 Poster: A snowHead
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I'd welcome the thoughts of SHs who regularly ski on dry slopes
I'm thinking about buying a cheap(er) pair of skis for thrashing around on that nasty horrible plastic stuff. Most of my skiing is on a dry slope and whilst I've never had a major problem with the skis you are given, I also appreciate that they're not the best
Most of my skiing, with the exception of the odd trip to the Tam SnowDome and jollies to Europe, will be on plastic.
Is it worthwhile spending a few quid to get my own skis?
I was seduced by Sport Conrad's website and saw a pair of Dynastar Driver X6 skis, which kinda fitted the bill - I'm a relative newcomer to skiing and have skied in Group lessons every week since Oct last year (20-25 in total). I guess I'm a advanced beginner, whatever that means
I'm happy to spend my hard earned, but was thinking:-
a) on a dry slope is really worthwhile having yor own skis (at my level of ability)?
b) will the plastic surface just trash them and there'll not be good for use on the 'real' stuff?
c) I appreciate that owning skis involves maintenance, but will I have to spend so much time keeping them 'in shape' for weekly use (on plastic) that I may as well leave the job to someone else?
d) anyone have experience of the Dynastar Driver X6s?
Any thoughts?
Sleipnir
PS - I'd also welcome comments from people who have bought from our German friends - I hear that the service is pretty good
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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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Sleipnir, from your location I assume you're talking about the Ackers. I've not skied there myself so don't know what the conditions are like. Skiing hard on skis on a dry slope does trash them, so I keep separate pairs for dry and snow, but from your description I'm probably skiing a bit harder than you (I race) so need both very sharp edges and they go off very quickly, so having my own skis is an absolute must. For you I'd say you would probably notice an improvement, but it's not that great a requirement. I would say that you're best off getting advice from your instructors/coaches (BTW, is this with the Midland Ski Club - I've met several of them, a few at races and a couple on snow courses I've been on, and they seem a great bunch).
Also good experience of German friends, although no experience of after sales support, as I've not needed it.
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GrahamN, spot on with your assumption, yes it is at The Ackers. As far as the conditions are concerned, I'd say it's so so. but then again, I've nothing really to compare it with having never skied on any other dry slopes
Thanks for your thoughts and those of ickabodblue. I don't ski with the Midlands Ski Club but have seen the guys & girls at various times when I've been skiing.
I'll ask the instructors, as suggested. I know the guy who teaches me says that he won't let his "babies" anywhere near the plastic
Must admit that I'm still keen on having my own skis - perhaps it's the whole waxing and edging and taking care of them.....hours of fun in the garden shed without a copy of Loaded magazine in sight!!! 
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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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Sleipnir, I practised edging and waxing on my son's dry slope skis before I tackled my beautiful and beloved RX8s  (They never see the plastic)
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Sleipnier,
I bought a pair of ex rentals for the dry slope, They last about 5 years if you look after them and I ski 3 times a week, as long as you maintain them you will get at least 3 years out of them happy shopping
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I did some lessons a dry slope before my first skiing trip. When I got back from holiday I went to the dry slope and decided I'd never bother again. Sorry, not much use to your question.
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If at the times you ski you can always get a pair of carvers, then the benifit of having your own skis is marginal.
But if you are a regular, or ski at popular times, having your own skis is a big benefit.
[Disclaimer: I coach some of the Midland Ski Club sessions. The vast majority of coachees use their own skis.]
I personally use a pair of skis for the dry slope that have never (and will never) see snow.
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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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tomstickland, Skiing on your own on a dryslope and yes you wonder why you bother.
But skiing with an instructor in a regular group will advance your skiing so much that next season.....
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I teach all year round on a dry slope. Roughly I go through a pair of skis a season. But on the heavy years, I'm talking about being on the mat 6 days a week.
In the past I've skied a brand new pair of skis on the snow for a season and then they get retired onto the mat. My snow skis never see the mat before that. On the other hand, it has been quite useful a couple of times to put the mat skis onto snow to save brand new snow skis. I did a trip to Spain a couple of years ago with marginal conditions so didn't mind stones whacking the bases of my mat skis.
For various reasons, I got out of synch with needing new skis for the mat and suddenly found myself in a predicament in September needing new skis for the mat. But I didn't have a set of skis that I had used on the snow, just a brand new pair of Rossi Zenith Z9s still in their wrappers. So I decided to experiment and buy a cheap pair of skis for the mat to see how they would go. I got a brand new pair of Rossi X-Fight 600s and bindings from the Colorado Warehouse for £170 roughly I think. They're doing the job just fine at the moment until the Z9s come on line!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Sleipnir, I have to say that skiing on the dry slope is different, almost a completely different sport, but in the absence of a dirty great mountain on your doorstep it suffices. If you have the readies to get your own skis and you enjoy your sessions on the dry slope then please, go ahead, buy some skis, enjoy yourself - you will progress
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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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I have skis that I use just for the dryslope. Unfortunately I'm already on my second pair as after about 9 months I was through to the core or on the first pair!
And that was with them being waxed with ultra cold (hard) wax every couple of trips.
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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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| krekeg wrote: |
I have skis that I use just for the dryslope. Unfortunately I'm already on my second pair as after about 9 months I was through to the core or on the first pair!
And that was with them being waxed with ultra cold (hard) wax every couple of trips. |
Eeck! What sort of skier are you - regular racer?
We have a lot of clients who are good solid skiers, I wouldn't say mega, mega advanced though in that they don't carve and things, who use their own skis and maybe ski twice a week in the evenings during the winter. They're still using the same skis they bought a couple of years ago.
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Poster: A snowHead
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There is a product called Data Wax that is design for dry slope skiing. Definitely worth using as it'll save your skis.
That said I alway use skis that have had their day on snow.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The_Hirsty, yeah, sorry should have said the Polar X is data wax's dry slope wax (they do do snow waxes as well) 
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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: |
Eeck! What sort of skier are you - regular racer?
We have a lot of clients who are good solid skiers, I wouldn't say mega, mega advanced though in that they don't carve and things, who use their own skis and maybe ski twice a week in the evenings during the winter. They're still using the same skis they bought a couple of years ago.
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Unfortunately our slope isn't big enough for racing. To be honest I think most of the wear came from carving all the time. I think as soon as a small groove started to appear the bristles become trapped in it creating even more wear. I was a twice a week type too - and used Polar X.
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Thanks for the clarification vivski, and also to you and The_Hirsty, for the wax heads up when it comes to waxes.
I had a quick look at the Data Wax site and they appear to do a whole range of products fir dry slope use - http://www.datawax.com/datawax/showrange.do?range=2 ...........and there was me thinking a quick once over with Mr Sheen would do the job - joke, honest!!!
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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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krekeg, Does your slope have any misting ?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
krekeg, Does your slope have any misting ?
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Yes. It's snowflex and it's not like it's in particularly bad knick either. The skis weren't particulalrly expensive, they were 'Budweiser' promotional Rossignols, so it's possible they had soft bases but I can see my Salomon Thrusters starting to lose their base structure along the edges. I think it's the heat produced that starts to melt the base closing up the structure. I've noticed that if you get a scratch on the base, a few week later it heals itself! I also think that as the base structure starts to close up it also stops absorbing wax which then starts of a bit of a vicious circle.
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Interesting stuff. I hadn't really thought about what different surfaces might do.
We have Dendix and certainly I have never seen the same sort of wear and tear as your skis have got, even with the big guys.
Certainly carving does take more out of them, there is no doubt about it.
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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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| ickabodblue wrote: |
| I have to say that skiing on the dry slope is different, almost a completely different sport |
I would disagree with that. Technique is the same and transfers from plastic to snow quite naturally. I learnt to ski on plastic and went on to race on it too. It definitely made my snow skiing much stronger.
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uktrailmonster,
Tomstickland wrote
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I did some lessons a dry slope before my first skiing trip. When I got back from holiday I went to the dry slope and decided I'd never bother again. Sorry, not much use to your question
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Sorry, didn't mean to suggest that the skills were that different just the experience and also wanted to point out that some of us, myself included, really enjoy going to the dry slope. The post was badly written but I'd just come back from the pub and was feeling a little squiffy.
I've just started race training and have realised how much I've still got to learn
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Sleipnir, I ski and teach regularly on our dry slope (Dendix) and have just bought a cheap pair of skis exclusively for dry slope use.
I've only had them for a couple of weeks but DataWax Polar X together with Zardoz Notwax seem to be protecting them fairly well.
The ski slope always buys wood core skis for use by the punters (this season Salomon XWing 400) because, in their experience, they are far more durable on plastic.
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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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When it comes to buying ski equipment in, Salomon usually do better deals than other importers when it comes to our slope. That said, we're always restricted as to when we can order stuff as money allocated to us doesn't usually come to us until around April which is a bad time to buy stuff in.
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You know it makes sense.
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Sleipnir, also meant to say enjoy your new skis!!
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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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Sleipnir, as snowaddict says, I think they just do a good deal, particularly with rental skis.
Enjoy your new skis (and the fettling  ).
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FAQ
's and haven't found it too time consumming. His skis aren't in bad nick and he probably could use them on snow if he hadn't grown out of them, so I'm keeping his next set 'till we go on holiday next week and when we come back I will rewax them and he'll use them on the dry slope.
