The ultimate Ski and Equipment thread.

[bugstrider]

Hey everyone,

The plan of this thread will be for any and all to ask questions regarding all things ski & board related in hopes to glean some insight to today’s ski technology. Why a thread on equipment you might ask? Simply because it “HAS” happened.........

While enjoying an adult beverage at a local ski resort here in CA, my exact type of skis have been screwed to the wall as decoration........ yup, my antiquated skis are now museum pieces. My old Solomon ski boots(Darth Vader style) ones that have a rear entry, a single rear buckle with no bridge buckle and an air cell that locked over the top of the foot, which were extremely comfortable. All exposed rubber durned to black powder when I handled it.

So this leads me to begin my search for new gear for the rest of this season and forward. I was shocked to realize the evolution of ski technology along with where boots have gone as well. Talk about feeling like starting from scratch......

I found this video of boot fitting and was wondering if this is accurate for those with a lot of ski experience?

https://youtu.be/BK0h_4VJdoA

So let the advise start rolling in.

Cheers


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[Tidybuoy]

I've been going on an annual 9-day ski trip to Aspen for about 28 years now. I've had different equipment over the years.

About 6 years ago, my binding broke and my ski's were the type that had the binding built-in on a track vs. bolted on. Meaning, you cannot change out the binding. The binding broke on the 2nd day of the trip and so I took it into the local shop for repair. Unfortunately, they were not able to source the part and I had to rent skis.

Where am I going with this? I've been renting ever since! I have found that renting allows me to have the latest and greatest evey single year. Aspen has a great setup where you can rent skis and trade them in for different models anytime and the trade spot is on the mountain so you just snap out and snap into the new models. I usually rent the night we get into town so there is no delay for skining in the morning.

I generally don't trade around models because I tend to ski great on Dynastars so I get them every time. I have traded a few times but I always like the Dynastars, they are stiffer than many skis and work well for my skining type - agressive, fast, and usually racing everyone on the hill.

My boots are mine (I wond them) and I ski on Technica boots. Mine are about 10 year old and it amy be time to upgrade but I like mine because you can plug them in at the end of the day and the liners heat up and dry out overnight. Only heating at home, not on the slopes.

[billybek]

Getting the right shell is probably the most important thing about boot fitting. I have very difficult feet to fit into ski boots.
If the shell is too big you will be constantly cranking buckles and making tight or hot spots. That can also cut down circulation and cold feet on cold days is the result.
I am probably due for a pair of boots. I think mine are packing out and I am running them too tight as a result.
One of the bootfitters I have talked to utilizes a shell that fits in length but it a tight fit everywhere else. Through stretching (punching) and even grinding shell material the shell is custom fit to your foot.
Go to a good shop and they will know how to set you up and at the end of the day you need to be comfortable so be prepared to spend a few hours at the fitter and plan on returning a few times to have the boots tweaked from time to time.
This is why it is usually better to deal with a local shop, for the return visits.

[Deschodt]

I've returned to skiing after 15y or so and the new tech was something else ;-)

The boots (which I bought) were custom fitted and the most *un*comfortable thing I've ever worn, $700 later. Rentals felt like slippers next to those spanish inquisition POS. I've had 3 custom fittings to where they are now "tolerable" for a few hours, but still no great... I'm very disappointed.

The skis are now wider, hourglass shaped and shorter.. In my experience that's awesome for quick turns, but if you liked Giant slalom style skiing, speed and long fast turns, they suck, and you need to make sure you buy way longer skis than they recommend for the average Joe. I demoed a bunch and settled on some VOLKL Mantra in 185cm that felt pretty good, hold a fast turn and don't chatter at speed. But I'm still PO'ed about my boots (nordica?), I get blisters on my calves and still lose all feeling in my toes after 3hours.... for pete's sake! Makes sure you get comfy boots... I tried 10 pairs of skis so far and I highly recommend those Volkl if you like speed...
Not that I don't approve of Dynastar, they were the best back in my day.. I'll try those next time..

[bugstrider]

I didn’t include some back history in my case that may or may not be similar to others reading this thread.

Growing up in what I would consider a “normal” household, we would enjoy activities that we could afford at the time. Both parents worked and I delivered papers that allowed me some play money. My parents had the philosophy of “if it’s important to you, then you will figure out a way”. There was nothing wrong with that but where I am going with all of this, is that I simply used/had what I could afford. I hit the affordable slopes and stayed away from the expensive areas in the “Sierra Cement”. I had no idea of the science of ski boots and simply strapped on a pair of boots and went.

I will now be researching into proper boot fit at the very least. My jacked up feet could easily justify a custom pair of boots but I can’t mentally see the logic investing $800-1200. Yes I have no arch(flat feet), pronate and have a nice 2” steel pin in my left ankle. I am sure we have Podiatrist on this forum that would argue differently as to the importance of custom supportive boots. If you are one, please educate us on this point. I am sure many of us would benefit. Here in Sacramento, there is only one true seasonal ski equipment shop left. I experienced sticker shock and it’s the end of the season.

Here is another short boot fitting video I found. It make sense to me.

https://youtu.be/eAy5WPHDB34

All of my old gear pre dates the 90’s and I gave skiing up when the boys joined the HS snowboard team. I too have several boards and wasn’t too shabby at shredding it up. Up until our last outing about 5 years ago when I took an epic header. I am sure it was spectacular to see. I remember lying there looking up into the sky and thinking.......................”ouch!” My whole left side was numb and it took three days for my left hand to stop tingling. So I will assume one more of those and I will end up with some form of Orthoscopic surgery.

So here I am in 2018, looking at getting back into skiing.

Cheers

I figured I would provide everyone with a good laugh for the day. Enjoy!

We are planning one last team building ski day for some at work this week. We were at the local Snowline Hospice dropping things off when I decided to pop in for giggles. Low and behold I found a set of usable “rock” skis for a whopping $5.00. The bottoms were in great shape and the edges were clean. They tuned up nicely. A caveat to this is that these things are at least 30 years newer than my last pair. LOL

Although I am researching new modern skis

I also dug out my dad’s old ski suit. I was told I didn’t have a single hair if I didn’t wear it in our ski day. It will be my tribute to the movie “Hot Tub Time Machine”, yes I did graduate in “86”.

“Great White Buffalo.....................
......................”Great White Buffalo”





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[badcar]

About 15 to 20 years ago, I was a bootfitter and trainer for an old sporting goods company called Galyan's. Looking at the videos you posted, not much has changed since I was on sales floor or in the back room punching out shells.
Best practice when shopping for boots:
1. Ask for the best bootfitter in the shop- if the salesperson says 'it's me' and that person is 16 years old...walk out. Bootfitters are generally friendly, but can stay well hidden. If you need to make an appointment- ask about their training or experience to justify the hourly rate. In 1996, I charged $100 for the first hour of active fitting and $50 plus parts/soles for every hour after.
2. Buy the boot that fits your foot, not your budget. If both align, great. If it is out of your budgtet-save more or cut back on something else, like skis.
3. All brands are pretty good these days. I had the pleasure of going to the SIA ski show in Denver this past January and was amazed at the fit options by performance- there is a ton to choose from so stay open minded to brands you may not have considered back in the 90's.

On a fashion note- that Nevica suit is awesome. I had a similar colored Descente peice that was purple- 1988 Canadien ski team uniform loud.

[bugstrider]

Originally Posted by badcar

About 15 to 20 years ago, I was a bootfitter and trainer for an old sporting goods company called Galyan's. Looking at the videos you posted, not much has changed since I was on sales floor or in the back room punching out shells.
Best practice when shopping for boots:
1. Ask for the best bootfitter in the shop- if the salesperson says 'it's me' and that person is 16 years old...walk out. Bootfitters are generally friendly, but can stay well hidden. If you need to make an appointment- ask about their training or experience to justify the hourly rate. In 1996, I charged $100 for the first hour of active fitting and $50 plus parts/soles for every hour after.
2. Buy the boot that fits your foot, not your budget. If both align, great. If it is out of your budgtet-save more or cut back on something else, like skis.
3. All brands are pretty good these days. I had the pleasure of going to the SIA ski show in Denver this past January and was amazed at the fit options by performance- there is a ton to choose from so stay open minded to brands you may not have considered back in the 90's.

On a fashion note- that Nevica suit is awesome. I had a similar colored Descente peice that was purple- 1988 Canadien ski team uniform loud.

Thank you very much for your insight on the boots. I am quickly realizing that I will end up on a high quality pair. At least in my research so far, boots are not something to skimp on.

I stopped by a local ski shop and the guy just pointed me to the rack of boots and said try them on...... that’s it. No direction, pointers or guidance. Talk about feeling like a fish out of water. I will admit it... I had no flipping idea on what I needed or even what I should look for. Needless to say, I walked out. If I am successful on getting this to work properly, I will be able to get the wife on the slopes too.
If not, I guess it will be a solo venture.

Back around the 2000’s we visited the Wife’s sister’s family just outside of Denver. We ended up in Vail, Co for several days. My gawd the snow was amazing “It’s so fluffy”. Nothing like what we have in the Sierra’s.


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[dedbird]

The new equipment is fantastic. I ski 3 to 4 days a week and my office is about 50 yards from Gondola One in Vail Village, so I'm pretty lucky. Also do some coaching and have kids that race at a pretty high level. Happy to hear you are getting back into it.

Your timing is good. This is the time of year I buy equipment. The deals at the resorts are great from mid-March to the end of the season. I have picked up barely used demo skis with bindings for about $350. Quality stuff but I know the guys and they scan them and I know how many days they have been out. New stuff will be half off at least in a few weeks.

With your foot issues the boots are where to spend the money. Don't get them too stiff. You need to be able to flex them. I bought off the shelf Lange's last year coming out of foam fit boots. No need for the foam. Friend of mine owns Surefoot and that is the one he put me in after scanning my foot to see what would work best and tying on a few. Good fit is important and they will pack out just a bit. A good shop will not charge for the scan and I can't imagine skiing without a footbed. there is a Surefoot in Squaw and they know boots.

All the new skis are head and shoulders above anything you have skied in the past. That said, the technique has changed along with the skis. Roughly a shoulder width stance and the new skis just turn when you roll them on edge I like roughly an 85 width ski for all around skiing but use a 105 for powder days and about to buy a 95 with modest rocker for back bowl skiing on crud. I like a somewhat shorter radius ski, I think they are a 19m radius, but you might want to try a few different radius' skis to see which one fits your style.

Happy to give my opinion if you find something you are thinking about buying. I'm 5'8" and ski 178 on my non rocker skis for length reference. No need to go too long with a wider ski. Volkl, K2, Kastle are my skis of choice but everyone is making good skis these days.

I could go on but go to a good boot shop and you will be happy with whatever skis you buy.

My 2 cents

[stealthn]

Good stuff!

I last year finally got a good fitting pair of wide boots after 5+ years in pain, what a difference.

As for the skis I am constantly fighting everyone to stay on my old 205 narrow skis, not matter the ski shop, rental shop (kids) my wife, everyone says “oh you need to go to the new skis, they are so much easier”. I don’t want to, I’ve ski’d on these for 20+ years and love then, before that I raced for years on 215’s and could even take the steep mogul runs in them.

Sure new skis may be easier but I love to use pure technique to ski well on my old boards. Plus I love people eyeing them in the lift lines.

[dedbird]

More power to you on the 215's. I love taking my race skis out and ripping so I understand. But, if you are not a former racer, there is no substitute for the new technology. Just makes it more fun.

[Daves911L]

Originally Posted by stealthn

Good stuff!

As for the skis I am constantly fighting everyone to stay on my old 205 narrow skis, not matter the ski shop, rental shop (kids) my wife, everyone says “oh you need to go to the new skis, they are so much easier”. I don’t want to, I’ve ski’d on these for 20+ years and love then, before that I raced for years on 215’s and could even take the steep mogul runs in them.

Sure new skis may be easier but I love to use pure technique to ski well on my old boards. Plus I love people eyeing them in the lift lines.

I'm right there with you buddy! I like my old skis. Last new pair I bought was 25 years ago. I'm small, and an old-school monroe-matic knees-welded bumper, so the longest pair I own is 197cm. But they still tower over every other pair on the parking lot shuttle. I'm sure the new equuipment is much easier, but there was a joy in perfecting technique that is now missing from the sport. You had to earn your way to certain places on the mountain. Now its all about doing silly tricks, and pretty much anybody can ski anything.

Oh, yeah, I like my old body bags too. I get a lot of scornful laughs. But I'm cozy and dry on powder days.

[billybek]

I would disagree with the long skis for a couple of reasons.

News bulletin... I am getting older and I need all the breaks (sorry bad terminology for skiing) I can get. I went from some 205 Volkl Targa Rs to some Head shape skis that a friend had given me and was amazed at how not tired and how not hurting I was after a day on the slopes.
Bought a pair of Rossignol Zenith 5s almost 12 years ago and they have been excellent all mountain skis. Technology has changed a lot in 12 years so will most likely be looking at skis again too soon.
You can certainly tell the old school skiers riding new style skis. They look so much smoother from years of paralleling and carving with big boards. Equipment still doesn't make the skier, it is still all the hours on the boards.

[mepstein]

I worked at a ski shop for a season. The new equipment is tons better than just 5 or 6 years ago, let alone 15-20. The best part is boots that are comfortable but still high performance. My #1 tip is to get your wife or girlfriend new skis and boots. They will like skiing so much more and you will have a better time because they are. #2 is that boots have to be snug without crunching your toes. Boots “pack out” that is they get looser as you wear them. So they might feel tight at first but they will never get tighter, only looser. Buy good, thin ski socks and have someone who knows what they are doing help you.

[bugstrider]

Epic day at Squaw Valley. My retro suit was popular and a good source of entertainment for all. Although there was a ski club on the mountain and I even saw a full blown Jedi on skis, light saber attached to the outfit.





Other than the 80’s throw back color, the ski suit was awesome. It would be the way to go if it was a more modern color. Actually, if it had been 10-15 degrees colder, it would have been perfect. I was in a thin performance T-shirt, socks and chonies and I was boiling.

Now an update on my personal experience that day with the retro 189 thin sticks vs my wife’s rented 160 modern K2 parabolic skis.
https://youtu.be/B6fJAHYurL4
I like to think I can hold my own on the slopes, granted I am rusty but I do OK, I am not a total soup sandwich. Needless to say, I spent the day on the raggedy edge of “out of control”. Enough so, I kept asking myself what is wrong with me. Edges would catch shooting the skis on their own trajectory with countless “train wreck” moments. On the last run of the day, I decided to try to commandeer the wife’s rentals and was surprised to discover my boots fit into the bindings, although I could step out of them due to the light tension setting.

We end up at the top of Red Dog as the mountain closed.




The group then all headed down with the Ski Patrol guys on the final run with the hill all to ourselves. It was like night and day with the modern skis, the control and carving ability. I know my A-game is currently more like a “C+” at best right now but it truly drove the point home of the newer ski design.

My older boots did well for me and will work as this late season finishes up, giving me time to look at a much better pair. The jury is out on what brand but I was eyeballing what MFG the professionals were all using.

Cheers

[billybek]

Sounds like a great day!

[bugstrider]

Originally Posted by billybek

Sounds like a great day!

Thank you sir! It was a great day...

We are hitting another ski area on Sunday. I’ll be using some demo skis and the Mrs will be involved in lessons.


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[unclebilly]

We ski a lot. I have my 7 year old skiing double blacks, my 4 year old is doing blues (she started at 18 months old). My wife is too scared to ski blacks since she became a mom.

I am on Head Collective 105s that I moved up to a few years ago. My boots are 18 years old Solomons that fit me perfectly. I see no need to upgrade them. My son is on Rossi Smash 7 Pros (2nd time out on them) and these really helped him out in the deep pow. I’ve had him out in powder over his waist on these. My Collective 105s are happy in waist deep powder and all over the mountain.

We had an awesome powder day yesterday at Castle Mountain.

[unclebilly]

Some photos of my son from yesterday.

[Mike Andrew]

As noted above, BOOTS. A well fitted pair of boots makes this sport enjoyable all day, not just a few hours. Spend the money for a good fitter and keep going back until you are satisfied. After all, you are parting with some hefty change and making a several year investment.
Skis? I have skied all mountain skis until this season when I bought a pair of Volkl RTM 84's as they are great front side groomer skis which handle crud well and are very stable. At 66, my days of bump bashing and huge, long powder days are behind me but I still rip groomers. My point is to figure out what you predominantly ski and buy a ski that fills that niche. Demoing is a good way to find a ski you like. ebay has some great deals post season if you know what you want.
Just got back from 2 weeks in CO at Ski Cooper and Summit County and this is not the best snow year, tho Cooper had the better snow. Regardless, it was a lot of fun other than my worst crash in 10 years at A Basin last Sunday.Still a bit sore and my mojo was stolen for a couple of days.

[bugstrider]

Thanks Mike,

Yeah, I’ve come to the realization boots are where the money is at. At least those will go with me as my hunt for skis continues. Although, I also know that finding a quality boot fitter between Sacramento, Tahoe-Reno are hard to find. I know there are three shops in Squaw Valley but the location does cater to the demographics that frequent such a place $$$$$$$.

Colorado sounds like a blast even though the snow was so so.

I’ve seen some killer deals on skis but I honestly have no clue on brands, builds and type designs. I’m a still learnin.

I plan to follow my boot fitting experience with the hopes that if I’m getting lead astray, you guys can get me back on track.

Cheers


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