 Poster: A snowHead
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Firstly apologies if this type of thread has been covered before! I have been skiing twice but am considering buying some equipment as I am very much a fan and would like to go in the future without the hassle of hiring. My last holiday I was giving Salomon Aero SR skis at 170cm in length which I found fine. I am 5'11 and just over 80kg. I ski mainly reds, throwing in some scenic blues and a few testing blacks for good measure and am looking to push my development every time I go. I particularly enjoyed testing out the fresh powder between runs and would like to explore off piste and park, etc as I progress.
There are some good deals on ebay on Rossignol Scratch Sprayer BC's (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=290288146898) and I am wondering if these would be suitable for me? Do you think 170cm would be OK or would I need something longer as people seem to say that twintips ski short (whatever this may mean).
If you think I'm way over my head here and should ditch this idea altogether then please tell me so as I'd rather pay a bit more for the right equipment than suffer on the slopes as a result of a bargain.
Thanks in advance, Michael
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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twintips "ski short" because of the turny-up bits at the front and particular the back so the actual lenght of the ski base in contact with the snow is less than the overall stated lenght of the ski. eg I have a pair of 183 length twins but if you measure the base length that would actually be in contact with the snow (i call it the "running length" it's more like 170-175). This will vary by twintip ski, but I'd say a "170" twintip might be a bit short
There are some other things to consider with twins - the way they come out of a turn can be different from a straight (at the back end) ski. Some instructors would say they aint the best to learn on for that reason.
There are plenty of all-round skis suitable for some powder and piste without having a twintip. Twins are primarily for skiing backwards more easily, so unless you do that you dont need em. That said, there's not a lot (nothing!) wrong with skiing on twins even if yo dont go backwards - i never really ski backwards (intentionally!) and quite happily ski a twintip.
Best advice would be to see if you can try out some models - you can do this at the snowdomes around the country via the bigger shops (S&R and EB). There are more important characteristics to finding a suitable ski for yourself than just tweintip or not - length, stiffness etc. See if you can demo a few. Good Luck
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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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michaelf, we had a thread here on the Sprayer BC not very long ago. Should work for ya; though not the best choice for lessons.
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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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michaelf, wow.
You've been skiing twice and you ski mainly reds and some testing blacks? Well done, you must have learned faster than 97% of the skiers out there. (assuming 1 ski week each time)
That said: 1) buy boots first if you don't own a pair already, and don't skimp. 2) Twintips ski like a shorter ski compared to a "standard" ski of the same length because the upturned tail doesn't have contact with the snow. If you're still doing mainly piste skiing, why would you need a twintip? Perhaps get instead a piste ski, or maybe a classic midfat? By the time you progress to offpiste and park, you're more likely to know if you prefer a stiffer or softer ski, a full fat or narrower one, a light or heavy one etc. The idea of saving money on the skis is good though.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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michaelf, hello. If your reason for buying skis is to avoid hassle, you might be disappointed. By the time you've serviced them (or paid to have them serviced), stored them, schlepped them to, from and round airports, and paid, perhaps, to have them carried on the 'plane (or even not been able to take them on the 'plane at all), to say nothing of worrying about them being damaged, you've probably bought yourself more hassle than hiring them. Of course, you may have other reasons for wanting to buy.
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michaelf,hi,i have been bringing my own skis for the last 21 trips and can tell you that it is no effort at all..+ there is something nice about having your own skis..it is 80 or 90 quid to hire a pair at the resort so buy a decent set on ebay for 150-200 quid and youve paid for them in 2-3 trips...get a good quality pair of mid fats(as you like playing around in the deeper stuff off the sides of the groomers and will get more adventurous each trip) on ebay,get used to them for a few trips,then sell them and upgrade..if you are skiing reds and blacks after 2 trips you obviously have talent so mid fats will be no probs to you so dont bother with carvers(you will get bored of piste skiing soon enough) i would recommend the rossignol b3 176's for your height weight ski level..there are a few pairs on ebay at the mo..they fly through the chop,hold a good edge on the corderouy and float well in the pow..a good all rounder..hope this helps
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