 Poster: A snowHead
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Went skiing for the first time last year and loved it. Going again in March this year, and I fancy buying my own skis.
But would I be wasting my money? My mates are giving me plenty of arguments against, like having to cart them
there and back, I'm nowhere near good enough yet to need my own skis etc etc. But the gadget lover in me likes having
technical things! 
And I think I'd progress better with my own skis, maybe?
So a couple of questions...
Should someone going on their second only trip (I don't think all the Tamworth visits count, do they?!) be buying skis?
If I did buy skis, what would be a good choice for someone at my level?
Any advice/comments appreciated...
Thanks,
Jon.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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jonm, Be interesting to see what this lot say - my guess is they'll tell you to buy boots first!
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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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jonm, if I were you I'd get meself a decent pair of boots first. You'll be improving quickly so a pair of skis for this year may not be good enough for you next.
Even then, you need to hire/test a few to see which you get along with best.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Bleedin' psychics.
never there when I do the lottery though are you!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Oops, should have said I already have boots.
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You'll be improving quickly so a pair of skis for this year may not be good enough for you next.
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Very good point. Ta.
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| Quote: |
Bleedin' psychics.
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Heh 
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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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| jonm wrote: |
If I did buy skis, what would be a good choice for someone at my level?
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Something you can't find for hire in resort.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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If you're skiing at Tamwotrth regulalry I'd have thought it was a no-brainer
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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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wait for the end of the season and then buy from ski bilek in germany or sport conrad in germany
delivery in 3 days or so and really cheap
buy better ski's than you need and you'll develop into them also buy boots but i'd advise geting these in resort where you can get expert service from foot specialists and a certain level of guarantee on fit! i.e they know that if it don't fit you'll be back kicking up a storm as ur there for the whole week!!
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You know it makes sense.
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Not really worth buying skis at this stage. As Stewart says invest the money in some decent one-to-one lessons on your next trip and don't worry about the kit too much. Perhaps try hiring skis you might be interested in buying in the future to see how they feel. But it's not worth buying until you feel comfortable skiing on advanced level kit.
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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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Thanks for all the comments folks, I'll save my money for lessons...
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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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Money for lessons is good - but I really think you should buy some skis as well. I love having my own as I can look at them and wax them and things between holidays. And as I gently caress my hand from the tip of the ski following the curves down and around the waist and then toward the tail it helps me remember the good times we have had together on the slopes.
There are times when I think I shouldn't have my own skis and I should just hire in resort - these times are usually when some "big revolution" has taken place - like when I had my Salomon Force 9 3s skis a few years ago, took them to resort and all of a sufdden I see everyone is on these shorter more shaped things!.But those skis were excellent - billed as an advanced and up I think they were, and I was only on 3rd week when I got them but I love them. I sold them really easily on ebay a few years ago and put the money towards some new skis. And I've done this several times now. The new skis generally end up costing me the equivalant of a couple of weeks or three of rental on top of what I get for the old skis, and it keeps me happy.
If I were you, I'd do what you have decided this time - spend the money on lessons, try some skis in resort and see what you like. Don't think though that because you're a beginner you should only be looking at beginner skis. Look at the advanced ones. Speak to people here. Read reviews. Think how much you are prepared to spend and what sort of skiing you want to do over the next couple of years. Think of all the good times you can have. And remember, you can always flog them and get more!
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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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jonm,
An opposite view to some here but I wouldn't buy skis. Over the years I have owned many pairs of skis and carted them to the slopes, paid for carriage on the plane and servicing however, over the last few years I have found that the quality of skis hired in resort has improved to the extent that you can now hire current years skis for a reasonable price. And, if you don't get on with them you can go back to the shop and swop them for another model/brand. Last week I had brand new Rossingnol carving skis and didn't have to worry if thay got scratched or damaged on hidden rocks etc. Own skis are nice but for a 1 or 2 week a season skier I'd hire.
As others have said boots would be my first purchase and good tuition second.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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jonm,Firstly I would do some calculations based on the number of days you expect to ski, cost of transport, servicing costs etc. Put that against good quality hire skis. To be honest 15 years ago hire skis were crap but now it is possible to get the latest models at a slightly higher cost admittedly, but if you do that for a couple of years you will have a better idea what suits you. But if you just like gagets ignore what I have said. 
Edit: Seems "Hunsbury" types faster than me!!
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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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Hunsbury,
Good point, if you only ski 1 or 2 weeks in a season you'd be better off hiring...
It's nice to be able to try out the latest ski's too, I've used B2's for 2 or 3 seasons but last year it was good to try the B3's - if I'd purchased the B2's I'd be very happy with them but would have been less inclined to hire the B3's.
IMO spend you're hard earned cash on some private tuition - you'll improve you're skiing and have more fun!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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You know you want to. You know you're going to. You just want us all to tell you it's OK.
Well, it's OK 
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I bought my own after my first week's skiing. I paid £180 (half-price) for a decent pair of Head skis in a S&R sale.
I skied them for 6 weeks and sold them for £90 on eBay. I did my own servicing and never had to pay for carriage, so that's £15/week which beats hiring by miles and I avoided the shag of having to queue up at the hire shop on arrival.
Worked for me 
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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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petemillis,
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I love having my own as I can look at them and wax them and things between holidays. And as I gently caress my hand from the tip of the ski following the curves down and around the waist and then toward the tail it helps me remember the good times we have had together on the slopes.
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Is there someone missing from your life? Or does your other half enjoy playing second fiddle to your skis?  Sounds reminiscent of my husband with his portable PC.
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Megamum, Nah, my life (and Nicky's of course) are full of all we need - 4 lovely kids (need bigger house!), a couple of dogs, a wine box every weekend, and lots of tome together. But she did catch me out yesterday when she and 3 of the kids got back from Judo - she walked into a kitchen with the smell of sexy molten wax in the air, and wax scrapings all over the floor. I rubbed her feet for hours later in the evening and she still fell asleep on the sofa - think she was a bit cross.
jonm, You really do need your own skis. Instead of buying new how about picking up a pair of year old skis of your liking on ebay? Chances are when you want to change them you'll get nearly all of your money back by putting them on ebay again. Lugging skis to and from resort doesn't have to be expensive either. Admittedly, if an airline charges you £15 each way then it's a pain, but BA are free and if you drive down to the resort you can easily take them.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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jonm, Unless you're going to ski at least 3 weeks every year then don't buy skis. They're expensive and should theoretically last you a lifetime, but will change way before they get worn out. I expect 60 -90 weeks out of a pair of skis!
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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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Agenterre, what a load of old rubbish. You can't really believe that the rest of us are remotely interested in looking at the stickers on your skis - get a life!
jonm, I add my tuppenceworth to everyone who recommends hire - you can get up to date good quality kit, and you can change it about during the week as well - try different skis, take out powder skis or twin tips, have a go at boarding etc etc. More flexibility all round.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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Agenterre, have you got any pictures of the stickers on your skis. I'd be interested in seeing them!
The whole "should I buy or not" thing is funny. If we were all entirely practical then we wouldn'y buy anything apart from consumables. Why buy a house when you can rent for less? Why buy a car when you can lease or rent so cheaply compared with running costs of owning your own? Why buy a TV when you can rent - after all, they're improving all the time? Why buy fridges and freezers and washing machines when all this sort of thing can be rented?
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Poster: A snowHead
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I would like you all to know that I spit my coffee all over my screen when I read the title to this thread!
I didn't know there was such a question.
Should I buy skis? Hmmmmmm. YES! Always! Boots that fit correctly are the absolute most vital, but a quiver of skis is...........well...........a quiver! Go get yourself a quiver.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If I show you my stickers, will you show me yours?
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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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| Lizzard wrote: |
| Agenterre, what a load of old rubbish. You can't really believe that the rest of us are remotely interested in looking at the stickers on your skis - get a life! |
I'd rather see or hear about his stickers than that $%^&%^&"$%" VW Polo again.
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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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doctor_eeyore, Doesn't that very much depend on where you've got them stuck!!
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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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doctor_eeyore, ROFLMAO
Megamum, Where in deed!
Agenterre, Where are the stickers? Do you have a quiver with stickers?
Note: Tongue firmly in cheek! 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| petemillis wrote: |
The whole "should I buy or not" thing is funny. If we were all entirely practical then we wouldn'y buy anything apart from consumables. Why buy a house when you can rent for less? Why buy a car when you can lease or rent so cheaply compared with running costs of owning your own? Why buy a TV when you can rent - after all, they're improving all the time? Why buy fridges and freezers and washing machines when all this sort of thing can be rented? |
Some poor examples there
Why buy a house when you can rent for less? Because houses are a good investment and generally make you a nice big profit.
Why buy a car when you can lease or rent so cheaply? Unless you have a company car, I'd like to know where you can rent/lease one for less please?
Why buy a TV, fridge, freezer, washing machine when they can be rented? Because it works out cheaper to buy if you make them last for a couple of years.
I've bought and rented skis over the years depending on expected usage. I bought skis again this year because I know I'll get 4 weeks per year out of them over the next few years, so it works out considerably cheaper than renting. If you ski less than 2 weeks per year, then buying (at full retail) is not financially a good idea. Also if you're a beginner, there's really no point in buying for the first few trips. Of course if you're not bothered about the cost or get a big kick out of owning your very own skis then go for it!
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uktrailmonster,
Yeah but, no but yeah but.....
Some poor examples there Wink
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| Why buy a house when you can rent for less? Because houses are a good investment and generally make you a nice big profit. |
BUT ONLY if you buy at the right time, and don't take into account maintenance costs (that are generally much higher than the sort of money you pay for maintenance when renting). And only if you sell it at least 7 years before you die. I own my own house, and frankly, it's a pain in the back bottom at the moment. We want to move somewhere bigger. Because of prices we can't. If we were renting then we would be in a bigger place by now. Renting a house, like skis, means you can chop and change easily. BUT it is good to own yer own bricks and mortar! Mind you, look at the Swedes - something well over 80% of Swedes rent their homes.
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| Why buy a car when you can lease or rent so cheaply? Unless you have a company car, I'd like to know where you can rent/lease one for less please? |
Right, I have a brand new Citroen C4 1.6HDi (110) SX- cost was about £16000. I have to pay for all servicing and maintenance costs. In three years time it might be worth what, £4000 or so if I'm lucky. I would then need to find another wad of money to buy a new car. I could get the same car on contract hire through someone like Allied Vehicle Contracts for £304+vat per month on a "maintenance contract" where the contract hire company does all that stuff for me. Over 3 years, paying £304+vat/month it would cost me about £12800 (about the same as I will have lost on the car I bought outright, and also I wouldn't have been spending out on maintenance etc). The car would then go back to the contract hire company who would then give me another brand new car. So, I would be able to get a brand new car every three years without the agro of selling my old one, and having to borrow more to buy a new one. It makes sense - but I still bought mine outright for some illogical reason (bit like my skis really)
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| Why buy a TV, fridge, freezer, washing machine when they can be rented? Because it works out cheaper to buy if you make them last for a couple of years. |
yep it can work out cheaper if they last a couple of year. The difficulty for us is that washing machines and tumble dryers don't (there are 6 of use here and the machines are in use at least 2 times per day - often more), and I refuse to fork out on those extra insurance policies. And some people always want the latest TV - if renting you can change it whever you want with no financial loss. If you own one, keep it for a year, then you can't get anywhere near enough back to buy a newer one. But we still buy everything!
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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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jonm,
Buy some blue ones....they're just peachy
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FAQ
