Recommended one-quiver skis to demo for beginner-intermediate? West coast. $750 budget.

Posts: 2 - Karma: 11

Oct 11 2017 4:43PM

Hey all,

Another one of these generic posts for a first time buyer. Did a lot of searching but have been a bit overwhelmed with all of the information, especially since I don’t understand a lot of the terminology/lingo (although I do a bit more after researching). Anyways, here’s the quick rundown but I’ll go into more detail below:

Location: California

Age: 28

Height: 6’1”

Weight: 160 lbs

Ability level: Beginner - Intermediate

Budget: $400-750 USD (for both skis and bindings)

Ski preference: One-quiver ski

I’ve been skiing since I was ~10. Mostly tiny, crappy mountains in Southern California (i.e., Mountain High and Big Bear). Have typically gone about 1-3 days/year. Finally got a season pass to Tahoe this year (value pass so I’ll be at North Star, Heavenly, and Kirkwood) so I figure it’s time to buck up and buy some gear. Hoping to bump that number up to 15+ days this year.

I can definitely get down the mountain okay without looking like a total jackass but I think relative to most people on here I’m still fairly inexperienced. I’ve pretty much skied groomed runs exclusively with a few (think 2-3) real powder days. Definitely have trouble in powder but my previous experience has always been with on-piste rentals that I’m sure didn’t help. Think I’ll still mostly be skiing groomed runs but would prefer skiis that would at least keep my options semi-open in the future. E.g., would love to try back country and park has always appealed to me a bit.

Budget is unfortunately not as large as I would like it to be but that’s largely due to being a broke grad student. I have no problem buying used gear that’s a few years old if it’s going to save me some sheckles. If it’s really worth it, I could probably stretch that budget out a little bit more. Just to clarify, I need both skis, bindings and poles. I do have boots that I got fitted for at Start Haus in Truckee last year; I got Salomon XMAX 100’s.

What would you guys recommend I demo that might fit my criteria? Like I mentioned before, I’m down to buy older used skis (if it’s going to stretch my budget more) and realize that shops may not have these as demos anymore. What new skis would you recommend I demo that might replicate some older skis that would be within my budget? What specifications should I look for in a ski? Length? 180-189cm? Waist? Etc. I’ve heard good things about the Salomon Rocker2, Line Blend, Nordica NRGy, and the ON3P Kartel 108s after searching a bit but obviously open to anything.

Hope that’s enough information to get started. Don’t hesitate to ask if there’s anything else that you need.

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Non_State_Actor

Posts: 4610 - Karma: 15,972

Oct 11 2017 5:37PM

I don't have enough experience on modern ski equipment to make any recommendations, I've only recently come back from snowboarding and spent the last two seasons on some craigslist specials.

I just wanted to add your budget should be fine, I recently bought a pair of new 2016/2017 Armada ARV 96, 2015 Tyrolia Attack 13, and some Armada poles for ~$520 after mounting and wax looking at $575-600.

I purchased the skis and bindings on ebay and the poles from evo.com on sale. My local craigslist had some decent options but nothing in the size I was looking for.

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HypeBeast

Posts: 9778 - Karma: 72,265

Oct 15 2017 7:03PM

First off, having your own personal skis and BOOTS is like a whole new world compared to rentals. If you find some skis you are interested in, try some demo days to narrow your search. Get boots first and you can wear them when you demo skis.

Check out skis.com buying guides: http://www.skis.com/buying-guides/buying-guides-lander,default,pg.html

That should give you a general idea of where to start. Also consider where you plan to ski and where you might end up (e.g. dont buy a park ski if you know you'll never ski park). Since you say you're intermediate, I would search for skis that are classified as intermediate through advanced or beginner through advanced intermediate, since there aren't many, if any, beginner skis that stretch past intermediate levels.

Pay attention to the specs of the skis and boots.

Try to buy on sales such as black Friday or even last year's models.

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