 Poster: A snowHead
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Done some ski shopping over this past month and i've managed to pick up some fantastic bargains...
This'll be my second year skiing and i intend to get a load of hours on dry slope again before i go. But at £15 a session its quite expensive, so this year i decided to buy my own gear as i had about 15 lessons last year.
So far i've picked up some k2 x14 skis at 171cm for £5 and just got a set of salomon xwave 8.0 for £20... now i know the boots are a bit of a gamble as to whether they will fit well enough, but for that price i couldnt say no.
I'm now looking for a decent ski mask and maybe some gloves... 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| tomb wrote: |
| I'm now looking for a decent ski mask |
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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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well i had a buff last year, but the condensation from my breath kept turning to ice on the mask... i was going to look for something that might fix this
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Skiing somewhere a bit warmer?
No face masks work consistently IME - life's just a constant tradeoff between frostbite and foggy goggles when it gets that cold. I guess Himalayan mounatineers must have cracked it.
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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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how can i possibly know what temperature the resort is going to be in a few months from now? As it happened last year there was a particularly cold snap during my week at serre chev, could be this same this year for all i know.....
i know this is a little of an over kill but something like this maybe a possibiilty?? http://www.hammacher.com/Product/78958
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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tomb, that looks perfect.
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Tomb. Where Did you find skis for five pounds?!
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tomb, I have skied in -20s often enough and have never seen anything like that. I thin overkill is right 
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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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Just to be on the safe side I'd go for this one
http://www.hammacher.com/Product/Default.aspx?sku=81344
You can get neoprene masks for motor cyclists for very little on ebay, far cheaper than ski ones and very similar. I think I've worn mine once and that was in Canada in January.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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thepowmeister, Ebay... its where most of my ski gear came from, some good bargains this time of year!
holidayloverxx, thepowmeister, yeah i know they're a total over-kill... in all honesty i was thinking of something more like this http://airhole.ca/standard-masks/, they are pretty simple masks, with conveniently placed 'air holes' which allow easy breathing and hopefully reduce condensation?! Some cool designs also and i think you can pick them up for around £20...
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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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tomb, I've bought a neoprene mask and a fleece mask before, both end up steamy. now I just put my hands across my face on the ski lift and/or use a buff
your link has a spurious punctuation mark so it doesn't work. Having removed the punctuation mark and seen what you are considering, I don;t know whether to laugh or cry, but I guess you are a lot younger than me,
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You know it makes sense.
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| tomb wrote: |
how can i possibly know what temperature the resort is going to be in a few months from now? As it happened last year there was a particularly cold snap during my week at serre chev, could be this same this year for all i know.....
i know this is a little of an over kill but something like this maybe a possibiilty?? http://www.hammacher.com/Product/78958 |
Am I alone in being reminded of the "Empty Child" episode of Dr Who?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Empty_Child
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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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Skis for a fiver and a Cyberman mask. Wow.
I think you may need to reconsider what is more important to spend your money on.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Piccadilly, yeah you're absolutely right, i was a fool for thinking i could get any sort of enjoyment out of this sport without blowing hundreds/thousands of pounds on the newest technical gear..... idiot!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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tomb, You could also make money from those skis! Sell them to a young Parisian skiing in jeans! That's the kind of ski that they love to ski on! It must be because they are so much better than anything made in this millennium, or it is the fashion in the twilight zone!!! All joking and ribbing aside, you would be better advised in waiting before buying skis and othre equipment and spend your money on lessons! As for boots, NEVER, NEVER, EVER buy these online. Buying the wrong boots will damage your improvement on the slopes forever! As they say "pay the money and look big"! I know that you felt Piccadilly, was winding you up, but he has a serious point! Spend the money on the things that will help you improve your skiing, and not looking the "canines danglies" because you are carrying a ski tube at check in at the airport!
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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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Roy Hockley, but this is my second year skiing, i could decide skiing is not for me, why spend big on something till i'm entirely sure i want to make it a regular thing. And as it happened i did fine last year on an old set of rental salomon skis and boots, got my way around the mountain more than adequately. I really dont understand this attitude of having to buy big when in all honesty im getting enough enjoyment out of the sport as it is.
The reason i spent the money on second hand gear is so that i can now go to my local ski slope to get some practice in without having to pay for the boot/ski hire... i worked it out that i should of made my money back it the first few sessions, and you can guarantee what ive bought is just as good or even better on the old gear they have at the ski slope!
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Roy Hockley, I got lucky with some £25 eBay boots, thought at that price it had give them a punt. Put in some custom soles and they are more comfy than my trainers.
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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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tomb, I agree with what you say about not spending much money till you are sure, which made the cyber mask idea a bit weird
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Roy Hockley, Sorry, originally expensive salomon's, just bought them at the right time of year off someone who was selling them at the wrong time of year 
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tomb, ski in Serre Che every winter. Face masks not necessary. We have them, but have only used them in Canada
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Hells Bells, i was there last season, it read -24°c when we got up to yret... i really had problems with my face/mask, it bothered the hell out of me all week! On the flip side though the guys who went there the year before said they spent half the week in just thermals and t-shirts on top....
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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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ricfrench, Indeed you were lucky! You obviously know the importance of good boots, but the OP does not seem to be aware! I think he should do as he suggests and spends his money on lessons and when he is sure then buy the equipment that is suited to him! The more modern ski may be better suited to him and skied at a shorther length which may make it easier for him to progress!
tomb, I understand this is your second year skiing and that is why you are being given advice from your fellow s on this forum! Owning a pair of old and possibly not the best skis for you, size, torsion etc. Saving a few hundred euros while you are learning may be a false economy, ski on the modern rental skis may give you a better feeling of control. After all the sidecuts and styles of skiing have changed a lot since "Moses was a boy", and I think I was in one of his first ski class's! A better technique will let you enjoy the mountain far better, I know you appreciate this deep down as you are taking lessons, you are never too old or experienced to take lessons, even Mrs RH goes back to tuition at times! I dream of being able to ski as "badly" as she does. Owning the wrong equipment rather than renting the right combination for you may very well be the wrong decision for you in the long term! Enjoy the sliding wherever it takes you, but DO go to a reputable boot fitter and that will be a far better investment coupled with good instruction rather than cheap skis and expensive headwear!
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tomb, but the mask in your picture really was overkill, sorry.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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like i said earlier guys the cyber mask thingy is completely over the top and was meant to be taken with a pinch of salt... but on the other hand my overriding memories of my first ski holiday (apart from the fun i had skiing) was how much i was bothered by my bloody buff all week and not how uncomfortable my 'cheap' rental ski boots were....
Roy Hockley, i do honestly appreciate any constructive feedback and i thank you for yours... i have however been flamed in other posts on this board and apologise if i came across as overly defensive..
The skis i've bought are of the same size i've learned on, and are a similar style... i've not just bought a random pair of skis.... My intention was always to rent a pair of skis for my skiing holidays and when i get to the skill level and where i feel i need custom boots, then i will invest in some.... Thing is at a fiver, even if i manage to get one day of skiing here in the welsh mountain in winter combined with cheaper slope fees, then i feel they're worth it!
Just as a side note, my experience with rental so far have been quite mixed, on my first holiday i found my self changing my boots and skis a few times during the holiday, as the guys in the rental shop seemed to have a hap hazard approach as to what my ski equipment requirement would be... Should i be looking for a better rental shop next time? Or is this the norm?
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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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tomb, Good luck mate, sometimes second hand boots work out, sometimes they don't. If they dont fit just sell them on.
The best thing about new boots is that you can mold the inners to fit your feet, so they fit like slippers, but as you say this is a relatively big investment compared with buying second hand. If your second hand boots fit then they will be as good as hire boots, but cheaper over the season!
Great price for your skis, but I'd be worried that they were such old models that they were battered and had no edges left, so get them serviced and waxed, probably cost you about £20-£30, but you would probably want to do this with any second hand skis, regardless of how old they were.
There is nothing wrong with using older skis, they were good enough when they came out and should be good enough now. They won't have some of the more modern innovations such as rockers but as long as you can ski in them and they are not too long for you and they still have an edge then they should be ok, although the newer ski technology seems to be about making the skis easier to control in all conditions so maybe your next purchase should be a pair of 3 or 4 year old skis for around £100 to see if they are easier for you to control?
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tomb, I've got a couple of buffs, the cheap one is awful, but the more expensive one is breathable and doesn't ice up.
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You know it makes sense.
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Hells Bells, i've actually got a expensive buff, it was a xmas pressie, it's got the fleece at the bottom and the stretchy material at the top, i still had problems with it, i suppose its just one of those things that are never going to suit me. I might see how i get on with it this year as i suppose i'd be unlucky to go on a second week as cold as the first?!
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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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tomb, mine is a very fine microfleece all over.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I've got a mountain hardwear half face windstopper balaclava, which I use for when the temperature is down in the -20c but I mostly use a thin buff, not a fleece one.
It's always difficult trying to work out which will work best, I had to adjust the balaclava as it left the tip of the nose exposed which almost gave me frost bite on one climb, so I sewed a power stretch patch across the tip, works a treat now.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Sack the Juggler, i may try that... i know it sounds really petty to some people but it honestly bugged the crap out of me all week!
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