AllyG wrote:Hi Owen,
I don't own my own skis, but I have observed another negative about owning your own skis to add to the list.
Skiers never seem to be satisfied with owning just one pair of skis. It's as though buying the first pair opens the flood gates and they keep looking at ads, and in ski shops, until finally they can't resist the temptation and they buy another pair. Ski manufacturers are crafty, and each year they seem to 'improve' ski design and whatever the new development is, it becomes the next 'must have'. The skis I hired this year, for example, were last year's K2 True Luv's and on my return out of curiosity I looked them up and discovered that this year's model have 'rockers' (whatever those are).
So, I would guess that owning skis is like buying a computer - within a fairly short space of time you'll want a laptop as well, and then a new pc after about 2 years.
If you do buy a pair of skis I'd advise you to buy a double ski bag because it won't be long before you'll be wanting a second pair - for ski-ing in powder, in the park, or whatever the latest excuse is :lol:
Ally
With the greatest respect, I'd pretty much ignore everything thats been said in this post.
Firstly, there is nothing to make anyone want to own more than 1 pair, other than vanity, greed, limitless funds, or being some kind of serious/pro skier. Having never owned your own Ally, you really cannot imagine what goes through a ski owners mind when he/she is in the shop.
Also, owning a double ski bag nowadays is NOT good advice, because of all the issues we have previously covered on this forum about ski carriage - just in case anyone isn't up to speed, most airlines now charge you for only 1 pair of skis and/or a weight limit per bag, so be prepared to pay 2 lots of ski carriage if this is the case. BA might be your best bet if you have a double bag.
In response to the first post, I have now owned 4 pairs of skis. My first pair were for an improving intermediate and were, looking back, quite rubbish. I bought them after having only skied a couple of weeks and getting the bug, and wanting to have everything. I improved quickly and was advised to get some better and quicker skis, which I did.
I then developed an interest in skiing off piste and powder, which my skis were not really designed for, so I bought a 2nd pair and took them on a trip when I got away with taking 2 pairs in my ski bag! But I found them too long for me, and sold them for more than I paid for them, and sold my other pair and bought a pair of all mountain skis, which enable me to ski on or off piste, or in fact on anything I want without too much trouble. I'd suggest you seek advice and think seriously about what you want to ski and where you want to ski it. Do some research on the net, talk to sales people in the shops, but most importantly don't kid yourself you're a better skier than you are or that you can handle stuff that you can't, and buy the appropriate skis for your level, or that might help take you to a higher one.
Remember this though - the most important thing you'll buy are your boots. Get them right and you can ski any old skis pretty well. Having said that, I do find I am now "at home" with my current skis. In fact, I regard them as good friends. You need to have a relationship with your skis. Respect and care for them, treat them well, love and caress them from time to time, and they will look after you on the snow.
Owning my skis enables me to get used to what they can do, and it takes away any bedding in period you have with a new pair of skis when you rent, or the risk of getting some right old dogs that haven't been cared for, which is more than likely!
You'll need to consider ability, speed, length, turning radius, terrain etc before committing to buy, but do the research and take advice. This is not a bad place to start. Technology IS changing all the time, but to be honest a lot of it is either not necessary or a bit of a gimmick. Only the really good skiers and pros will be able to tell you what they allow them to do better.
Don't buy 2nd hand, you just don't know what they've been through. You can buy new skis cheap in resort, at the end of the season, or from the previous years collection. For example my skis were half price new - why? Because the graphics on the top sheet were different. In fact I preferred the graphics on the older seasons model, which was nice ;-)
How tall are you? What do you weigh? What do you like to ski? Do you aspire to ski anything else, ie moguls, off piste, powder etc? How many times a season will you ski? Can you afford £30 each time you go in order to get them serviced and tuned up so they remain in top condition? And are you happy to pay £30 to send them on a flight? Answer all of these and you'll be able to come up with some kind of plan.
As for carrying them around - its only from the car to the check in, and then from the baggage carousel at the other end to the coach....hardly a big deal. Invest in a decent bag though, padded or solid.
I'm sure theres a million other things to discuss, but thats all I can add at this moment. Hope its useful. My skiing has come on leaps and bounds since I got the right boots and my current pair of skis, but going 3 times a season probably has something to do with it as well.
T
