 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all! I have recently signed for a position as a chalet girl in alpe d'huez for the coming season. This is my first season and I have 8 weeks ski experience. My question is:
Am i better off buying skis in the uk before I go out, or renting them out there for a season?
I am considering both practical and financial pros and cons. I know i will get a pretty good rate for renting for a season but would it be less or more expensive than buying my own.
Also the added cost of bindings and a ski bag would surely bring my total for buying up to around a grand?
If anyone has any advice it would be greatly appreciated 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@user1306, welcome to the madhouse
a lot will depend on which resort you are in as the partner store for the season rental will dictate the quality of what you get, that said most places will let you change a ski if you aren't getting on with it or for various other reasons
buying £1k gets you a pretty top end ski and binding set up, where are you based, there are a few independent ski shops around the uk that will have some decent skis in the sale, you could pick up a bargain, use it for the season then sell them on
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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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@user1306, Would not bother with buying skis --- but would get boots!
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@user1306, worth checking with your employer if they have any kind of deal that means you get rental skis for the season.
Also consider that you don't have to buy new skis, you can always save some money and pick up a pair second hand. You'll easily find something in the UK for less than £500, and a bag wouldn't cost you much at all, especially if you just went for something from Decathlon.
With the savings you make on 2nd hand skis, you can put that towards some good boots from @CEM! 
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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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Thank you all! I've got some great boots! I'm based in buckinghamshire so if anyone knows any ski shops around there please let me know
I will get into contact with my manager around pricing for a season hire.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Congrats on the job, fingers crossed for lots of snow.
Boots are everything, but you've got some. Skis - wait till you get to resort and at the beginning of the season the shops will probably have some of last years stock to unload at very reasonable prices. Befriend the staff in the shop that your company uses and they'll sort you out.... cake for skis!
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Buy second hand when you get there if your employer doesnt have a deal. Most rental shops have a vast treasure trove that they will unload for a decent price if you promise to send your punters their way....
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@user1306, 3 independent stores that are encircling you would be (nothing closer i am afraid)
lockwoods in leamington spa
Ski Exchange near cambridge
Bartletts in Hillingdon
the last two normally have lots of ski stock so will be clearing stuff as the new product comes in
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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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A mistake that lots of people seem to make is comparing the cost of buying top end skis vs the cost of hiring basic skis. If you want to hire a £1k pair of skis, it will cost you ££££££
However
With your experience, forgive me if I'm wrong, but you probably haven't tuned in to exactly how and what you like to ski, so taking out some demo skis when you get a chance would be good, try some friend's skis, etc
You could be very specific on what you like, or just happy to pootle along on any generic piste ski.
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@user1306, What I don't understand is why you want to buy skis in the UK and not in France. You will need to try them out before you buy them and that will be difficult in the UK. Normally ski shops will allow you a free day's hire to test the skis before you buy them. Clearly you are considering buying absolutely top of the range skis so you will need to test them throughly before passing over your money.
I've bought two pairs of skis in the last couple of years and IIRC paid less than £400 for each pair including bindings. I normally buy either ex rental skis or heavily discounted ones from last year's stock. You do not have to spend a fortune to get perfectly servicible skis.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@user1306, When you get there, rent some skis, find a nice young instructor to go for a ski with and they'll be happy to recommend a ski for you. Most ski shops will then give you a rent for the season price with an option to buy at the end. At least that's what we do in Austria.
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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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@user1306,
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I've got some great boots
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That's great!
As lot's have said -- it's really worth waiting... snow cover in December can be a bit thin, and you want want to wreck a new set of skis. Ski for a month or so, then you will have a better idea about what you might like... and by then you'll know the locals.. which should get you a better deal....
Lessons though --- definitely worth the time/expense (with the right instructor/coach)...
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Don't buy in the UK, skis are more expensive there generally, and you won't be able to test them out first. Your budget is easily enough to get some nice skis. As well as all the advice above, you also have the options of the local second hand market (online or local-local – figure out what the most popular buy/sell app is for skis), and the European discount sites (Ekosport, Sport Conrad etc.). As well as ski rental shops, you may also be able to test skis at a demo event – look out for one at the start of the season – and then you can buy them wherever you like.
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You know it makes sense.
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| hsdee wrote: |
| Skis - wait till you get to resort and at the beginning of the season the shops will probably have some of last years stock to unload at very reasonable prices. Befriend the staff in the shop that your company uses and they'll sort you out.... cake for skis! |
This.
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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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Go - get the cheapy provided or rental skis then look to buy secondhand or on deal what you decide you want once you are into it.
I have quite a large number of skis, some that I've skied the most have been ex demo or secondhand.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| user1306 wrote: |
Am i better off buying skis in the uk buying skis in the uk before I go out, or renting them out there for a season?
Also the added cost of bindings and a ski bag… |
That points to NOT buying in the UK.
Having owned a few pairs of skis, I’d advocate buying used for the first pair. Chances are, your preference in the kind of skiing will change as the season progress. So any skis you buy at this stage will likely be unsatisfactory half way through the season. Time to sell it and buy something else that suits you.
Renting is definitely an option. Just rent with an eye to potentially trying on many different kind of skis. Again, you can only do that when renting in resort.
So, if you come across a pair of used skis in the UK that’s priced very attractively, it maybe worth it. Otherwise, buy or rent in resort.
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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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@user1306, as others have mentioned, speak to your employer in resort first, to see if they have a deal with any of the local ski hire shops.
it may be a case that the chalet company sends all their clients to a specific shop to get their kit, and in return your companies resort staff get free kit for the season.
this was the case with the T/O i worked for donkeys years ago, all staff got skis/boards/ and boots if required for the season, we had several chalets in resort and each chalet tended to use the nearest hire shop to the chalet, and every one who was based in that chalet got free kit from their chosen hire shop.
the hire shop would tend to give out older skis (rock hoppers) at the start of the season, then upgrade when snow conditions improved, also they would service the skis for free throughout the season.
unfortunately, no one had mentioned this to me before i headed out to do my first season, this was pre-internet days, so could not get online advice. so i ended up buying a set of skis (had my own boots as well) from the london ski show just before i went out. they spent nearly 2 seasons in the chalet boot room in packaging with a for sale sign on them, ended up using them half way through my second season, as i had no takers for them.
this may seem stupid, but the other thing to ask, is if you get bedding (duvet/pillows) supplied, lots of us was not told by our T/O, and was a bit of a shock when arriving in resort.
queue, lots of people getting parents to post out bedding to resort, or in my case heading to the closest hypermarche (was fortunate to have use of a minibus) to buy some, we was able to use the chalet bedding initially as it was pre-season!!
whatever happens, hope you have a great time out there
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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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@user1306, also, in these days of social media etc, there was barely any mobile phones around when i did my seasons, there may be some kind of WhatsApp/Facebook group for the chalet staff, so as you can get to know each other before arriving in resort.
i believe a lot of ski resorts have specific seasonaire Facebook groups, my old resort has one, you may be able to join the alpe d'huez group before arriving.
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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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See if you can do a deal with a rental place, tell them you'll send your guests there 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@user1306, have a look at the french ekosport website. I bought the men's version of this Salomon ski last year and i'm almost tempted to do the same again. Less than 400€ for skis and binding mounted! (you have to give them your boot shell size and the boot sole length stamped on the side of the shell.
Brilliant fun and versatile skis. I got them delivered to our apartment, where it was helpful to have a french sim so the driver could tell me when they arrived, though you could also probably get them delivered to another drop off point, like the post office.
https://www.ekosport.fr/salomon-qst-lux-92-p-c2477-P9-138778
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