How Old Is Your Ski Stuff

So, my latest ski gear aquisition is just 10 hours old. A pair of really well made ski pants, from Aldi, £8.99! Not sallos, they are ski trousers.

Even by my tight wad standards, this has to be the best bargain since I bought my straight Volkls, new, for £49 ~ 6 years later, they are still my most used, and quickest, skis.

Ski Pants David???......how ridiculously girly

8)

Quite an interesting thread, where there are clearly different experiences with ski gear. Some folk want to focus on good equipment, others on "looking good". Others prefer to put less into clothing, and spend the money on lift passes.

There are some parallel threads elsewhere, notably on instructor sites, interestingly linking equipment changes with technique changes. An example being Grundschwung leading to high boot cuffs.

And there are others who like to buy good looking good quality technical equipment at good prices, who also like to spend money on lift passes.

But I say again: everyone who skis (with the very odd exception, Dave) will buy clothing to ski in which they believe also looks good as well as serving its purpose of being waterproof, windproof or keeping them warm.

Interestingly, the new Head boots I am looking at have adjustable cuffs for on and off piste mode, while the Fischers I am also considering are "Hybrid" and have adjustable cuff angles so that you can get more rearward flex from the canting screw in the same way as the Heads, but each badge this feature slightly differently.

Which Head boots are you considering? I have skied on the Challenger 120's for two seasons now and find them brilliant.
The recent Fischer boots I tried I found to be too flexy, and more suited to lower end or touring use.

Very interesting. I have this morning made a decision.
I had some Dalbello's on trial, 110 flex, looked brilliant but had a few pressure points which I didn't get on with - returned.
My final 2 were Fischer Hybrid 10+ with 100 flex - felt lovely and every buckle adjustment made a big difference - and Head Challenger 120, again felt amazingly comfortable but quite different from the Fischer. Quite soft for a 120 flex.

I was heading down the Fischer route last night, but after a strenuous spin class this morning, I sat in both boots for 15 mins and the Fischers started to develop a slight pressure point on the inside of my left ankle - funnily enough where my current Salomon RX8's were hurting too, so I switched to the Heads and they were perfect, back to the Fischers and the pressure was still there - so decision made.

The Head's have a high tech spec, I like the spine tech buckles as they seem more flexible, at 120 I have good stiff boots to improve even further now, and they are actually half a size smaller than the other 2 I tried, as well as my current boots, so I think everything adds up. The fit is perfect - surprisingly enough I do know how a book should fit and feel. The added bonus is they don't require heating up to fit as they are perfect as they are, and these linings arent designed for all that. I am not personally convinced in the need for custom linings or shells, unless you have quite unusual shaped or wide feet, luckily my feet are quite normal.

I have taken on board a lot of advice, including thence man at Ski Bartlett, and I am hoping these Head Challenger 120's will become my new best friends.

Nice to know you get on well with them,

From an aesthetic point of view, I am not sure I would have picked them off the shelf on looks (not a criteria, I know) but they will grow on me.

Interesting stuff, Tone. I actually think the Head 120 Challenger is a striking looking boot! It has very good reviews. Not surprised you didn't get on with Dalbellos. The people in the trade I know don't have much positive to say about them.

Back to trousers. I now have some that are less than one day old! I was very tempted by some Hagloffs at half price but even they were double the price of some 2117 of Sweden trousers. Reduced by £130, they are well made, with plenty of technical features and fit very well. Nice colour, too! And definitely not sallopettes - not a dungaree bib in sight...

Good choice Tony. Challengers have been good boots for me.
I was, however, thinking of having a T-shirt printed.....
I BOUGHT THEM FOR THE SPEC
NOT THE COLOUR!