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Buying skis

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi. We are planning to take the plunge and finally buy our own skis. It seems to me a good idea to find a shop that will let you try a few models before deciding what to buy - any views on that? We are likely to be staying in Gastein valley - does anyone have good/bad experience of the ski shops there?
Thanks for your help!!
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Go for something around the middle price range is the best bet for the UK skiers I would have thought. The cheapie ones are usually soft or the beginners as they are easy to turn. The expensive ones tends focusing in one particular area like off piste, racing, freeride etc. Most UK skiers do not replace their skies for a long time so the general purpose models can last for a long time.

Don't know much about the shops in Gastein Valley but buying skis there should be straight forward as it does have a few large skiing areas. I would also consider buying a used pair if it obviously is in good condition. May be you could persuade the shop to try the skis first before committing.
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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?
Quote:

Most UK skiers


Didnt realise we were so stereotyped!! wink
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Markymark29,

I suppose you mean most of skiers from UK do not buy their own skis and do not want to be associated with this thread.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
saikee, No just the opposite - UK skiers own a great deal of gear and are pretty discerning in their requirements. I know 30+ people who go skiing and every one of them owns their own skis, I am on my 6-7th pair and usually keep them 3-4-5 years and then bang them on ebay when they start getting a bit raggy. Not an uncommon practice I think..........IMO many skiers in UK have specialist gear (freeride etc) and dont just go for middle-off-the-road, one size fits all...................but its each to their own I guess.

1gunsalute, I'd 100% recommend trialling a few pairs in resort, dont know the Gastein Valley area but I'm sure there'll be plenty to choose from - if not let me know and I'll go see the guys on Dragons Den with my new business plan!!
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Thanks both of you. I realise I must fit the steretoype UK skier Smile
To start with I'm thinking something that works on piste and off, but not real deep powder stuff (at least not until I do that big Canadian trip I keep promising myself...)
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I have stopped renewing mine after the third pair. The style changes every few years so it is virtually impossible to pace with the development.

Each country is limited by the amount of gears the shops willing to stock and sell at lease this is the trend I see whenever I visit the French, Italian, Swiss, Austrian, German, American, Canadian, Japanese, Norwegian, Swedish and UK resorts. The French probably have the best choices on rangess and prices and they do a lot of saless starting fairly early in the season. I suppose a good skier can always adapt to the characteristic of the equipment and I have not seen a recreational skier able to bring more than two pairs of skis to the Alps yet. Skiers taking parts in competitions are of course in a different category and need more precise equipment.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
1gunsalute, If you are any where near an indoor slope go there first, the associated shops usually have a demo pool if loads of different makes/models, narrow your choice down to what type of skiing you do, i.e piste/off piste/park etc. No real point wasting time trying big wide fat b'stards when you only do piste skiing. If you find something that fits the bill hit the Internet to find the best price. You may very well find you can get a better deal over here that up in the mountains.
Good luck
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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.
1gunsalute, I agree with ricfrench, if you live anywhere near an indoor fridge like Xscape at Castleford/Milton Keynes or Hemel etc, then they should have a decent range that you can try on the slopes, and I would recommend it. I tried a few pairs before purchasing, and I ended up with a ski that I may not have otherwise picked - even on a small slope like those indoor ones, you can get a feel for the ski, and they are all quite different IMHO.

Re the type - you will find there are loads that now fall into an 'All Mountain' category - they tend to be a touch wider than the pure piste skis, and are extremely versatile - they have some features that help off piste. Maybe look at Fischer Watea 84, K2 Kung Fujas and Scott Punishers..?

Flex and how hard you like your ski depends on your weight as well as how you ski, so trying them out helps a lot. Mine are fairly lightweight cos I am a lightweight and a bit sloppy style wise Madeye-Smiley

Having your own skis is definitely the way to go - you get to learn their qualities and get the most out of them - not thaaaat different in price to renting after approx 3-4 weeks hire, and well worth it for the benefits. Hire kit gets trashed, and I have heard it often is a 'hire spec' ski, even if it carries the same name as the retail version.
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
ricfrench, Fair point, good idea - not messing about in resort then. I must admit I've always been a bit impulsive when it comes to buying skis, having taken advice from others/ read reviews/ blogs etc I tend to know what I'm after and fire up the internet and get looking for deals, however when buying my first pair I did test in resort and found it very helpful, not sure I'd be on-it enough on a indoor slope to really get a full comparison, I need to do some quick turns, carve a couple of fast runs, a couple of steeps, some shallow powder and some moguls before I could rate the skis, A vs B vs C etc.

I dont get that there's any bad skis out there, but they do different things I guess, its just how happy you feel on them IMO, most skis can always do more than the skier.

Worst case scenario if you're buying them at the right price and you ultimately cant get on with them there's always ebay!
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Markymark29 wrote:
ricfrench, Fair point, good idea - not messing about in resort then. I must admit I've always been a bit impulsive when it comes to buying skis, having taken advice from others/ read reviews/ blogs etc I tend to know what I'm after and fire up the internet and get looking for deals, however when buying my first pair I did test in resort and found it very helpful, not sure I'd be on-it enough on a indoor slope to really get a full comparison, I need to do some quick turns, carve a couple of fast runs, a couple of steeps, some shallow powder and some moguls before I could rate the skis, A vs B vs C etc.


Are you trying to say that you can't get all that at CasVegas? Laughing
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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.
It's definitely a balance between better test conditions in resort vs range and price in UK. Testing in the fridge is OK for an average chap like myself who is very unlikely to want to strap two fence panels to my feet and fly off the edge of a cliff landing in neck high powder.

There are some real bargains to be had at the moment as stores clear out last year's stock for the new stuff. IMHO if it was good enough for skiing on last year it will be good enough this year. After all, you will probably be keeping them for 4/5 years so no need to have 2012 graphics. Obviously sometimes there is a technical breakthrough/change but not very often.

While the internet is good for reviews these tend to be manufacturers blurb re-edited. Your best bet is to have a chat with the people in your favourite ski shop (and snowHead s of course) and be realistic about the sort of skiing you actually do (or want to do). There is no point buying a super stiff ski if you are a lazy cruiser.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Thanks again. I will check out the snow dome idea, and the sales!
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
1gunsalute, for shops in Bad Gastein, have a look at First Descent or Top Rent Schober:

http://www.first-descent.com
http://sport-schober.at

Before buying my own skis, I tested skis from both these shops. They're quite happy for you to swap skis after a day or 2 without any hassle about cash etc. PM me for more info.

Cheers
Kersh
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I bought my Scott Missions in 2006 and loved them. I just bought another pair and realised when I tried them at Hemel that I should have done it last year as the old pair had got very flabby (it took skiing a new pair to realise what I had been missing). They are good off piste and on. though I ski them mostly off-piste.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
+1 for Scott Missions. They had a period when the tops used to delaminate - but those days seem to be over now.
ski holidays
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
achilles, luckily my first pair were from before that problem (they were called Santiago Missions then but it was the same ski the next year with the name change). I'm hoping what they say about the new ones is true.
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