Hello TL, I come to you today as a long time Kansan. For those of you who don't know, Kansas doesn't have mountains, and I never skied as a kid.
I now find myself going to school out in Denver, Colorado. I've skied a few times on rentals, but I'm looking into buying my own gear for this next Winter season.
I already have a helmet and goggles, but this Wednesday at my school's Alpine Club meeting (outdoorsy stuff) they are having an equipment deal with some local shops.
Just wondering if anyone has advice on skis, boots, bindings, and poles. How to pick em' out, how much I should be spending and any other advice that might be good for a first-time buyer to know. Additionally, if anyone has tips for where to buy gear at a good price that'd be cool too. I'm hoping since it's Spring I might be able to find some sales and whatnot.
If anyone in the CO area has input on passes, I'm currently deciding between the Summit Value Pass and the Epic Local Pass which is $90 more but has access to quite a few more mountains.
I have just one advice.. buy this (sorry, didn't know how is it called in english).
I've been skiing ever since I was 6 and bought this+helmet at around 17. After few years my friend wanted to try it so I gave it to him for one ride and with all my experience I was suddenly shitless scared that I almost couldn't go down the hill lol. It seriously makes you feel a lot safer and more importantly, can save your life (or rather save you from wheelchair).
On April 26 2011 10:06 LeperKahn wrote: Jonoman lets go skiing!!!
Definitely! I'm still pretty (read: extremely) bad though lol. Looking forward to next Winter. Planning on staying in Denver over Winter break and doing a ton of skiing. Getting equipment+pass is frickin $$$ but once you got that the only expenses are really gas and possibly food it seems.
I wish I could give you specific gear advice... That being said I'd suggest getting used skiis. I bought a pair of '06 K2 public enemies and they're the best I've ever skiied. Just look around for ones that are used and don't look like used rentals. (Used rentals are all shit.)
As far as boots go I'd suggest getting new boots. I'm using Atomic 85 flex because I was spending a lot of time walking around in them while I was teaching. The lower the flex the more comfortable, higher the flex more control. Anywhere from 80-100 is totally fine anything above that starts to get into professional quality gear. Anything below and you'll notice wobbles as you get better. Ask your local ski store about what boots would fit you the best. Atomics are actually nice again for wide feet. Solomon are also nice for wide feet.
Also, consider getting one of those sole upgrades. They only cost $15 and are way worth the price. (They'll sell them at the ski shop.)
also yo if you want I'll give you free lessons if you drive me there I was a ski instructor at keystone this last season.
(The starting price is massive, but once you have the gear and pass its really, really cheap to go.)
For boots definitely go with something with a medium amount of flex. Buy really good quality boots and you'll be set with them for a long time. Even as you improve chances are you won't want anything higher unless you get into racing.
For skis it really depends on your ability level and what you want to ski. Since you've only skied a few times I'd recommend getting skis with a sizable sidecut since you'll be staying on groomers while you improve your technique. No need to spend a ton of money on skis since you'll want to get different skis anyways as you move up to harder runs and more off-piste. Second-hand would be fine, especially if money is tight.
Right now is one of the cheapest times to get ski gear since it is the end of the season, take a look around and you can probably find some great deals. Good luck and enjoy!
Yeah how exactly does that spine protector help when skiing? OP i'd recommend going to the best ski store you can find and talking to someone knowledgeable that works there, they can probably recommend something good for someone your size/level/style/whatever.
On April 27 2011 10:18 funnybananaman wrote: Yeah how exactly does that spine protector help when skiing? OP i'd recommend going to the best ski store you can find and talking to someone knowledgeable that works there, they can probably recommend something good for someone your size/level/style/whatever.
it cushions your back (they have ones for both chest/back) on your falls.
On April 27 2011 12:45 L_Master wrote: Dude, lets go skiing next winter!
You to LeperKhan!
TL ski trip sounds like a prettttty good idea imo!
Thanks a lot for the replies LeperKahn and Terranator, lots of stuff in there I was unaware of. Tomorrow night I'm going to potentially make some purchases, if I do I'll be sure to update! LeperKahn, I might have to take you up on giving me a few tips next Winter.
Since you're new to the sport, just head into a ski shop, and have one of the employees talk you through your options. MAKE SURE you have a boot fitter select the proper size boot for you. Boot sizing is a big deal, and isn't as simple as "whatever fits". Ski boots are way tighter than normal shoes and need to be broken in before they are comfortable. They say boots should be your most expensive piece of gear.
Summary- have a person at a shop help you out and fit your boots for you!
Skis arent that important for new skiiers. Someone mentioned K2, they are pretty good brand for newcomers but like I said, you dont need top end skis because you wont be able to cope with them. Just get a pair of carving skis and you will be set.
The most important thing is skiboots, get something between 70-90 flex and make sure that they fit. If your skiboots dont fit the whole skiing experience will go down the drain.
Have fun skiing, I surely cant wait until I go again.
Concerning protective gear, bindings, poles, other accessories: You can safely go by price. The more expensive the better. There isn't much you can do wrong as a beginner, it just depends on how much you are willing to spend.
Boots have been covered already, this is where you can make the biggest mistakes. Definitely go to a well staffed shop and spend A LOT of time getting advice and trying different pairs. As a beginner a pair on the softer side is probably betteras you won't push them to the limit anyway.
Skis: Now this is what depends entirely on your style. Do you ski on slopes only or off piste? Do you go for speed or for 'fun'. Do you want to learn modern carving technique? Do you want to learn stunts and tricks?
Generally there are the following categories of skis (they may be named differently with different makers):
Race: As the name suggests, these are build for speed. They allow you to take extremely short turns as fast as possible. Racing ski are rather stiff and require both skill and strength to be driven correctly.
Comfort: Rather soft ski that do a lot of work for you. They are easy to drive, but may feel a bit uncomfortable at high speeds.
Allround: A bit of everything for the slopes. Somewhat inbetween comfort and race carver.
Allmountain: Ski that are build to be usable on slopes as well as off piste. They are wider and rather stiff. For the slopes they are similar in skill and strength requirements to racing but won't give you the same feeling in turns. Also they are rather heavy.
Free style: For stunts, tricks, etc. Really light and soft ski that usually have twin tips at the front and back. Uncomfortable to drive at high speeds and not good for 'real' carving technique.
Free ride: Only for off piste. You can drive them on the slopes too of course, but they won't feel right (really wide body, no carving shape).
Touring: Well, for ski tours, but I doubt that's what you have in mind.
As a beginner I would always suggest to go for Allround as your first set, unless you already know what direction you want to go for. Once you are set on the kind of ski, you can continue going by price most of the time. Note though that for racing, allmountain, freestyle/ride the more expensive ones are also more challenging to drive. Also Allround/Allmountain are used confusingly by different vendors, look if they advertise off piste for the set.
Another thing is length, but it's vastly overrated. As a beginner get something between chin and nose length. It doesn't really matter much.
Like everyone said the boots are the most important thing i'd put most of your funds getting a comfortable pair of boots with innersoles. Dont be embarrassed about trying on loads of pairs. I had to try on loads of pairs last time and the pair i ended up in were the best of the bunch but still not great. Remember they will probably be really tight to start with as a new pair but the padding will squash down with wear and there are lots of settings to tighten the boot. You certainly dont want to be on the tightest setting with a new boot as once you've worn them in they'll be far too loose.
As for poles, cheap and cheerful is best in my opinion. Especially for a learner. You're going to be likely to bend/break your poles so theres no point on getting expensive ones till you're good. Also if you do bend your poles dont try bending them back while they're cold and also be really careful because they snap pretty easy. Trust me i know!
Skis - I'd go for an all mountain style. As a beginner i would steer away from twintips as its much harder to learn proper carving but later on they are great for light off piste and park skiing.
EPT![[image loading]](http://i54.tinypic.com/fyd400.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i56.tinypic.com/2m5mbrc.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.moda.cz/e/sites/www.moda.cz/Autori/LenkaZelezna/20070123_Chranic_Patere/images/image_003.jpg_1541401772.jpg)
(sorry, didn't know how is it called in english).
