (estimated finish time 4:30). Lots of carbon shoes and fancy gear. The comment with the photo was "if only these people spent as much on coaching and a dietician than running gear they wouldn't be in the 4:30 pen!".
This survey (which I'll accept is skewed by the fact those likely to complete a running survey are more serious than the average) found average spend was nearly $1800 per year.
https://www.runnersworld.com/gear/a63150921/average-cost-of-running/
I am no longer surprised when I hear about people (regardless of level) spending huge amounts on their hobby. I would never have guessed fishing could be as expensive as from the comments above indicate! But I can accept it's true. I find it weird that just because you don't spend a lot running you assume that has to be the case for everyone. It's like me saying no recreation cyclists are not spending £10k on a carbon bike with electric gears because I don't.
Also I don't think level/interest necessarily correlates with spending. I'm sure some will spend more on their single week holiday than my current 2 months on snow is costing. Although according to @abc, touring isn't skiing/snowboarding so perhaps it doesn't count 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Belch wrote: |
| ....... Watch your hero / Dress like your hero / Play like your hero.... |
That definitely rings true and I suppose, that is sometimes a factor in what gear you do end up buying into.
When I was snowboarding I was all over certain athletes - Hakkenson, Travis Rice, Gig Ruf - and they did inspire me to dream about snowboarding in their footsteps, to the point I would be influenced to attach myself to the brands they were with. I was in my 20s then, thought snowboarding was edgy AF and I was part of a cool 'tribe'.
With skiing I feel less affinity to the athletes nowadays - maybe because I'm in marketing so can see through it a little, maybe I'm just old old and grumpy! - but I think it's also because I've taken up skiing later in life and I don't yet know what kind of skier I want to be, or maybe because I just see skiing as a holiday activity due to the fact it's so costly. When I go cycling I can can do that daily and I can picture myself riding the same roads as the pros, a bit like fishing where I can mix with the 'elite' on a daily basis, but skiing still seems like a treat, a total escape that I have to pay for the privilege of.
My lad has properly gotten into snowboarding and he's very much aligning himself with the new breed of influencers such as Jonathan Buckhouse and other YouTubers. He sees all the youth brands and wants the clothing - just bought him a Dope snow jacket off Vinted and he was well happy. Not my thing but if that makes him happy then cool.
Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much  on Mon 10-02-25 13:32; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
| Quote: |
....... Watch your hero / Dress like your hero / Play like your hero....
|
Reminds me of the classic Charles Barkley quote
"These are my new shoes. They're good shoes. They won't make you rich like me, they won't make you rebound like me, they definitely won't make you handsome like me. They'll only make you have shoes like me. That's it."
Bit too honest I think
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
@boarder2020, whohe?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
Snowboarder and split boarder.
I think have the right equipment makes a huge difference in terms of enjoyment. Top of my list would be boots, socks, board, bindings and goggles.
It doesn’t always have to be the most expensive gear but the right gear.
My wife picked up some hard shell salopettes and new hardshell jacket for £90 they work a dream. Decathlon base and mid layers work great.
Goggles is a place I would spend money. I use Smith Squad XL chroma pop storm and chroma pop every day lenses got them new for about £100. That storm lens in flat light works miracles. Have tested Oakley Prizm and they’re similarly great.
TBH if you are just getting gear for the pistes it’s not a very expensive sport.
So yes buy gear but focus on trying things out and getting the right gear.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
@boarder2020, Obviously not in sales as a pro-basketball player - not sure whether he was Nike endorsement either - he ain't no Michael Jordan (who like PSG has his own Nike sub brand) so maybe his personality didn't quite fit!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
| boarder2020 wrote: |
| As for the running comments. Go to any big marathon and you will see thousands of "recreational" runners that are not seriously competitive with anyone but themselves. Watch the people coming over the finish line in 4 hours (far from competitive time for "serious" runners) and look how many have £200+ trainers, £500+ watch, nice race kit, consuming expensive gels etc. |
I don’t have to “go” to “any big marathon”. I only need to walk down the street! 50,000 runners from all over the world come to the New York City Marathon every November! If that’s not a “big” marathon, I don’t know what is.
One of my good friend ran it 7 years straight! That alone is a feast in itself: you don’t just pay and then run, you have to QUALIFY to run it. That means you had to have run some other races with respectable time to get in. So, these “recreational runners” are competing with others, not just themselves. Before they even get to the starting line… (there’s also a lottery for a portion of the spots, “foreigner” have priority in the lottery)
I’ve been along the road watching them go by for many of those years, cheering them on. Of those “recreational runners” majority of them aren’t sporting high end shoes and kits. (Yes, I used to know all the brands and models because my mate talks about it endlessly). But then, none of them are running on shoes they bought in Walmart either!
| boarder2020 wrote: |
@Weathercam, I've seen it myself with friends and family members who sign up to do their first marathon. Spend a small fortune on all the gear - including carbon shoes to "run" 5+ hours.
My friend (who is a very good runner) paced his sister in London marathon and took a photo of their starting pen (estimated finish time 4:30). Lots of carbon shoes and fancy gear. The comment with the photo was "if only these people spent as much on coaching and a dietician than running gear they wouldn't be in the 4:30 pen!". |
You sound as though coaching and dietician cost less than running shoes. 
| Quote: |
| I find it weird that just because you don't spend a lot running you assume that has to be the case for everyone. It's like me saying no recreation cyclists are not spending £10k on a carbon bike with electric gears because I don't. |
I don’t believe that’s what he’s saying. However, the majority of runners and cyclists are NOT spending £1k on shoes or £10k on bikes. I’m a member of several recreational cycling clubs where Sunday rides are typically range 50-150 miles. I would call that “serious” albeit recreational cyclists! Yet, I only saw maybe 10% of them are sporting bikes of that kind. Keep in mind this is the New York City area, where members tend to be relatively affluent. (When your apartment rent is $3000/month, what’s a few hundred for a pair of shoes that will give you enjoyment for at least 6 months?)
| Quote: |
| Also I don't think level/interest necessarily correlates with spending. I'm sure some will spend more on their single week holiday than my current 2 months on snow is costing. |
That is 100% true. It has a lot more to do with income level instead. 
| Quote: |
| consuming expensive gels etc. |
If your definition of “expensive” is consuming gels…
No wonder we’re talking past each other. I have boxes and boxes of gels of various brands in my apartment! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| Quote: |
And back to Decathlon, they do a really good range of energy products at very good prices
|
Decathlon energy gels are about £1.25 each. You would want at least 2 per hour for optimal fueling (arguably 3 would be better). Say you only use them on your long rides of 3 hours once per week at 2 per hour that's £390 per year. Not an insignificant hidden cost. For someone doing a lot of training it can quickly add up.
The more expensive gels like maurten are about double the cost (although slightly larger).
Plain old table sugar is a good cheap alternative. Also a bit more flexible in that you can control the exact amount you want.
| Quote: |
As I said, the local 5-10km & Half's club races & Parkruns are just your local runners who would never stomp up that much cash for shoes etc
|
There are only a few at my local athletics club and tri club that don't have a pair of carbon running shoes. The vast majority would describe themselves as "not particularly fast" and "recreational". But why not if you can afford them - unlike expensive ski clothing they will actually improve your performance If I was more interested in road running I'd definitely buy a pair, it's a case where buying the expensive top end makes sense. But I'm not racing (my 18:45 5k is definitely not a competitive time!) and the road running I do is just training for other stuff so the money is better spent on things I'm more interested in.
Asics superblasts, which many would consider to be the best non carbon shoe available, is £200 and almost impossible to buy because they are always sold out. So clearly there is a big demand (unless you want to believe a company like ASICS are deliberately producing less and leaving money on the table).
Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any research looking at percentage of recreational runners wearing carbon shoes so I guess we will just have to say our anecdotal experience is different.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| Quote: |
Asics superblasts, which many would consider to be the best non carbon shoe available, is £200 and almost impossible to buy because they are always sold out. So clearly there is a big demand (unless you want to believe a company like ASICS are deliberately producing less and leaving money on the table).
|
An interesting point, in the context of thread title.
I'd seriously doubt that they would be anything more than $10 ex factory, with the rest in marketing, intellectual property? Etc, etc.
An illustration of image over cost. Wouldn't be at all surprising if supply was restricted (or made to appear so) in market making /gaming people's wants.
There's no suggestion from me that they are not effective, purely one of market price over manufactured item cost.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Weathercam, the portion allotted to “charity” are relatively small when compared to the lottery pool. And since “foreigners” have priority, the chance of getting in is actually pretty good.
As much draw as NYC has for the general population, it isn’t (or at least doesn’t seem to be) as big a draw for marathon runners. Not a huge number of non-citizens fight for the available spots. So you have a decent chance of getting in by simply throwing your name into the lottery without having to raise/pay a large sum of money.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| boarder2020 wrote: |
| Quote: |
And back to Decathlon, they do a really good range of energy products at very good prices
|
Decathlon energy gels are about £1.25 each. You would want at least 2 per hour for optimal fueling (arguably 3 would be better). Say you only use them on your long rides of 3 hours once per week at 2 per hour that's £390 per year. Not an insignificant hidden cost. For someone doing a lot of training it can quickly add up.
The more expensive gels like maurten are about double the cost (although slightly larger). |
I don’t often buy mine from Decathlon individually. I bought them bulk (in boxes) online. It didn’t cost me as much as yours (I have stopped riding for “big events” lately, so haven’t bought new ones for a while).
Also, I don’t do gels for “building base miles”. I eat normally. Gels are only for “performance”, aka when training for events and in actual events. (Which brings up another offsetting factor: you do need more calories when you exercise rigorously. So the gel cost is offset by the cost of “sugar tablet” aka normal food you otherwise need to consume)
| Quote: |
| Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any research looking at percentage of recreational runners wearing carbon shoes so I guess we will just have to say our anecdotal experience is different. |
We do know (or someone knows) the percentage of carbon vs non-carbon running shoes sold. Granted, we don’t know how many of those non-carbon shoes are merely sitting in people’s closet (or landfill)
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| Quote: |
I don’t often buy mine from Decathlon individually. I bought them bulk (in boxes) online.
|
The cost I referenced was for a pack of 4. Looks like they do a bigger pack which is slightly cheaper per gel. But why are you buying inferior decathlon gels anyway? You need some Maurten gels with their "Hydrogel Technology" at £3.80 per 25g gel (yes that's buying in bulk!). You must be poor
At one point Maurten were an iron man sponsor and they had them at the aid stations. There was a joke about trying to pocket enough gels to cover your race fee.
| Quote: |
the gel cost is offset by the cost of “sugar tablet” aka normal food you otherwise need to consume
|
Like I said table sugar is great. Especially if you are cycling in which case a bottle is easily stored so gel not really an advantage to liquid. 1kg bag of sugar works out about 3-4p per gel equivalent of g carbs.
| Quote: |
Granted, we don’t know how many of those non-carbon shoes are merely sitting in people’s closet (or landfill)
|
Well they are really only for racing and maybe some harder sessions. So even the pros are doing the majority of their training in "normal" shoes. So it makes sense you don't see them a lot.
@ski3, yes, my thoughts are that they are not particularly expensive to make. I can see the justification for luxury brands to limit supply (although they surely mainly do it through cost alone rather than limiting production?). But running shoes just don't make sense to me. Especially as usually when a great shoe comes out it's surpassed (or at least equalled) by competitors, who presumably "steal" the tech. So you have maybe 2 years to sell as many as possible. Nike being the most popular shoe brand certainly hasn't hurt their sales or profitability!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
So, to recap: did we work out if we all notice the difference between bronze and gold level ski kit when we do one trip a year?....
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
I'm actually impressed their recommended dosing per hour is so high. Especially when they could suggest a lower does and claim more servings per tub. I'm not sure why it's "short duration" you use exactly the same concentration for longer. The margin on sports nutrition is crazy. If you have the desire you can make the same product for pennies 2kg glucose, 1kg fructose, bag of sodium citrate- mix at the desired ratio. Forget the bcaas which have been debunked. I'm too lazy to even mix glucose and fructose these days, so just use regular table sugar which is close enough to the optimum ratio to make no real difference to someone like me who is just doing these things recreationally - I'm not sure even with lab testing it would be a significant difference. Same with sodium citrate I'll just put a pinch of table salt in.
I guess it depends how much you value the convenience to wether the premixed stuff is worth it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
| Specialman wrote: |
Q: How much does the kit you have at your disposal affect YOUR overall experience on the slopes?
Was thinking about this while booking the next holiday and wondered how  s view the kit they choose from a rental shop in terms of if it helps, hinders or just generally alters the experience positively or negatively, especially as we move up the price/quality tier?
Do you feel you notice the difference between rental kit levels and does it improve your personal experience?
Do you just like the finer things in life so insist on paying the most and getting the best kit regardless of any benefits it brings?
Or have you transcended the rental stage and think there’s nothing like having your own gear due to skill or just general tartiness?
It also got me questioning about whether owning gear – such as ski boots for example – is a natural progression for a lot of normal holiday skiers - maybe even a necessity - or whether it's just 'nice to have'?
I’m a relative newcomer to skiing (3wks on dual planks) so I rent and although I’ve opted for mid-level gear on the last occasion, I’m pretty sure it’s more about honing technique at this stage and being taught correctly, than worrying about ski and boot flex, I’m a ‘holiday’ skier who does it once or twice a year. However, when I snowboarded regularly (abroad and in a fridge on a weekly basis) I had boots, board and bindings that travelled with me that worked for my style of riding and they were good quality at the time.
These days, since I’ve switched to skiing – and we have the kids with us, which pushes the price up – renting seems the natural choice due to cost and convenience.
Be interesting to hear people’s take on the kit situation and if your POV has changed over the year for one reason or another… |
IMO, if you are committed to skiing, after a few weeks owning your own well-fitted boots is an absolute MUST.
Skis, that's hard to say. I would find a quality rental shop and try as many different kinds as they offer, from the softest beginner deep sidecut piste skies to wider all-mountains, even try an expert ski beyond your ability for a day or so. See how you feel on different skis and whether some really stand out for you. I've settled on mid-80s all-mountain as my sweet spot.
If you can afford it and don't mind lugging skis around airports or on your car, buy your own. Why not? Same for kids, again, if you can afford it, go for it. You can also buy good used gear if you know what you're doing but that's a bit of a crapshoot. Plus you have to keep them waxed/sharpened.
If it's a price or convenience issue, and you're not dedicated to continually improving, renting is just fine, especially if you're only skiing a week or two a year.
Other things to spend money on: Gloves and goggles. Clothing is very personal, I've found. Helmets...I just rented for years but a few years ago I bought my own and it's much nicer, though I had some great fitting rentals ones, too. they do take up space in luggage.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
@Pasigal, I never thought of buying children!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
| Gordyjh wrote: |
| @Pasigal, I never thought of buying children! |
Me neither ! I did once put mine up for sale on eBay though.
The ad stayed up just long enough for me to show them ... but was taken down shortly thereafter and I got a very shirty message from eBay saying that it wasn't funny and my account would be deleted if I did anything like that again.
However, it was absolutely worth it to see their faces. They'd been misbehaving and, completely exasperated, I said "If you don't behave then I'll sell you". I got the response ... "You can't do that". Hence the eBay posting in which I suggested they might be ideal for medical experimentation and put a reserve price of one pound.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| Gordyjh wrote: |
| @Pasigal, I never thought of buying children! |
I've often thought of selling ours. in "as is" condition...
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| Pasigal wrote: |
IMO, if you are committed to skiing, after a few weeks owning your own well-fitted boots is an absolute MUST.
Skis, that's hard to say. I would find a quality rental shop and try as many different kinds as they offer, from the softest beginner deep sidecut piste skies to wider all-mountains, even try an expert ski beyond your ability for a day or so. See how you feel on different skis and whether some really stand out for you. I've settled on mid-80s all-mountain as my sweet spot.
If you can afford it and don't mind lugging skis around airports or on your car, buy your own. |
I'm definitely in the 'buy your own skis' camp. The hassle in transporting them around is easily offset by ...
a. the convenience of NOT having to go to a crowded rental shop in resort
b. knowing that they are tuned and prepared as you prefer
What I found was that, when I had to rent a couple of times, although I rented the same make/model as my own they still felt quite different to mine. As such, if you want to improve I'd say you need to buy your own so that the baseline of performance is consistent and the changes you develop with your instructor are therefore the determining factor.
All that said, full disclosure, I'm a competitive sports fanatic. I view skiing as a sport rather than just a recreation and I spend time and money on training to get better. If, like my partner, you're much more into the "it's a winter holiday" mindset and you don't do it so much then it probably doesn't make sense to incur the cost.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
@Pasigal, How about renting them? Being a proud father of 3x I've considered this but the legalities are complex . . . 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Blackblade wrote: |
| All that said, full disclosure, I'm a competitive sports fanatic. I view skiing as a sport rather than just a recreation and I spend time and money on training to get better. If, like my partner, you're much more into the "it's a winter holiday" mindset and you don't do it so much then it probably doesn't make sense to incur the cost. |
I got the impression OP is a holiday skier.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
