Buying Skis?

[Andeh13]

Im looking at going on a ski holiday in a few months time. Renting the skis will cost me £85, so i figured id stump up a little extra money and just buy my own, esp as i already have boots etc. I dont know what i need to look out for with buying skis though. Im a good intermediate skier, and can tackle almost any slope without too many problems, but i have no idea what to look for when buying skis.

Im about 81kg, and more or less 6ft. Budget wise, as cheap as possible, nothing over £150 for ski & binding. I know i wont get anything amazing, but its just some stuff to last mew the next couple of years.

http://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys...6/product.html

Can anyone advise me on what to look out for? or any tips?

cheers guys

[explicitlyrics]

To be honest, if youre going skiing in a couple of months Id buy them there since it will be towards the end of the season. Whenever Ive bought skis ive bought them at the end of the season and theyve lasted well. Other than looking on ebay or the like I dont rate your chances of getting skiis for anything like £150, much more like £250.... even for basic ones...

[Zak33]

just rent them chap

If you buy them, you'll need to get them maintained over time, and everytime you go skiing it'll cost you to transport them, and they'll be out of date in 2 years

Rent em

Spend the dough on beer

[Rave]

just rent them chap

If you buy them, you'll need to get them maintained over time, and everytime you go skiing it'll cost you to transport them, and they'll be out of date in 2 years

I last went skiing in 1996, and I seem to recall enjoying it. Just because something better comes along doesn't mean that old stuff isn't still good.

You could have a look in the Decathlon sale Andehh, they had some cheap skis while I was in there buying a cheap bike last January.

[AledJ]

I like you was going to buy some skis last year. But I didn't in the end because of a few resons:

1: With some airline being idiots (charging stupid price/losing your stuff)
2: Although your paying £85 for a weeks rental, you do get skis that are that seasons (or maybe just a year old)
3: No need to get a ski tech to service them (something you should before and after a ski trip)
4: You can also get some great rental deals!! Check out a company called ski-republic . They had a 2 for 1 deal on skis (think it runs until the end of the season)
5: No worrying when in queues about your skis. You no how some people will trample your ski etc.
6: One important question you have to ask is this- How many times a year do you ski?? If its only 1 or 2 times a year then no point really. I tend to have a weeks skiing at the end of Feb, and then a 3 day ski if i see a good deal.


Can't think of much more........oh buy a helmet!!! Its mad that we will wear a helmet on bike/motorbike/skateboard etc but not skiing. And you don't have to go for a super expensive one. Check out these guys

Hope that helps

[Norky]

If you're just after piste skis, honestly don't do it. Don't.

[Zak33]

I last went skiing in 1996, and I seem to recall enjoying it. Just because something better comes along doesn't mean that old stuff isn't still good.

I know Rave, but it's not just being out of date... it's wear and tear.

Last time I went skiing, in one week I:

~ Lost a skii pole when I nose planted in the powder and looked for 40 minutes and then gave up

~ Followed my mates through a grove of pine trees while travelling a tad too fast, and the roots sticking out through the snow severely attacked the base of my skiis

~ Lost a skii on a fast red section, and watched it dissapear into a massive canyon, that took me over an hour to get down into, and the skii was chipped all along the edge.

~ Skii'd to a stop outside a bar, and realised I'd skiid over someone's old bindings, sticking out of ther snow, leaving even more damage to the underside.
smashed
Now I'm not saying I handed back two long strips of matchwood , but they were heavily worn. Yeah, I skii in a slightly mad style (or used too) but even the most careful skiier is gonna potentially wreck a pair of skiis over 3 or 4 years. Then he#ll need lots of work, and probably want new ones.

And since 1997, skii's have changed so massively, that to use 11 - 12 year old skiis would be... hard slow going.

[samcross]

Zak=Skiing n00b