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Buying guide - Skis
Step 1: Ability Level
Choosing a pair of skis can be a daunting prospect so below we have made this process easy.
Below there are ten levels of performance to help you select your skiing ability. These ten levels have then been separated into three simple categories: recreational, advanced and expert. Once you have established your ability level, you will find a corresponding category and performance rating on the description of each ski.
Recreational
- You’ve never skied before and are brand new to this exciting and challenging sport.
- You are able to stop on the nursery slopes using the ‘snowplough’, and you may be able to make some direction changes, but you have not fully mastered this yet.
- You are now able to comfortably link left and right ‘snowplough’ turns and stop on green runs. You may be exploring some of the easier blue runs on the mountain.
- Your skiing is becoming more fluid, as you are now able to make controlled turns on all blue runs. Your ‘snowplough’ is noticeably smaller and you are able to finish turns with your skis in a parallel position.
Advanced
- You have begun to venture onto some of the easier red runs on the mountain and, while your turns are getting better and better with every run, you are still using a very small ‘snowplough’ to initiate the turn. This may be frustrating you so if you’ve not taken a lesson for a while then this is the time to invest in further professional instruction.
- You are growing in confidence and now appreciate the speed and excitement of skiing. You’ve been back for instruction and are practising hard to perfect your parallel technique on the smoother pisted red runs. You may be venturing onto black runs with moguls or checking out the un-pisted terrain at the side of the slope for more of a challenge.
- You are now able to link confident parallel turns and are comfortable skiing on most black runs. Steeper and icy slopes may cause you to lose a little of your style, but you are still able to get to the bottom in one piece. You have now started to get the feeling of ‘carving’ your turns and this has brought a whole new dimension to your skiing.
Expert
- You are now able to ski all the pisted runs on the mountain with a good degree of technique and style. You have mastered the steeps, moguls and icy race pistes and are looking for a new challenge - off piste skiing. You’ve watched all the ski movies and want a bit of the action! You’ll start off by spending more time falling over than skiing, but this is perfectly normal so stick with it. It will take time, to master but it’s well worth it!
- Off piste is no longer a struggle, and you really have the feel for carving turns of all sizes on all pistes and enjoy the thrill that it gives you. At this stage you may be considering some professional coaching, whether it be race, off piste or instructor training to further improve your technique.
- You are a top-level skier who can ski the mountain in all terrain and conditions with great style and technique. You may hold a professional instructors qualification or be an ex-racer.
Step 2: Your Ski Type
The next step is to determine your skiing style. We stock a variety of skis, each designed and constructed for a specific type of skiing. It is important to choose the right skis for your style in order to get the most enjoyment and progression out of them. Below, we have outlined the basic factors for each ski type and this should help you to establish the most suitable. Each page of skis has been divided into these relevant sections to help you quickly find your ideal ski.
Piste
As the name suggests these skis are designed to perform on the piste. That’s not to say you couldn’t have some fun after a fresh snowfall, but really the skis are set up to help you progress your skiing towards perfect carved turns.
Piste Prestige
The pinnacle of smooth, fast carving skis. These skis will let you dominate the fast lane or sit back and enjoy the view. Usually based on race ski construction but tuned to be slightly less demanding and more versatile.
Freestyle
Freestyle is the ‘new-school’ style that is currently the coolest thing in skiing. The skis are all twin tip for easy spins and fakie (backwards) moves. Take a pair to a terrain park and see what’s possible. The latest generation of freestyle skis also work well in deep snow due to their increased surface area, opening up even more possibilities to invent new tricks.
Freeride
The all-terrain ski, perfect for people who want to go everywhere that snow can take them. Off-piste is the main focus; the increased surface area gives greater floatation in deep snow. You can still have a good time on the piste too; side-cuts are deep for stable carving and quick responses when skiing on the piste.
Big Mountain
For those of you who want to search out the most radical and challenging off piste terrain these are the skis for you. Big mountain skis have a huge surface area that provides excellent flotation in all conditions, from fresh powder to crud and are a real advantage when learning to ski deep snow. All of these skis now have accentuated sidecuts so they are much easier to turn on piste when you need to. Some of them have twin tips that allow amazing moves, either forwards or backwards (fakie) in the powder.
Skier Cross
These skis are based on race skis, generally using a Giant Slalom ski construction and length with a deeper, more radical sidecut and shape. This results in a high performance ski that is incredibly manoeuvrable with excellent stability and edge grip on hard pack and icy snow. These skis also perform off piste due to their large surface area.
Race
For the skier that likes to ski hard and fast with complete confidence and control and demands absolute performance from their skis. Race skis provide fantastic edge grip and confidence for skiing at speed but require energy and constant technical input to get the best out of them. Designed for skiing on-piste, they are ideally suited to expert skiers and racers.
Step 3: The Right Size
Ski Length A Rough Guide to Sizing
The simple visual aid below will provide an estimate to the length of each ski category for a recreational skier of average height and weight.
To obtain a more specific ski length, please refer to the chart underneath. It is also necessary to adjust the length for your ability level and aggressiveness. Please use this chart as a guideline only, for more detailed advice please consult our trained staff in store
The given length from the chart will provide your ideal ski length for Piste skis. However, as our visual aid of the skier suggests, different styles of skiing will also affect the length of your skis. Below are outlines of how to adapt your ski length accordingly for other ski types:
- For Freeride skis add between 5 and 10cm in length for better flotation and stability in powder.
- For Big Mountain skis add between 5 and 20cm, depending on how much off piste you ski and for improved flotation and stability in the steep and deep.
- For skis designed to be skied in shorter lengths (Salomon Streetracer, Atomic Metron and any slalom ski), you should reduce the measurement by 10 to 15cm, in accordance with the specific manufacturer’s guidelines.
- For Freestyle and Skiercross skis, use the same length as for Piste skis.
Ski Servicing
Serviced regularly, your skis will not only perform better but also last longer. How often your skis need servicing will depend on the snow conditions, if you are not sure bring them in for a health check. Our Covent Garden, Chertsey, Bristol, Portsmouth, Manchester Hemel Hempstead, Sheffield and Romford stores offer a while-you-wait service.
Our Ski & Binding Range
Within our range of skis, we have ski and binding packages for all ability levels and types of skiing. Most of our skis come with integrated binding systems, although there are still a few ‘flat deck’ skis that have different retro fit binding options. All full ski and binding ‘system’ combinations show the package price (ski & binding), while skis that are available without system bindings (flat deck) are priced individually. Our range of skis, which is the largest range you’ll find under one roof, have been performance matched with the relevant bindings to ensure that they operate safely on the mountain. Our experienced staff will ensure that you choose the correct bindings where offered, and our qualified technicians will ensure correct fitting and adjustment.
To help you choose why not fill out our ski selector available here