 Poster: A snowHead
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OK so all this is fairly new, but am I alone is being continually stunned at how expensive skis and bindings are. I've watched the process of making the skis on the internet that I was pointed to, and was quite surprised at how compex their make up was, but at the end of the day, once jigs and machines are set up, the manufacturing process becomes more automated and replicable. So when folks start talking about prices, say of £350+ for skis and £150+ for bindings I do think that they seem a tad overpriced, esp. when they have a finite lifespan. It does give me quite an appreciation for the stock that hire shops must hold, and the risks when they hire them out, esp. in those resorts which do not require a deposit, but are they really worth the cash they cost? B.T.W. You have all convinced me that the hire shop is the way to go myself.
I'd be interested in the opinions of others esp. those who are actually ski owners.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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When/where to buy equipment:
- end of season
- in-country (ie not in the UK)
- off the web (but be careful of tax on US sales)
- summer
- last season's kit (do you care about cutting edge graphics/colour/etc?)
I'm looking at a good quality new board/bindings for next season for a total of about (I estimate) £200 max on the above basis - same applies to ski stuff. I bought my skis/bindings at about 50% off in Serre Chevalier in July 2005.
But I line up with the 'rent not buy' mob for your situation - quality skis are easily available; you're a near-beginner and will progress quickly/want to try a range of equipment;you ski once a year and your kit will become obsolete quicker than it wears out.
Definitely have your own boots though, always!
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Megamum, for the enjoyment I get from mine, they were worth every penny/euro! 
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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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Megamum, and so are mine. My difficulty with renting is as follows. Ski shops often assume women want easy to turn skis with pretty graphics. If you are below average height, you either have to ski a longer length, or a ski that is not so good. Mine were well below UK retail price, and I bought them too, in Serre Chevalier a couple of weeks ago. If you only ski one week, then by all means hire, but there is often not the choice available that you may think. This will apply whether you are a lower or higher intermediate, especially if you are a woman, and below 5ft 3in.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Sun 8-04-07 19:38; edited 1 time in total
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Megamum, you need to factor in fixed overheads of running the factories, wages, distribution costs and all that stuff on top of development, materials, setting up etc. The problem with skis is that the number sold by one manufacturer is relatively small compared with, say, the number of Big Macs sold by McDonalds. So the costs per item are a lot higher. And of course on top of your ski production and distribution costs you have a retailler who also needs to make a profit on something that he may have invested £2000 for 10 pairs as stock and might only sell half of them at full price.
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I believe buying skiing equipment from the continent around this time of the year is a good move.
Wife and I each bought new sets of boots and skis (with fitted bindings) together and the whole lot come to 980 Euro (£684) as the sport shop at Brincon was selling everything at 30% discount. Even at the full price many French outlets sells the same equipment significantly cheaper than the British. A £300 pair of skis in UK is remarkably cheap and hard to find.
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saikee, Not sure about that if you look around and wait - one of my pairs is a pair of foils with 912s on them for £270 last year including carriage from the bog standard S&R sale. In fact all the 6 pairs of skis I have bought in the last 20 years have cost £250-330 and have all been decent ones, except for some iffy rossi mogul skis in Sydney in 1991.
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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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| saikee wrote: |
| A £300 pair of skis in UK is remarkably cheap and hard to find. |
Not really.
In their sale right now S&R have well over a dozen different adult skis at under £300, mostly inclusing bindings.
And this includes well known skis such as Atomic metrons (both M9 and M11), or K2 Public Enemy.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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In Newcastle we have altogether only 3 shops selling skiing equipment with the most expensive ones from Snow + Rock store.
I got my gears mainly from Au Vieux Campeur from France over the years whenever they had a sale.
The current complete set of boots and skis worked out £340 per person and that isn't easy to find from UK.
Briancon also sold older equipment at 50% discount but we chose the current models which were discounted at only 30%. We also bought our first skies from UK at a greatly reduced price only to find out but the models were obsolete some 4 to 5 years earlier. May be we were unlucky.
From my observation over the years skiing equipment is cheapest in France. I wouldn't bother with those from the Austrian or Swiss shops and I haven't found good prices from Italians either.
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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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Best to pop over to Andorra to buy in person.
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Helen Beaumont, I could have written exactly what you did. I'm fed up of being offered "easy" skis with flowers on (or even a mirror so you can do your hair). I do rent when I see a pair I want to try out, but otherwise there are huge benefits from having your own ski. Asking for a race ski just gets you blank looks and a pair of something inappropriately stiff in 160+ length when I'm only 158.5 tall. It is even more annoying as I know there are some great ladies skis out there, just not in the rental shops (Volkl Attiva 5* anyone?).
That is why we jumped at the chance to buy Volkl Racetiger Slalom SL Racing skis for me in Austria when they were available for 399 euros inc bindings (I got 155's as they actually measured 153, and I liked the extra stability at speed). The price was good, but the fact that I could get them was even better.
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You know it makes sense.
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I quite agree that for women there's stronger motivation to buy due to the limited selections in shops for hire, especially for those who're light weight or below average height. And this time of year is the best time to look out for bargains. You'll have them for next season!
On the other hand, I don't see any problem with women skiing men's ski, if you weight enough to flex the shorter ones of the men's model. I personally don't think all the "women specific design" are all they crack up to be. And a universally softer flex really isn't neccessary for all women anyway.
When I tried to hire in Wengen during MSB, I had no problem getting advance level skis but they don't come as short a length as I would like. Fortunately for me, I weight just enough to flex the shortest of the men's skis. Had I been a bit more weight or height challenged, I'd look for a bargain really hard.
Years ago, when I had so much trouble finding boots to fit my small feet, I ended up buying my own. Best move ever, especially I got a great bargain at 1/2 off. But still, I out-grew than pair of boot rather quickly, I must admit. I ended up buying another pair a few years later. The second time around, I knew a lot more and that boot stay with me till it fell to peices. So, there's lesson to be learn when buying early in your skiing career: you WILL grow out of it. So if you can afford NOT to buy in the first couple season (meaning you're "sized" to easily find suitable gear in hire shops), it might be worth hiring for a couple season before buying. Hopefully, you'll have a better idea of what you want by that time.
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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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| abc wrote: |
| .....On the other hand, I don't see any problem with women skiing men's ski, if you weight enough to flex the shorter ones of the men's model. I personally don't think all the "women specific design" are all they crack up to be....... |
It's not just a soft flex in women's skis. Women's specific skis usually have their bindings mounted further forward compared to the men's versions to compensate for women's COM's being lower & more rearward than in men.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Slightly off topic – one of my ski brakes is bust on one of my bindings - Axial 120’s.
So how much will they charge me for a new one? I think they are about £120 for a new pair of complete bindings.
I wait with baited breath 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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spyderjon, Did i tell you that the Crimson and i have fallen in love? 
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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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| Quote: |
I wait with baited breath
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What, you've been eating cheese?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Lizzard,
No chocolate eggs 
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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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II, can't you just get new brakes? I should think a ski shop in VT would be able to sort you out.
abc, finding the shorter length ladies skis is hard enough, finding 153ish mens nigh on impossible . I bought some K2 MissDemeanors in the end. Not my first choice, they were impossible to find in anything other than a 160. I love them though.
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II, I'd go along with Helen on this one - and you may well find that the shop has a suitable brake in its oddments box.
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| Quote: |
It's not just a soft flex in women's skis. Women's specific skis usually have their bindings mounted further forward compared to the men's versions to compensate for women's COM's being lower & more rearward than in men.
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spyderjon,
W.r.t. the bindings, I understood that hire bindings were of a type that allowed both the back and the front of the binding to move. I then made the leap (probably incorrectly) that this was to allow fitting to move more forward when the ski was fitted for a lady and assumed that hire shops had a range of unisex skis that both men and women used.
I now wonder if this assumption is correct. Were the skis I used this year - 154cm Volkl G3 slaloms a ski specifically for a lady?
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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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| spyderjon wrote: |
| abc wrote: |
| .....On the other hand, I don't see any problem with women skiing men's ski, if you weight enough to flex the shorter ones of the men's model. I personally don't think all the "women specific design" are all they crack up to be....... |
It's not just a soft flex in women's skis. Women's specific skis usually have their bindings mounted further forward compared to the men's versions to compensate for women's COM's being lower & more rearward than in men. |
Actually, that's precisely what I mean I personally don't think all the "women specific design" are all they crack up to be.... The theory sounds like it make sense. But how many people can ski the same pair of ski, with binding mounted both way, tell the difference between one or the other?
When I got a softer flex men's ski, it skied just fine. So what's the big deal with the forward mounted binding? Certainly not much of a deal for me.
On the other hand, I've known a couple women skiers who re-mounted their women ski to move the bindings rearward. Basically, back to where a unisex binding mounting position would have been.
I'm guessing it's more individual than men vs women. Some skiers are sensitive to the binding mounting while others are not. Fruther more, even for those who cares, it's not a forgone conclusion that women should have their binding mounted forward either.
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Mon 9-04-07 2:00; edited 1 time in total
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Megamum, I'm pretty sure that the Volkl G3 skis are not women specific.
But all rental skis will have bindings with both heel and toe pieces that are adjustable for position, because the boot centre mark should normally match the ski centre mark (for the appropraite gender!), and so both parts need to be adjusted for different sizes of boot.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I was initially put off by the rrp of skis and bindings that I saw.
After shopping around at the beginning of this season I managed to get a new pair of B2's inc. bindings for £300 off the internet. Also spoke to (well emailed) another snowheads member who was looking for the same, he managed to get the same deal from a local shop after getting two local shops trying to undercut each others offer.
So all in all, rrp is for highstreet shops (IMO).
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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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There aren't a lot of ski manfacturers making a huge fortune out of the hardware side as far as I'm aware. If you don't want to buy new kit at retail price there is plenty of second and third hand stuff available - I met a guy in Whistler who had picked up a perfectly serviceable pair of Rossi 9X from the recycling store in Whistler for $10.
However I've just returned from a trip to France & Switzerland and I have to say retailers seem to be having a laugh with not very generous discounts of 10-20% off retail pric ein what is effectively their last week of the season. Ski racks in shops don't seem to be too bare either - I'd say be aware of gettingfobbed off with old model skis if you buy in resort next season.
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So when folks go on about old model skis - are they just talking about the graphics on the skis or actually how well the skis perform - are there advances in physical ski design each year or is it mainly asthetic changes?
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You know it makes sense.
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Megamum,
Both, sometimes just cosmetic, sometimes in physical design.
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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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Megamum, development follows the money, so sports gear isn't terribly far behind computer technology as these things go. I can get a $10 computer to post on forums with, and I can ski on $10 skis.
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Poster: A snowHead
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comprex, but surely you can post on forums with more style using a $1000 computer 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| edde wrote: |
So all in all, rrp is for highstreet shops (IMO). |
No, RRP is to give a point for "discounting" from.
Hardly any are ever sold at full RRP.
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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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This year's end of season bargains:
Intermediate/advanced board £160 (RRP on latest model $600)
Top of the range bindings - approx £100
Bit more than my original estimate, but only because the mid-range bindings were out of stock.
Also: Giro Encore helmet for Mr Lizzard, £30 (in lime green  )
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I bought some ex-demo K2s from Ellis Brigham at Xscape MK last year for £200 including bindings. Hardly been used and I love em
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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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| Quote: |
Giro Encore helmet for Mr Lizzard, £30 (in lime green )
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Is that what they paid you to take it away?
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Megamum, For some reason he wanted the lime green - a man who usually won't look at any item of apparel which isn't black, navy or khaki. They weren't sold in France, so if anyone sees a boarder in LDA wearing a lime green helmet, it's more or less guaranteed to be Mr L.
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A lot of lizards are bright green.
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My tried and tested method is to drink with the guy who is the UK distributor for K2, and pick up your skis at cost price, or even better, on a 'field test' basis 
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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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Hi all,
I'm a UK retailer and the idea that equipment is higher priced than it's continental counterpart is an outdated one.
The UK market is led in a very different way to that of say Austria or Italy. The european market is very fashion / race led. Also, the continental skier/boarder is very likely to change their gear on a seasonal basis as their equipment gets far more use and it wears out quicker.
The UK market is VERY price orientated and Uk skiers get longer out of their equipment because they (generally) use it much less.
Equipment prices haven't really grown in the last 10years or so, even with the technological advances in all areas of the sport. In the early 90's if you wanted the top level ski's/boot combo then they would set you back around £300 and £550 respectively - they still do! and the gear is much much better than it was then.
I check my prices regularly against the major multiples and the other independant retailers and (with the odd exception) we are all on the same price sheet during the season. Individual retailers will go to sale whenever they need to and the price slashing will reflect how serious they are about increasing sales, this can be geographical - one area of the country may be doing well while others struggle to get good sell through. My skis currently (sale prices) run from between £149.99 and £385.99 so we don't break the bank if your getting two trips a year for 10 years. That's possibly £7.50 per trip. Their in season price would be between £249.99 and £589.99. We currently have 24 models under £300, hardly a small range!!!!
The facts are that even at full price we do compete against our continental counterparts, then if you factor in being able to take the stuff back for adjustments/warranty/service issues then we are more convenient, competatively priced, knowledgeable about our market and speak the same language. USE US OR LOOSE US!!!!
PS Be very aware next season about whether you are getting the current years gear - a world wide slump in sequipment sales(ski's mainly) will see a lot of competative prices around, just make sure your getting what you pay for!
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| Quote: |
PS Be very aware next season about whether you are getting the current years gear
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Why is it necessary to have this year's gear though? Especially when last year's is just the same and half the price.
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FAQ
