 Poster: A snowHead
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Which is cheaper to hire skis/boots/pools? if you go skiing once or twice a year
Anyone ever been given a terrible pair of skis from hire location?
Is it worth the hassle of maintaining skis and paying extra baggage charges etc
How long do skis and boots normally last you?
Im trying to make my mind up whether to buy myself a pair of skiis and boots for this season or hire from intersport.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Buy the boots. It's worth it for the fit and comfort alone, which will benefit your skiing.
I'd suggest you would be better off continuing to hire skis for once/twice a year. Ski design will move on quickly enough that there will be much better (easier to use) skis to use well before yours would wear out. If you get "bad" skis, go back and change them. Remember, "bad" might mean rubbish, or it might mean that they just don't work for you.
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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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You need your own boots. 2 weeks per year and your boots will last between 5 and 10 years.
I wouldn't bother buying skis though, you can rent the latest gear every year and you don't have to maintain them or cart them round with you.
Go and see the best boot fitter you can find...
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Christopher, what he said. Hire shops usually have lots of stock and different quality levels - pay a bit more, get better skis. You can take them back and swap if you don't like them. Boots are much more personal and it's worth having your own even if you only ski once or twice a season.
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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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cheers for the advice, i think im going to take that.
are there are any boots you can reccomend for intermediate cruising wanting to develop to off piste. or is choice soely on personal prefference?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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On the other hand - "own skis" are nice to have, they do give you a degree of flexibility if travelling around or last minute. But I do agree with others above that on a practical level yours will not be the latest season after season. That said, I have owned a few pairs of skis for many years now and even though it's a pain waiting for them to come off the plane, and getting them serviced before hand is a nuisance and carrying them around and on the car is problematic, I still love having them. They are mine, they remind me of my holidays; it makes no economic sense, but it's great to have them. I keep them next to my surf board, and my mountain bike, and my 4x4 - all of which I could hire rather than buy - but actually the very fact that, for me, I can use them whenever I want to without having to think about hire shops means they're a good thing to own.
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Tue 30-10-07 13:54; edited 1 time in total
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Christopher, ones which fit. Don't be tempted to buy cheaper online unless you've tried the boots first. And if you're still thinking of a season, look at getting some which will be good for a skier a bit better than you are at the moment - you'll improve a lot.
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There is a tendency for particular makes of boot to suit a particular shape of foot.
And tell the fitter the kind of skiing you do (racing, cruising, bumps, off piste (soft), off piste (any snow/crud) - it does affect the sort of boot which will suit you
Don't be embarrassed to spend a long time in the shop trying boots - and walk about in the boots for a while, not just in and out of them. Don't be tempted to get boots that are too large (or soft) just because they feel comfortable. Remember you shouldn't be able to lift your heel off the liner - you need a snug fit so your movements transfer to the ski and not to movement inside the boot (and the lining will pack down a bit after a while). However watch out for any pressure points - over the course of days they may hurt worse and worse.
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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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Just to re-iterate what others have said.
Own boots are a definitely worth it. Take the time getting a pair that is right for you, go to a shop where the staff know what they are talking about and put about 2 hours aside to try different ones on. I think that's how long it too me anyway to get down from the original 5 options, to the last 2. The last 2 took an hour as I'd put one on, stand/walk round for 15 mins, then go do the same with the other. Worth it in the end though.
Skis, well I took the plunge last year and got my own. Now I only go twice a year, but each time that'll be for 8 days on the slopes. hiring 'premier' skis for 8 days twice a year soon ads up, I think my skis will start paying for themselves soon.
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edde, agreed.
Any worthy bootfitter will be able to take a look at the size and shape of your foot and point you in the direction of the manufacturer that "may" cater best for your foot shape.
This is a general statement so please forgive me.. but from my observations there are a heck of a lot of skiers riding about in boots that are actually too big for them.
When you first try boots on ensure the fitter performs an in depth shell fit.. ie. takes the liner out and checks how your foot fits within the plastic shell. Remember the liner is mostly a foam based material and so will pack down over time... what feels nice and snug in the shop may feel a bit more roomy after a week skiing!! 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I agree with the thrust of advice here about boots. However since having an injury where I think the hire ski bindings should have released, I have bought my own so that I am sure about the bindings - which spyderjon keeps an eye on with his machine for me.
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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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Hiring skis is fine so long as you pay a little more for their better skis. There will be many skis which are OK for you if you ski on piste but if you are going to ski more off piste and have to deal with crud and difficult snow a lot, you may get more demanding and need to look at more than one shop to find what you want (or end up buying skis). However even skiing at the top (recreational) level I know people who hire.
But remember it is fine to keep trying new skis - that way you learn what suits you.
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Lizzard, I don't think he said he was going to "do a season"? Certainly boots are the first buy, especially for people with difficult feet. However, most French visitors around here seem to hire skis and boots, and they look pretty useful on the slopes! British skiers seem to be more precious about their equipment. One young French visitor who had borrowed ancient, awful, boots and great long skis from a mate skied rings round all of us.
I've had several visitors here, especially young ones, who have hired boots and been perfectly happy with them. They're cheap to hire. On the other hand I had one visitor who had bought boots which were too "stiff", certainly she found them pretty uncomfortable and made a big fuss about them all the time and drove me mad. When she had hired boots, in previous years, and had any problems, I just sent her back to the ski hire shop man, who sorted her out! She had overestimated her ski ability when she bought the boots; they'd probably have suited a really aggressive, able, skier. She thought that the more she paid, the better the boots would be, having completely ignored my advice that she should aim for comfort, and that entry level boots would be fine for her (she did once struggle down a red run, and told the salesman that she was a "red run skier". Silly).
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You know it makes sense.
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pam w, he said it before, elsewhere.
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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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pam w, those who're "happy" with their hired boots probably have nothing to compare with.
I was "happy" hiring boots for about a season. Then I bought when there's a sale. I was "happier". (well, my feet were)
But I didn't find out how much difference it was until I went to Austria on a business trip and was invited by my host to go ski with them for a day. I didn't have my boots with me, naturally. So I went to the hire shop and tried on several different pairs and took the one that fit the best. I had fun skiing and the control was fine. But towards the afternoon, my feet started to let me know the boots were not made for my feet... It would have been much worse had I ski for the whole week!
People tend to get hired boots a bit on the big side so their feet are happy. But it tend to impact on their skiing...
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Poster: A snowHead
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British skiers seem to be more precious about their equipment.
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I think that's really true. People like selling us stuff we don't need or can't use that often and then get us to upgrade it. Still, it's nice to have "yer own".
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| achilles wrote: |
| I agree with the thrust of advice here about boots. However since having an injury where I think the hire ski bindings should have released, I have bought my own so that I am sure about the bindings - which spyderjon keeps an eye on with his machine for me. |
I had similar things happened to me.
But I noticed one thing though. I think in that shop, they missed one adjustment when setting up my boot on their binding!
I usually watch the tech setup the binding. Well, not on purpose. But usually I hand them my boot and they dunk it into the binding right in front of me and starting turning screws! So I slowly formed a pretty good mental picture of what gets adjusted every time.
And on that occasion, I noticed they only turn one screw on the toe peice instead of two, which most other shops did both. I didn't know then. But I now believe they didn't set the forward pressure on the toe peice to suit my boot! So the binding setting wasn't accurate without the proper pressure setting... I ended up pulling my MCL when the binding didn't release in a fall.
I remembered them doing one screw less than what I saw in other shops but I didn't know what to make of it. Had I know what needs to be set and saw it didn't get set, I could had simply asked it to be done. I think the chance of it getting done would have been pretty good.
It's true you can't be sure of the maintenance history of their binding or how often they got calibrated. But I don't test my own bingng every week either. It's a fair chance any shop's gear is in as good a state as mine. Just have to make sure the adjustment done to accomondate the boots are performed properly.
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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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Nothing like skiing on hire skis in poor snow conditions, not sure who coined the phrase, but I like it..."Let's go mental, skis are rental!'
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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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If you going to go skiing at short notice and for short periods, or skiing a lot then buying your own skis is worth it otherwise rental is best. My wife and I both own our own skis. I've been able to go skiing on business while in US on several different occasions and it meant I didn't have the hassle of hiring when ski time was limited and I wanted to make the most of it. However my wife has gone skiing less than expected so not owning and instead hiring would have saved cash and meant she had better skis to use next time around.
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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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martski, yep - rental skis carve better on mud, rocks and grass I find!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| abc wrote: |
......I think in that shop, they missed one adjustment when setting up my boot on their binding!
I usually watch the tech setup the binding. Well, not on purpose. But usually I hand them my boot and they dunk it into the binding right in front of me and starting turning screws! So I slowly formed a pretty good mental picture of what gets adjusted every time.
And on that occasion, I noticed they only turn one screw on the toe peice instead of two, which most other shops did both. I didn't know then. But I now believe they didn't set the forward pressure on the toe peice to suit my boot! So the binding setting wasn't accurate without the proper pressure setting... I ended up pulling my MCL when the binding didn't release in a fall.
I remembered them doing one screw less than what I saw in other shops but I didn't know what to make of it. Had I know what needs to be set and saw it didn't get set, I could had simply asked it to be done. I think the chance of it getting done would have been pretty good.
It's true you can't be sure of the maintenance history of their binding or how often they got calibrated. But I don't test my own bingng every week either. It's a fair chance any shop's gear is in as good a state as mine. Just have to make sure the adjustment done to accomondate the boots are performed properly. |
As in any retail environment the standard of store attendant will vary from one extreme to the other. S if you rent skis it would be worth getting acquainted with the binding adjustments & your own DIN setting so you can check that they're correct.
abc, I presume that you mean heel piece rather than toe piece. Heelpiece has DIN setting & forward pressure. Toe piece has DIN setting & height adjustment. Most toe pieces these days adjust their height automatically but there a few models around that require this setting manually, usually to a 0.5mm gap between the boot sole & the AFD. The manual toe height setting on some Sallie models is notorious for going out of adjustment.
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Anyone know of any good quality ski shops for boots in either west london, oxfordshire, milton keynes, berkshire or even surrey or bristol. I might try and get a pair before my ski holiday.
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Christopher, contact CEM - he's in an outlet store village between Oxford and MK. He doesn't sell boots, but is one of the top bootfitters in England.
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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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Bicester Village i would imagine, thank you very much thats like 20 minutes away from where i live! can you send me a link please
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Christopher, go & see Colin Martin at http://www.solutions4feet.co.uk in Bicester (he's also CEM on this forum). Colin doesn't sell boots but after examining your feet etc he'll tell you what make, model & size to get so you can go buy 'em - usually from Beans of Bicester with whom Colin works closely. Then take new boots back to Colin for footbeds, fitting & alignment work etc. If you're going to the B'ham NEC Ski Show this weekend you'll find Colin (& me) working on the Fall Line Magazine stand.
Edit: .co.uk not .com
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads  on Tue 30-10-07 22:28; edited 1 time in total
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| spyderjon wrote: |
| Christopher, go & see Colin Martin at http://www.solutions4feet.com in Bicester (he's also CEM on this forum). Colin doesn't sell boots but after examining your feet etc he'll tell you what make, model & size to get so you can go buy 'em - usually from Beans of Bicester with whom Colin works closely. Then take new boots back to Colin for footbeds, fitting & alignment work etc. If you're going to the B'ham NEC Ski Show this weekend you'll find Colin (& me) working on the Fall Line Magazine stand. |
top stuff! much appreciated
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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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| Quote: |
abc, I presume that you mean heel piece rather than toe piece. Heelpiece has DIN setting & forward pressure. Toe piece has DIN setting & height adjustment. Most toe pieces these days adjust their height automatically but there a few models around that require this setting manually, usually to a 0.5mm gap between the boot sole & the AFD. The manual toe height setting on some Sallie models is notorious for going out of adjustment.
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spyderjon, this happened back in the mid-80's. So it's probably the height adjustment then.
Actually, I don't remember seeing the shop tech adjusting anything else besides the DIN at the heel peice. Should I insist they do? (I've been demo-ing a lot last season so got a bunch of "refresher" on what needs to be adjusted on the binding)
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abc, Mid-80's, that's before my time I'm afraid. DIN should be set on both the toe & heel piece. Forward pressure doesn't always need altering depending how your boot length compares to that of the previous user etc so the tech will often just make a visual check to confirm but you wouldn't necessarily know they'd done it.
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You know it makes sense.
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spyderjon, I suspect you were right on.
I've never had any problem with hired gear up to that point (it was probably my 2nd or 3rd season skiing). But I still remember the details because:
1) Like I said, I used to recall most tech adjust TWO things on the toe peice and this shop only did ONE. So from what you said, they probably missed the height adjustment, which in the old days were probably NOT automatic.
2) I felt the toe peice had a bit of "play" when I skied around, something that I never felt on other hired skis before (or since). And even contemplated if I should bring the ski back to have it checked. I wish I did...
These days, I check the DIN setting after I took the ski away from the hire shop.
Though based on what you said, perhaps I should also do the visual inspection myself? (although since I just bought new skis, I probably won't be hiring too often for the next couple season...)
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