Mr. Kiger is looking to buy skis, and I’d like some input on what to get him. He is a beginner, but we plan on going quite a bit so rental prices add up after awhile. It just makes more sense to buy them. We’re going to shell out some bucks for good boots, but he doesn’t want to spend a lot on skis because he’s just learning and will probably trash them. So, criteria is 1)good for beginners 2) on the cheaper side and 3) can handle some crud since we ski on the East Coast and that means ice. I hope some Dopers can help us out.
BTW, I just bought myself some Volkl energy 320’s - SWEET!! I’m not spending that much on him though.
Remember this word when shopping for skis for a beginner: Parabolic.
Parabolic Skis have been a trend for beginners and for those who like to keep their knees together for roughly the past decade, and recently they have been hitting the slops in huge numbers because of the simple fact that they are just plain easier to ski on. They are shorter than the normal ski…so for a man who is 6 foot the 190’s that he may buy in a regular ski, have suddenly changed to 160’s in a parabolic. I highly recomend the parabolics for beginners.
Secondly, I have been skiing for 25 years on the east coast, about 7 years ago I got sick of skiing and swutched to snowboarding…Yeah I get looks of … “aren’t you too old to snowboard” and such but I don’t care. At least I still have my skis…I know guys my age who threw thier skis away for their snow boards…
I still Telemark on occasion, if we are going up to Jay Peak or Sunday River…but snow boarding is just so much fun!
ducks and hides from those die hard ski fans…
BTW, my wife has a pair of Elan Parabolics and loves them…you’ll never see her switching to the dark side…i.e. snowboarding
The problem is which parabolics to get since they are all side cut to some degree now. The only straight skis I’ve seen lately are the 12 year old pair down in my basement. And, he used to snowboard, but he doesn’t like it as much - unusual I know.
As Phlosphr said, short skis are easier to learn on. (easier to control and less speed) After you learn and gain confidence you will want to go faster and you will need longer skis. A lot of Ski shops have good used skis for sale. Also, you will beat them up pretty good learning, so get a used set and keep them for a couple of seasons and then get a new set. Don’t go cheap on the boots. Get good boots that fit well.
