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lower intermediate ski help

#1
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9/12/09 at 3:51pm
  • Joined: September 2009
  • Post Count: 14
After reading way too many reviews and trying pretty much every ski finder available on the internet i finally got fed up and decided to turn to you all see as there seems to be some experience floating around here. so:

Male
5' 10''
150
I started skiing last season and got pretty in to it. I plan on skiing more this season and decided I didn't want to pay the rental cost on a ski that at least by the end of the season I wouldn't want to be on. I am very comfortable on greens, have very little trouble with blues and found my way on to a black that may not have gone as well as planned, but I am looking to improve. Basically, any low-intermediate ski suggestions would be excellent.
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#2
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9/12/09 at 6:34pm
  • Joined: January 2005
  • Location: st maries idaho
  • Post Count: 2,395
Where are you and where do you ski?

You won't live long enough to make all your own mistakes - learn from others.

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#3
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9/12/09 at 8:53pm
  • Joined: September 2009
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I'm in massachusetts so skiing in the northeast
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#4
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9/13/09 at 5:01am
  • Joined: August 2009
  • Location: Lehigh Valley, PA
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Lon- Welcome to Epic! It's definitely a smart move to look into buying for yourself now that you're going to be getting into skiing more intensively. However, I'm going to throw a bit of a monkey wrench into your plans here. I'm sure you've got a certain budget set aside for skis and such right now, so let me give a word of advice. Start with purchasing boots, and getting them fitted. Boots are your most important purchase, and if you're going to splurge, that's where you should do it. Go to a good shop and get fitted by a professional. I'm originally from MA, but I never shopped for equipment there. I would usually take my business up to NH, and go to Joe Jones. There are a few of them in NH and VT, and they're usually pretty knowledgeable. After you've spent on boots, then you'll know what your budget is for skis.

That being said, once you get to ski buying, you should probably be looking for a midrange all-mountain ski. Since you're skiing the East, you don't need something too fat under foot, since you'll be skiing harder snow most of the time. You want something that will be forgiving, but still get you where you want to go. I've always been a fan of Salomon, so I would suggest taking a look at the X Wing 4 or the X Wing 6.

Good luck, and Go Sox!

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#5
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9/13/09 at 8:14am
  • Joined: September 2009
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Thanks freeski. I had heard similar advice on beginning to shop for skis and that makes sense to me. I know JOe Jones is pretty reputable, but I have been to Strands ski shop in Worcestor and they were pretty helpful and informative, with a wide selection of boots. I will probably end up buying from there if I can't make the trip up to North Conway.
 
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#6
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9/13/09 at 12:46pm
  • Joined: August 2009
  • Location: Lehigh Valley, PA
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If I may make a suggestion, I would go to to the Ski Stop in Westwood. They're the only shop in MA that has an ABB (America's Best Bootfitter's) certification. That's what I always look for when I'm fitting boots. That being said, there are great fitters out there working at shops without an ABB certification, but with that cert, you know what you're getting. Also, there are a lot of top notch boot guys on this forum, so you might want to get their take on where to go. Shoot over to the "Ask the Boot Guys" forum and ask around over there.
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#7
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9/13/09 at 12:57pm
  • Joined: September 2009
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Thanks a lot, that sounds like a good idea and I may check out that shop as well. Past boots however, ideas on skis?
 
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#8
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9/17/09 at 8:41pm
  • Joined: January 2005
  • Location: st maries idaho
  • Post Count: 2,395


Quote:
Originally Posted by lon33 View Post

Thanks a lot, that sounds like a good idea and I may check out that shop as well. Past boots however, ideas on skis?
 

Can't really intelligently comment on Eastern Ski's but you will save $ and get the ski You like if you demo early in the year. Call your local ski area in Oct or Nov and ask them when their Demo days are s cheduled that way it is usually free and you can try more than one pair a day.

You won't live long enough to make all your own mistakes - learn from others.

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#9
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9/18/09 at 9:24am
  • Joined: January 2008
  • Location: Massachusetts
  • Post Count: 327


Quote:
Originally Posted by lon33 View Post

Thanks freeski. I had heard similar advice on beginning to shop for skis and that makes sense to me. I know JOe Jones is pretty reputable, but I have been to Strands ski shop in Worcestor and they were pretty helpful and informative, with a wide selection of boots. I will probably end up buying from there if I can't make the trip up to North Conway.
 

I was going to recommend stopping in there, as they custom-fit my boots and did a great job.  (They're one of the few places that sells Strolz in the NE, and those are one of the few boots that come in my size.)

I really like the Dynastar Contacts (and was also impressed by the Fischer Progressor), but these days there are really not many "bad" skis.  It's more a matter of finding a ski that fits your style of skiing than anything else.

For Eastern conditions, you probably want something 78mm or narrower in the waist, and not too huge a radius.  Just about every manufacturer makes something like this (examples: K2 Recon or Crossfire, Salomon X-Wing, Head SuperShape or Xenon).

Demo if you can.  Try a few different pairs until you find something you like.  If you're in the Worcester area, you can get a pair at Strand's and drive up to Wachusett... or you can demo at the shop at Wachusett and try 3 pairs for ~$30.  As mentioned above, many mountains will have scheduled demo days where you can try lots of new skis for free.
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#10
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9/20/09 at 7:51am
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Thanks guys. I ended up making the trip to Ski Stop in Westwood. Unbelievable service and really good job with the boot fitting. I walked away with a boot I really liked and that fitted me for 15% off because of the sale they were running.
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#11
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9/20/09 at 8:57am
  • Joined: April 2009
  • Location: Massachusetts
  • Post Count: 13

That was very smart to get to a good bootfitter and start with the right boots as your foundation for ski season.

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