Ski Buying Guide

There is a lot of information on the web, in magazines, and from friends on how to choose the right skis, and of course the correct length.

We were there once, buying our first pair. It's a big investment, but the payback if you choose the right skis is amazing; retail skis are superior to rental skis, only you have used them so they will last a lot longer, and you can also gain valuable ski time on the mountain not having to get into the ski and boot rental queue.

We have broken our guide into two sections - Skis 101, a breakdown of what a ski actually is, all the geeky words used, and what they really mean to you. And then we have the Ski Buyers Guide below, to help guide you through your ski purchase.

We hope you find both of these guides useful, and remember, we are only a phone-call, email or short trip away if you need further advice on your purchase. If you are buying skis, we are here to help!

Visit the Ski 101 guide - An introduction to skis, ski bindings and ski technology

Buying Skis

Step 1 - Which Type Of Ski?

The first step in buying your own skis, is to work out the type of skier you are and the skier you want to be.

Skis come in a variety of types. Here are the key ones:

Piste Skis - These are suited to skiing on piste, in good snow conditions. Some models use technology direct from the racing scene. Piste skis are great carving skis. Piste skis may struggle a little when skiing in less perfect conditions, and also if you wish to go off-piste.

All Mountain Skis (Or All Condition Skis) - These skis allow you to ski in a variety of snow conditions. So whether it is icy or slushy, an all-conditions ski will perform better than a piste ski. There is sometimes a loss of carving ability, but the modern all-conditions skis such as Volkl AC skis and Attiva women's skis have the latest technology to maintain carving ability.

Back Country Skis - These skis are for venturing out of bounds, hiking all over the mountain. They will remain versatile enough to ski the whole mountain, and also be lighter than normal to make it easier to carry them or travel uphill with them. Normally these are supplied without bindings, and you select an appropriate binding to suit your needs (See our Ski 101 section)

Off-Piste Skis (Or free ride, powder skis) - These skis are designed for skiing in powder and off-piste conditions. They will generally be wider to help with floating in the snow, and be a little more forgiving to give you more feel in powder and to absorb impacts from jumping/landing.

Which Brand Of Ski?

Now you have an idea of the types of ski, you can decide which ski suits your current and future needs, Now you are faced with numerous brands to pick from. Its hard to make a bad ski these days, but there is a difference in quality that we see day in, day out in our workshop. This dictates the brands we carry. Here is an overview of each brand with our personal views:

Head Skis

Many people will have hired Head skis in resort. be aware the ones you buy are even better than the ones you hired - They will be lighter and more responsive with a dedicated rather than rental binding. Head have some amazing technology to help you get the best out of your skis. Their Aircoat and Liquidmetal technology keeps the skis lighter, and direct stiffness to the edges as your speed increases, so it is easier to carve. Some models have a Carbon Jacket for even lighter weight. And the top models take technology directly from the race team, to offer amazing carving and slalom skis. We think Head represents great value for money.

K2 Skis

Another leading ski brand, K2 skis consistently win awards for good reason. The women's ski line (T:nine alliance) is developed by a group of women skiers, for women skiers. it shows, with a great balance between performance and ease of use. For the men, the Apache line contains the best selling Crossfire and Recon skis, all-conditions skis that perform. And now K2 have a much extended back country ski range, for those wanting to tour the mountain and explore.

Line Skis

We carry a range of line skis for the free ride and powder skier. A small but focused brand, anyone that tries them (Us included) falls for them, and they offer fantastic versatility despite being targeted at the powder. These really should be a consideration for anyone who may want to venture off-piste, but still spends time between the markers on-piste too.

Nordica Skis

Known well for their boots, Nordica produce an excellent line of skis. We have stood and watched them being hand made near Kaprun in Austria. Having a narrower waist the models we carry suit piste conditions, with the Spitfire having the versatility to ski in all conditions. Fantastic edge hold, and highly rewarding skis.

Volkl Skis

Superb quality from this Austrian designed and manufactured brand. We carry the Unlimited all-conditions (AC) men's skis and the Attiva all-conditions women's skis. These skis really reward those intermediate and beyond skiers honing their technique. We have never heard a bad word said against a Volkl ski. We also carry two Powerswitch skis, that can actually be adjusted to suit conditions - The All(Whole) mountain Grizzly, and the Tigershark 11 Feet, a stunning piste ski that can be switched to all-conditions mode.

Which Length Of Ski Do I need?

You know the type of ski you want, you now know what each brand. Now you just need to work out the correct length.

This chart is to give you a rough indication of size. Height is not the main factor with modern carving skis; weight and ability are the two key things to consider. You can contact us any time for advice on ski lengths.

If you are between sizes, a shorter ski will give you shorter turns and a longer ski will be a little faster. If you are comparing to old non-carving skis you will see modern skis tend to be used in shorter lengths.

If you are buying a piste ski this chart should be accurate, if you are looking at an all-conditions ski, and again are between sizes, we suggest the lower of the two lengths. If you are a female skier, also choose the shorter length

REMEMBER! This chart is just a starting guide. If you have rented a ski length recently and found that this suited you, do NOT be afraid to select that size if it differs from the above - Length is a personal thing!

This should be enough to help direct you to the ski for you, but if you need more help just contact us here at Edge & Wax.