The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
Ski her? I hardly know her! (New England)
MegaMan001
CRNARochester, MNRegistered User regular
CRNARochester, MNRegistered User regular
I went skiing for the first time a few weeks ago in Bethel, Maine (Sunday River). I did a fantastic 'Three Day Learn to Ski Package' which basically went from my own experience (have never put on a pair of skis nor have I tried to do anything in the snow that didn't involve a sled) to getting off of the chair lift and going down Green Squares.
I fell a few times - in a more or less controlled manner - without injury.
Though, at the end of the first day, I had an absolute great time. My only regret? Not starting this four years ago when I first moved to Boston.
So, with that said, I'd like to buy my own ski stuff. Boots, bindings, skis, poles. I'm picking up a Helmet / Goggles at an online 'End of Season' sale.
Any suggestions to go about it? I'm going to some local stores here in Boston, MA, that are supposed to be good for beginners. Although, I've also looked at some online sales and I think Sunday River is having a tent sale in the beginning of April.
Information: I am 6'1'', 185 lbs, I fit a 28.5 rental boot, and they put me on 140 cm skis. I found out via online that I should be using ~180 cm skis for my height? I'm guessing they put me in shorter skis due to my lack of experience?
I fell a few times - in a more or less controlled manner - without injury.
Though, at the end of the first day, I had an absolute great time. My only regret? Not starting this four years ago when I first moved to Boston.
So, with that said, I'd like to buy my own ski stuff. Boots, bindings, skis, poles. I'm picking up a Helmet / Goggles at an online 'End of Season' sale.
Any suggestions to go about it? I'm going to some local stores here in Boston, MA, that are supposed to be good for beginners. Although, I've also looked at some online sales and I think Sunday River is having a tent sale in the beginning of April.
Information: I am 6'1'', 185 lbs, I fit a 28.5 rental boot, and they put me on 140 cm skis. I found out via online that I should be using ~180 cm skis for my height? I'm guessing they put me in shorter skis due to my lack of experience?
I am in the business of saving lives.
0
Posts
http://www.skistopmass.com/
You should prioritize getting good pair of ski boots which fit your feet well, the place I linked to above will measure your feet and help you find something good in your price range. The skis and bindings are easier to economize on; you might even want to consider used equipment to use while you're still learning, and then upgrading once you're at a more advanced level (they probably put you in shorter and more flexible skis to start with because they're easier for beginners). As for poles, whatever is cheapest.
1. Boots - This is the most important part of your skiing experience. As you're new - DO NOT TRY TO FIT SKI BOOTS YOURSELF. It takes a while to actually understand what's going on with your foot, the liner and the boot. I recommend going to a good fitter and spending what needs to be spent. I recommend budgeting 3-500 bucks for a pair of boots. Good news - they'll probably last 5-7 years provided you aren't banging out 40+ days a year. However, this will be the best money you ever spend, as having your feet be warm and happy while providing good input to the skis will make you a VERY happy camper.
Fitter I recommend - Stan & Dans in North Conway, NH. Very no-nonsense, and they have something like 60 years of fitting experience among the staff.
Other fitters - unless they have some sort of good certification, don't trust random joe schmoe with your feet. At a minimum, they should be doing shell fits and making you try on 3-5 different pairs in the same range.
2. Skis - Suprisingly less important. Best way is to demo, then go with the pair of skis you felt most comfortable on. For the east coast, edge grip is paramount, so try to stick with Volkl, Dynastar, Head or Elan. Salomon's have typically not had enough lateral stiffness to properly hold an edge (IMO). That said, it will likely be a while until you start pushing the limits of the edges. As someone starting out, go for something in the 176 range until you know what you want.
3. Helmets - get one. They're warm and comfy. I like Giro's, but go with what fits your head.
4. Goggles - this is actually huge for New England. Get Rose at worst, but my favorites are Oakley's High Intensity series or Smith's Sensor Mirror. We get a LOT of flat light, so having the right lens makes all the difference. Out west everything is just blaring sun and no trees, so it's not as big a deal. DO NOT GET IRIDIUM MIRROR OR SIMILAR, you won't be able to see shit (but you will look cool).
5. Falling - Falling is good, as it means you're trying. If you're falling backward, you're skiing wrong. Keep your hands forward (more than you think), as your hands should usually be at the bottom of your normal peripheral vision like they're your weapon in doom or something. It feels stretched out, but in the long run will help you stay more balanced and have the right posture.
Some ski boot reading:
http://www.evo.com/how-to-choose-ski-boots-size-and-fit-guide.aspx
All of my falls so far were more like sideways, I'd cut a turn a little sharper than I had wanted, get going a little fast so I'd turn again and just kind of let the skies slide out to my side.
And it's probably over the top to you, because you weren't expecting to spend over a grand on your gear immediately.
All of schuss's advice is excellent. If you can't afford to buy in the way he's suggesting, it's absolutely ok for you to not buy that top of the line gear. If you want a cheaper entry point, I'd recommend something like getting an REI membership and buying some gear, keeping in mind that you can take it back within a year if you figure out you want to adjust the size or type slightly. You can get some lower end stuff, too. Still definitely don't buy boots without trying on pretty much all of them.
Goggles - HI Yellow for Oakley, Sensor for Smith (Sensor Mirror is what I run). Go to a shop and try them on. Also check out evo.com, as they have great deals and are great peeps.
Top of the line in ski gear is.... odd. I have a ton of friends knocking down peaks and other crap in AK, norway etc., but the gear isn't much different. The big things we all swear by are good boots, good weather gear and skis/boards we're comfortable on. For high end skiing, dependable bindings are actually more important than dependable skis.
Also, as a beginner, you honestly aren't ready for what's considered "top end", as you have to know how to bend a ski properly and respond to feedback the ski is giving you. Some top-end stuff is forgiving, but most of it is stiff and cruel to beginners.
I will say skis have gotten 10 million times better over the past 10-15 years, as you can basically just roll your ankle and turn now, which definitely was not the case a while ago.
I've been skiing for years, and it's only once in a blue moon I spend over $300 on skis.
Something like these is what you should be looking for -
http://www.evo.com/mashups/atomic-panic-skis-marker-squire-bindings-2014.aspx
http://www.evo.com/ski-packages/volkl-rtm-73-skis-3motion-tp-100-bindings.aspx
Also - if you go up skiing again, check out all the demo shops, as they're probably trying to unload pairs with 1 demo season under them, which is no big deal. We got my wife some awesome skis that retailed for $1000 for $275 that way (with bindings).
Falls - Good! One thing to remember when skiing (since it's incredibly counterintuitive) is that to gain more control, you need to lean forward and aggressively turn/slash your skis, as you want those edges to dig in with all your weight. The natural fear/speed response we all get is to lean back a little, which pulls the pressure off the edges and makes you go faster even if you're turning.
Summer actually isn't a good time to buy.
All of the good stuff has mostly already gone on sale. Summer is not a good time to buy things because no one wants snow stuff in their stock in the summer. They want to get rid of all of it by March/April so they can start setting up the summer displays.
Eh, spine protection is often really hit or miss. It's only if you start hucking that it's usually a good idea, of which there are few opportunities in New England (lots of tight slopes, trees etc). You're more likely to side check a tree and crack a rib than to hit one with your back at speed. If you want to talk safety, a HANS device would be on my list first in New England.
That said, if you use your brain as to where to ski when, you should be fine. Most New England deaths come from idiots pushing way beyond their abilities on icy slopes that end in trees. Very few slide-for-life situations.
I should also add that you can request any size ski you want from the rental place usually. The size of ski you want depends on the type of skiing you want to do, but in general shorter skis are a bit easier for beginners because they are lighter and turn quicker. Plus they have the added benefit of having almost no tails so you can't develop any bad habits about leaning back too much. That being said 140 is pretty dang short for your size. I'd probably go for around 155ish until you get very comfortable on greens and decent on blues. Then you can re-evaluate what type of skiing you want to do, and what kinds of things you like or dislike about the shorter skis.
If I had to start skiing from zero experience again, I'd buy boots, and then, for the first season, buy a season pass rental from the local slope or from your local shop (if they offer one), depending on whether you had plans to travel and ski at all. Your local shop will almost definitely have a better rental/demo plan than the slopes, BUT for a beginner (unless you are an exceptionally fast learner, this will be you the first year)the benefits of being able to demo multiple kinds of high end/high performance skis are minimal compared to the convenience of being able to go to the mountain and walk in, get skis, and ski. It's still better, though, if you plan on skiing at multiple resorts, because obviously with the shop rental plan you can take them for a weekend if you desire and hit another locale. On the down side, you might have to buy poles as well as boots. No big deal.
My second season, I'd either get a season pass demo plan from the ski shop, or, if they don't offer anything like that, suck it up and demo a new ski each weekend/ ski outing. You'll be experienced enough at this point that you can at least get an idea what you like and what sort of style ski you prefer. If your ski shop is any good at all, they'll be happy to help you with that journey. During the season, go out of your way to attend ski promotional events like demo days, which will offer you a chance to ski dozens of kinds of skis in one day. Ski everything! If you have found anything that you love, buy it when it goes on sale at the end of the season. If not, don't sweat it. Skiing a bunch of types of skis makes you a better skiier. Do the same thing next year!
Whatever you do, don't buy a set of skis just to have them. I don't say this because it will be a waste of money (It might be, but really you will probably save money by doing this unless you jump to the high end stuff for no reason). I say this because if you have a set of skis you won't try anything else, and not only could you miss out on a ski you might really love, but you'll miss out on a lot of the subtler aspects of skiing technique that you really can't pick up by skiing the same ski all of the time. By going out and demoing stiffer, softer, wider and narrower, different kinds of rocker, more or less sidecut, et cetera, you can really highlight for yourself WHY your skis do what they do and not only make a more informed decision as to what to buy, but help yourself to intuitively grasp the fundamentals of skiing.
Good luck!