I’ve been holding onto my son’s old skis and while he’s traveling, I’d like to replace them w/new set (skis, bindings, boots). I have no idea what he paid for these skis and I’m not sure what all these numbers on his skis mean (yep, I’m strictly cross-country, he’s downhill).
All I know is they’re FISCHER w/ the word “sunrise” at back end, they’re microplane, and this set of numbers stamped on skis right above bindings:
180 ART 589. The bindings state M31 Selective Control. Boots stamped w/ “NORDICA GP05”
Son always claimed they were really fast and the best he ever owned, but they’re at least 6 yrs old and his birthday is approaching soooooooo does anyone have any clue what price range I should be prepared for?
thanks!
yes, I learned that after visiting the FISHER site, but couldn’t find any clarification regarding the ART 589 that tags w/it.
Also, there’s approx 3 paragraphs in German stamped underneath each ski… no english translation.
I wouldn’t buy boots for you son without him trying them on. There’s just too much guesswork.
As for skis, even in the past 6 years things have changed quite a bit. More important than the skis he bought back then, is what kind of skiing does he like to do? And where does he ski? (East or West) How aggressive a skier is he? Does he like but skiing in the bumps, jumping, in the park, fast cuising? He may have changed skiing style in the past 6 years.
Personally, I’d never buy skis that I hadn’t demoed on snow first. I think you’d be much better off by getting a gigft certificate to a good ski shop and letting him pick out his own gear.
Your son needs to come along not only for trying on the boots, but also the skis themselves - at least, that’s how it’s done over here: you bring your boots, select the skis and the binding (depending on how much you want to spend, and whether you prefer Atomic over Fischer or …), and then the salesman (who needs to be competent at this!) asks your son at what level of competence he skis - beginner, expert, race, deep snow. He should also measure the thickness of the shin just below the knee (or maybe the head of the knee itself). He writes all this down, as well as the size of the boots, and gives everything to the technicans in the back, who screw the binding onto the ski, and then adjust it.
Even if you buy a complete package - usually, 2nd hand stuff is boots complete with skis and binding - it’s very important that the binding is adjusted to your son’s weight, leg size and driving style.
Otherwise, the binding will open too easily (when he stamps down hard) - which is bothersome (loosing a ski in the lift is no fun). Or the binding will not release when he falls (because it’s too hard) - and that can cause serious injuries!
As for prices in the US - sorry, no idea.
But if you give the link of the sites you can’t understand the german paragraphs, I could give it a shot at translating.
Two things I forgot: length of skis is not directly equal to body length, but also to driving style and level, and age.
Also, are the old skis already “Carving skis”? If not, he should seriously consider - maybe try out - if he wants to switch to carvers or not. Over here at least, many of the big resorts have ski rental shops, which are a good way to try out different brands and models. (Personally, I’m oldfashioned enough to stick with plain straight skis, despite the hype about how “easy” the carvers are; I dislike the “fluttering” they make at higher speeds - they are more instable - too much to trade for the comfort. Esp. if you switch from normal straight ones to extremly carved ones, very short ones, the change can drastic and take some time to get used to.)
Last (silly) question: has your son complained about any discomfort with the old skis, or is it “only” because they are six years old? Because they don’t necessarily go old with age, if they are already made with high-quality materials. Is the underside all scratched up or not? If your son is already used to these, he might prefer keeping them (or getting the same exact model and binding) instead of getting used to different skis.
6 year old skis are most surely parabolic skis, unless he’s into racing. That revolution occured a long time ago.
Skis and boots (not so much bindings unless you ski telemark) are an extremely personal choice. I have to demo things on snow before I make a decision to buy. No salesperson, no matter how knowledgable, can tell me how a ski is going to feel to me.
However, lots of people buy skis without demoing them. I think they’re nuts 
but such is life. In that case, spend some time finding a shop near you that has a good reputation and a good selection. Take you son there, walk through the whole thing with a salesperson, and have your son make the decision. The salesperson will help determine the right ski, the length, and deal with proper binding mounting and settings.
*Skis and boots (not so much bindings unless you ski telemark) are an extremely personal choice. I have to demo things on snow before I make a decision to buy. No salesperson, no matter how knowledgable, can tell me how a ski is going to feel to me.
However, lots of people buy skis without demoing them. I think they’re nuts but such is life*
Well, I, for one, never demoed my skis. But then, my skis are also now about … let me see… 15 years old, and were bought in the middle of summer, for what was a reasonable price. Since I only ski at middle level - neither beginners nor race driver - I wouldn’t even know how much my own technique and how much a different ski contributes to my experience…
Notice, I put a after my statement. Still, I’d never buy ski gear without demoing. I have 10 pairs of skis and take my winters seriously.
-dave-
Even six year old race skis should be parabolics. The first shaped slalom skis were coming out about then and people have been racing on parabolic GS skis since at least 1997.