 Poster: A snowHead
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I am looking to buy my first skis as I have seen some in Decathlon which would work out cheaper than renting in resort. I usually ski 2 weeks per season, and am a solid intermediate piste skier - confident on Reds, and will get down blacks albeit in my own time!
The skis I have seen are all Wed'ze; the Onecharm £149, Purebreaker £149 and Ladybelle £249.
Any reviews on the Wed'ze brand? I'm not expecting them to be as long-lasting as a 'proper' brand, but I don't think I ski well/often enough to notice the difference, and am interested in whether they are good quality for the price. Otherwise are there any better alternatives/equivalents elsewhere - I will be at the ski show next weekend, but don't know where to start!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If your confident on Reds and are happy on blacks then you really should be looking at other brands.
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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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Don't know about Wed'ze skis but check out www.skiwear4less.com (no connection other than being a satisfied customer), they have load of choices in that price range including some big brand name skis (Elan, Rossingnol, Dynastar)
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Foobio, Decathlon brands are , invariably, rebranded 'major Manufacturer' products. They used to be Salamon skis a few years ago but no idea this year. Wed'ze is a Decathlon brand but says nothing about Quality or origin. I suppose they could make them but I doubt it. Try asking -- that is how I found out originally.
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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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| davkt wrote: |
| Don't know about Wed'ze skis but check out www.skiwear4less.com (no connection other than being a satisfied customer), they have load of choices in that price range including some big brand name skis (Elan, Rossingnol, Dynastar) |
seconded
that's where I shopped at for a few years, before I started wanting more specific gear. You can pick some good gear up at good prices, just be careful to not buy some tat that won't sell.
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Foobio, welcome to snowheads. The Decathlon own brand stuff is generally good value. Have you costed ski carriage into the sum? How many weeks skiing have you done? I suspect that those skis would be fine; we have some Wedze short skis, and they're not bad at all.
Do you have your own boots? If not, they're the first step.
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Foobio, there are some quite good second hand deals, often advertised here on snowheads - you might get better value that way. I've bought two second hand pairs in the last couple of years, one was £100 and I used them most of last season. The others were £70 and bought for my son - he's not tried them yet, but they should be good.
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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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I have a pair and I love em. Can rem the exact model, but v responsponsive , my carving improved dramatically when I got em
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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'm sure someone somewhere told me that Wed'Ze skis are actually rebranded Rossignols. Does anyone actually know if this is true?
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You know it makes sense.
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Whitters, Quechua is the 'other' Decathlon own brand ....
I have no idea about Rossignol or otherwise.
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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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Foobio, I've managed to pick up some bargain skis for 2 of my kids from Ski Bartlett and they really have been excellent with their service. They have some sale skis on their website but worth calling them
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Poster: A snowHead
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i have a pair but i just use them for messing about on the rec ground behing my house if it snows . . . they have survived some hammer on less than ideal conditions, including skatinvg down my road jumping over the humps people had made clearing their drives . . . never actually tried them on a mountain ...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
used to be Salamon skis a few years ago
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I was under the impression that they were Dynastar "seconds"...
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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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| Agenterre wrote: |
| Foobio, Decathlon brands are , invariably, rebranded 'major Manufacturer' products. They used to be Salamon skis a few years ago but no idea this year. Wed'ze is a Decathlon brand but says nothing about Quality or origin. I suppose they could make them but I doubt it. Try asking -- that is how I found out originally. |
This is less and less true. The usual decathlon MO is to start creating their own products by buying in components from established manufacturers and rebrinding the stuff. Then as they get a foothold in the market, they start designing their own stuff and slowly phase out the third-party components.
Hence the ski/snowboard stuff is now getting to the point where it is fully designed in house I believe, although they are likely still using 3rd party suppliers for the manufacturing itself.
Another great example of the above are the bikes/B'twin brand. They're now at the point where they design their own frames, and a lot of their components, and the usual suppliers, e.g. Shimano, are being slowly phased out of their products.
I was told all of this by a mate who works in their design office in Lille, on the bikes specifically. I use him every so often for even cheaper supplies! 
| Agenterre wrote: |
Whitters, Quechua is the 'other' Decathlon own brand ....
I have no idea about Rossignol or otherwise. |
I think Quechua, which indeed used to include ski equuipment (my first board was Quechua), is now focused on camping/mountain/hiking/climbing gear, with Wed'ze taking ski and snowboard over.
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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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Kruisler, I knew a lot of their clothing was being made for them .... didnt appreciate it had extended as far as their Bikes , we have 2 and very very good they have proven as well. So when we replace them you are 'The Man'.
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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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Agenterre,
The B'twin Rockrider came top of a comparison on last night's Gadget Show for cheap (<£100) mountain bikes.
To Decathlon's credit they do seem to really promote sport excellence within their own ranks and for their products. Many of their designers are very keen sports enthusiasts, regularly involved in sporting events and quite experts in their field. Compare to the usual french company, employee work later but they have a 2hr lunch break where they are encouraged to practise sport. Quite a few facilities are provided.
The "problem" is, in France at least, that they have become so big that they're killing off the sport shops competition. And as they slowly but surely are driving out the products and brands that are not their own from their shop floor, it's getting harder to find alternatives.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Normally these skis are made using old moulds that brands previously used or no longer require.
The core is normally foam, not wood and if it says wood it will be pretty cheap in quality.
I would stick to reputable ski companies who manufacture in European factories.
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Personally I think it's wrong to assume that, just because it's cheap, then it's got to be rubbish. Decathlon have a whole different cost base to companies like Salomon, Dynastar, etc.
Decathlon design, manufacture and then sell in their own shops situated in non-prime locations and sell products in large volumes. The "big" ski brands design and manufacture; pay for lots of advertising; sell to distributors who then sell to shops in prime locations in small volumes.
The more layers the more costs. The higher the volumes the higher the costs. So it's easy to see how a ski costing £50 to design and make can end up costing £300 in Slush & Rubble and £150 in Decathlon - with Decathlon still making a larger profit...
My imitation "X top" baselayer from Decathlon was a third of the price; is warmer; wicks better; washes better and has lasted better.
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As has been said before, Decathlon in whatever guise is definitely excellent for kit that uses generic input materials. I find my "Peak" baselayers are better but were about 12 times more expensive. They're not that much better.
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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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I like Decathlon. I was in the "troc" in Albertville today (a twice-yearly thing where people - including me - take second hand gear in for them to sell). The lad who had helped me get my stuff sorted out when I took it in on Saturday was helping a woman buying a pair of ski boots (at 5 euros) and a pair of skis (at 15 euros) for her little boy, who was in a pushchair. He got the inners out of the boots, checked they'd be the right size for the lad, then found out his weight and set up the bindings. OK, it wasn't exactly a fully professional boot fitting, but I've seen a much more perfunctory fitting of kids in a hire shop and that little lad is now kitted up for 20 euros. I subsequently, in the main shop, wasn't sure whether a pair of walking trousers was waterproof. The girl didn't know, got onto the computer and found out, explained to me carefully the specs, and all very friendly and helpful. The staff seem well informed, and what they don't know, they go and find out.
I shall get the proceeds from my second hand sales - with no deductions - in Decathlon credit notes. I do find some of the sizing a bit odd - definitely have to try stuff on. They had some nice-looking merino base layers last year but none of them fitted me properly, sadly - and I'm a very ordinary sort of size.
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pam w, I was wondering how you got on at the "troc". Is it just for one day at a time?
I'm a big fan of the Decathlon micro fleeces, very cheap, all of us have them but the boys especially have had a couple that have gone on and on and on - through everything that skiing, scouts, mucking about etc has thrown at them and beyond 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Lou, it's on for a week, from 16 - 23rd October, and you can take things in from 15th - 22nd. They do it in March, too.
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