 Poster: A snowHead
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Hey guys, thinking of buying some skis when the summer sales start, had some rental advanced skis whilst on a ski trip this year, i normally only get begginner skis.
I found it much much harder to fall with the advanced skis than i did with the stock beg rental skis, the edges were great and grippy, although a little twitchy in a staight line.
I even did my first red without falling! To be fair i ploughed most of it on the first run but came down in one peice.
I dont really want to get begginner skis as i feel these will hinder me in future and its a medium investment.
I know there are big differences in skis, but is there really a difference when a begginner / intermediate buys advanced / expert skis?
A guy who was just starting out had some fischer RC4 world cup skis rented and he was doing great!
Im just passed parrallel skiing,, with a bit of plough for peice of mind every now and then, so when i eventually get to carving i have the right equipment and the skis i have got used to.
Any help would be great if any of it makes sense!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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For what it's worth, the piste ski that came out best for intermediates in the Ski Club GB tests was the Head Peak 72, which even at full price is relatively cheap. I am an intermediate / advanced intermediate skier and if I were going to buy a pair of skis, these are probably the ones I would go for. I have absolutely no association with Head, by the way!
I would query whether it's worth you buying skis, given your relative inexperience. It can seem like a good idea, but there are distinct downsides: you have to maintain them yourself - or pay for someone else to; they can be a pain to transport about; if they get damaged part way through your ski holiday, you'll have to hire anyway; ski technology comes on every year and within as little as 2 years (by which stage, unless you are doing a lot of skiing, you won't have saved yourself anything by not hiring) you may well want to ski on something else. But up to you, really.
I would never hire "beginner" skis for anyone other than a complete beginner, not because they are unsuitable for beginners but because they tend to be the cheapest skis the hire shop can get hold of and tend to be very badly, if at all, maintained.
True advanced / expert skis are not suitable for intermediates like you and me. Without getting technical (in so far as I understand the technical side, which I don't really), for someone like me to put on a pair of expert skis is like putting someone who has just passed their driving test in a Ferrari: dangerous and expensive.
If you got on better with "advanced" skis than with beginner skis, this may be because: a. you are getting better at skiing anyway; b. the beginner skis you had previously were rubbish and poorly maintained; c. your "advanced" skis weren't really that advanced.
Sorry to go on a bit, but in summary, if you're going to buy, buy a pair of decent, intermediate piste skis [i.e. designed for the piste; all modern skis cope perfectly well with a bit of off piste if you have ambitions in that direction], like the Head Peak 72s.
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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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No no, great advice!
Maybe worth just paying that £10 extra for this seasons skis when booking
The skis i had were salomon xwing 800's i think its the xwing 8 now. The edges were razor sharp and i could smell they had been waxed.
The skis in another resort i had were in a poor state, edges dull, big gouges on the base, ends missing and i had to jump and stamp on a ski to get my boot into the binding!
That experience made me buy my own boots as i changed them about 3 or 4 times, even painful when first put on!
I think im a little anxeous that ill get dodgy gear!
Will definatly tick the upgrade box or have a look around the resot at the hire shops as in austria it was 9 euros for a pair of skis for the day.
Also on the off piste, we went off by mistake looking for a run and had a great laugh, falling over into fresh powder 
Thanks for the advice! Really Helpful!
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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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Week's ski hire through web booking, approx €70.
Ski service £30. Ski carriage £30 (possibly £60). And you have to buy them too. and you have to carry them...
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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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To throw in my tuppence worth - I would wait if you're not sure.
I personally like to try out skis before I buy them, and there are places you can do this - it is a reasonable investment, and there is no point getting something just 'cos it's in the sale.
I also think you might benefit from having a better idea of what you want/like - you don't have to be the best skier in the world to make ownership worthwhile, but you should probably have a feel for what you want, and this will come with time. Its not just edge - length, width, side cut and flex will all make a big difference to the way they ski, and it would be a shame to get something you don't like.
Steve
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| korgscrew wrote: |
| Im just passed parrallel skiing,, with a bit of plough for peice of mind every now and then, so when i eventually get to carving i have the right equipment and the skis i have got used to. Any help would be great if any of it makes sense! |
If you don't have your own boots then buy them first rather than skis - but go to a decent fitter such as this one to buy them and get them fitted...
Buying boots first is more important as you know then you'll always have a good fit and not wasting days on holiday in pain / going back to the shop for different boots. Given you can rent decent skis for c. £60 for a week (france with discount codes) and it costs £40 to fly them out/back then there's not a massive economic advantage in buying at this point. I've got my own skis and didn't even bother taking them with me on the last couple of trips, especially as I wanted to try something different...
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bertie bassett, he's done the boot bit. korgscrew, pay that bit extra to get better hire skis - the cheapest "beginner" ones are often rubbish and it's harder to learn with a poor pair of skis.
The most important investment you can make in your skiing is top quality lessons... 
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bertie bassett
| korgscrew wrote: |
| ....That experience made me buy my own boots .... |
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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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holidayloverxx, pam w, ok so I didn't read that part of the page - must have been all the blank
lines
in
the
post
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bertie bassett, I missed it first time as well
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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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andyph,
which resort do you get 1000 euro skis for 100 euro..
going to ischgl on sat and this will be our second trip this year and rentals want £145 for top skis,, i always said it would be cheaper/better to rent skis but now skiing twice per season i am beging to rethink this and it is now a borderline decision to swaying to buy if i ski twice a year on top end skiis.
although i guess a personal relationship with the shop would help.
interested to hear from others on the rent buy or issue for top skiis if you ski twice a year.
customised boots are a given always have my own boots so no query on this one.
bring on saturday......
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Price of ski hire has gone through the roof this year all over, which is why most carriers are charging , because they can
Which is why i'm flying with SWISS this week, because they believe you shouldnt be charged for taking your skis on a skiing holiday
Now that's what i call Customer Care
PS Go and see what Decathlon are selling
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You know it makes sense.
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pauljames, that's for 2-3 pairs of skis, and couple of pairs of boots. The price reflects "frequent flyer" discounts and I ain't saying where!
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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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andyph, I know where cos you told me ! Shame you're not coming this year, you'll be missed.
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Poster: A snowHead
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kitren2005, Mrs. ricfrench got me a pair of Head iPeak 74's for Xmas, just done my first week on the mountain on them, along side a week of higher intermediate lessons and got on great with them, they turn beautifully, nice and quick(45mph second day). We had the chance to hit some knee deep powder and tree lines they coped better than I did TBH.
korgscrew, All due respect, if you can just about manage a snowploughed red, i'd concentrate on improving your skiing first. Then think about buying when you've got some mikes under your belt.
Well done on the first red though
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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bladeskier, get some rose in for me will 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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Just hire for now then buy when your an intermediate
Also the X-Wing 8 is by no means an advanced ski. It's perfect for moving on to becoming a good intermediate
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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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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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| kitren2005 wrote: |
| buy a pair of decent, intermediate piste skis [i.e. designed for the piste; all modern skis cope perfectly well with a bit of off piste if you have ambitions in that direction] |
I have nothing against the first statement but I'd say the reverse to your further comment. If you get interested in the off piste you'll find it vastly easier with a wider ski but most skis now cope reasonably well with the piste.
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FAQ
I think I may need help 
