 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm brand new to the forum. But it's fairly caught my interest and I can already invisage a few days of my life being wasted (educated) reading threads.
I'm a fair enough intermediate skier, 4 weeks in Europe at different stages and 8 or 9 individual days when living in the US. When I went skiing in the States (nearly 10 years ago), they offered me a choice of ski heights and (I think) widths. I just took what the guy in front of me went for as I knew no different. In Europe (France and Andorra), they just handed me the next ones on the shelf (this is the way it seemed to me) and didn't really seem as if they would welcome a differing opinion.
Anyway, I'm DIY skiing in Andorra in a fortnight (yes, I know there's no snow!). So could someone offer me some advice for what to ask for when I'm in the rental shop? I'm 5' 11" and the best part of 15 stone, and will be looking to clock up on piste mileage. Maybe the options in fact are limited, but it'd be nice to know.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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thewobbler,
Welcome to 
1st off, you are a customer and should not just get the next in line...This is rubbish.
I hire all the time and I tell the techs what I want... what I am lookin for, I'll often suggest a ski that I want specifically and then they know I know what I am looking for. I'll accept a recommendation from these peeps if I can be convinced but I'll tell them I'll bring it back if it isn't what I'm looking for. I've done my research, I'll know something about most of the skis.
If you blythly stumble into a shop and just accept anything, then you become just another number to process through the door. Try and pick a quiet time, ie, not sat night or sun morning on changeover days and not 10 mins before they shut.
Tell them you want a ski to do this or that, in what type of lenght, accept that they know more than you but if they just bundle you off with anything..or rather look like they will do so...go somewhere else, there are normally plenty of shops.
If I follow your correctly, you have about 5-6 weeks skiing. At 15 st I'd put you on 175 but others will say shorter...no matter, you will not over power a ski atm. Try and find a mag with piste ski tests....or look up the ski tests here. They are under Equip reviews under the Snowbase drop down menu at the top of this page by the piccie.
You will have to do some groundwork and once you whittle it down to about 4-5 choices take this info to a shop. Bare in mind that some places have more of a selection and some shops just do not have that franchise... but whatever else you do, give the shop a chance, if you don't care about what skis you are on...because you haven't researched it, then they probably haven't got the time or inclination to care either. Most techs I've talked to have a great knowledge, so engage them. The reason they work in the shops for the money they do, is often because they love skiing as much as everyone else. Use that, if you go back and tell they have made your day with a good ski, they will not be pi$$ed off ...
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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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If you don't know your stuff yet best to focus on what you want to do, not which ski you want. Make sure to get 'silver' or similar service which lets you swap equipment and go back mid week and switch to something else. Tell the guy which you prefer the a couple of days later and switch again for the last day or two. Now next time you can go in and say "Last year I really enjoyed X, Y were great in the powder but useless on ice and I just didn't get on with A". After a couple of years you will know your stuff and can confidently engage the techs with some suggestions etc.
I should say though that I mean to do this every year but then am too lazy/have forgotten the models so generally just take what I'm given 
aj xx
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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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Take a good look at the Salomon piste oriented ski range. These are by far the most common source of rental skis available almost everywhere. If you familiarise yourself with Salomon's current ski range, you'll have a pretty good idea what you're getting. 175 cm give or take a few cm should be fine. If they haven't got Salomon skis, quote the Salomon model you think would be most suitable and ask if they have anything similar. If they don't know the model, go somewhere else and repeat 
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