 Poster: A snowHead
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... though I'll probably wait till end of this season in the hope of a sale or some kind of lower price. But I was wondering :
- Where can I find out how to look after them? I know I should get them serviced each week of skiing, but what about giving them a decent waxing and any other considerations. And it might be good to know something about servicing to be able to tell if they're doing a good job or not.
- What's the real difference between bindings? And how do you choose which ones to have? Skis I can see, but in my simple world, a binding simply has to hold my boot in place unless the torsion exceeds whatever weight I've set the front & back adjusters to, in which case they should damn well release without further ado!
- I've heard people refer to trying out different models @ MK snowdome / Ellis Brigham. Since I my real ski trips are sparse enough for me never to be able to work out whether the differences in my skiing are to do with (a) the model of ski I've hired, (b) the quality of service they had and (c) how much my legs have forgotten about skiing since the last trip, it would be great to be able to do a few runs on different skis in succession and really feel the difference. Is it really just a matter of walking in and asking to try some out? (OK I could phone them but I'd rather chat about it here first since I'm bored at work...)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Just got back from la plagne where there were a number of shops that would let you test skis before buying and they seemed much cheaper than back home. To give an example my boots in snow & rock £200 in resort 168 euros same boots. I brought my own skis based on length and my ability, never tried them but they have been great fun. Waxing and edging is easy there are plenty of tutorials on the web or DVD's. I enjoyed doing it.
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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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Im also just back from La Plagne where I brought my first skis, I did a fair bit of research (both on here, reading revews and asking mates) ending up with a shortlist of about 4 pairs which i planed to test when i got to La Plagne. Testing procedures varied between shops (Intersport just wanted to take my passport as a deposit, while the other place (whos name i cant remember) wanted 20 euros per day (but for that you could test as many skis as you wanted, and it was returnable if you brought a pair.)
In the end I went to intersport because the other place didnt have the Atomics I wanted to test first, spent one afternoon on them (and as it happens compleatly fell for them, and ended up going back and buying a pair that evening.)
As for bindings, most of the stuff i was looking at included the binding with the ski.
Very glad that I waited untill I got out to the resort rather than buying at EB or S&R as i first planed, got a much better feel for the ski testing it over a good range of different runs than you would testing over a short sheet of ice. + they were cheaper as well! 
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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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I think this thread ought to be shifted to the "Equipment" forum before PG takes offence 
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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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Whoops yes you're right there I forgot about the other forums, I spend most of my time here, Resorts & Snow Reports... 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I think someone from Snowheads made a special arrangement with Ellis Brigham for a large party of us. There were reps for different makes of ski. (But why not ring them at the Snowdome and ask if you can test, they just might I suppose). Otherwise you can sometimes do deals to try more than one pair in a day from a hire place in the Alps. Some have special hire & buy rates.
It is very easy to wax your own skis, you just need a travelling iron (with continental plug converter), some wax and a scraper. The trouble is most hotels have nowhere you can service your own skis (no bench or power points in the ski room). Edges are best done with a file held at exactly the right angle - so buy a little plastic thing with it that helps do that (or have a proper service). I used to do small hole-filling myself, but anything near an edge get done professionally.
(There are probably ski books with good instructions on all this, but I don't know them. It's probably better if you can get someone to show you how.}
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Thanks snowball - if anyone does know of any good books I'd be interested...
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As for waxing:
Pull back the ski brakes and hold them in place with (for example) a small loop of cord round the other side of the ski. Put on the iron fairly low and then apply the wax to the iron, dripping it down the length of the ski. You don't need very much. Then use the iron to spread the wax over the whole ski bottom, keeping the iron moving and letting it impregnate the surface of the plastic (you'll gradually learn how much wax you need).
Now use the scraper, inclined at a backward angle, to scrape most of the wax off again, making passes from the tip towards the tail, making sure your edges are clear.
Stand the skis to cool before putting together.
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