I've been skiing all my 21 year old life and I think you have some vaild points here! However, I highly recommend buying new boots because if they are used they are already formed to the last owner's feet and you will get blisters. :)))
As a ski gear junkie, this dude’s advice is spot on. Buying used gear is great advice for beginners but get help from an experienced skier who can find the right gear at a good price. This can be better than renting both in terms of cost (you can always sell) and a shorter learning curve - because rental equipment mostly sucks. An 88-95 mm ski, mild flex, with a little tip and tail rocker is easier to learn on than the typical rental ski.
I spent $160 on Leki carbon fiber ski poles with their trigger grip tech. It allows your Leki gloves to attach to the grip like a binding that snaps in and out. I have to say they are awesome and the old school straps just suck to put on every run. They do offer this technology as low as like $40-50.
Not to shill but kind of, I got new goggles last season from Anon. Best goggles I ever bought with a magnetic neck gator that seals to the base of the goggles so you don't risk fogging up by putting the goggles over the fabric. I wear glasses and find it's the best set up I have found to allow me to keep my glasses on.
I spent $80 on my poles and have zero regrets. Leki's quick release is *super* convenient, plus they're strong enough I should never have to worry about one breaking or even bending.
Another great video with solid tips. Coincidentally, I was wearing that same Killington t-shirt back in 1980 and that made me the coolest kid in school! Also got married on Killington peak, in the clouds, in 2001. Great memories... thanks 🤙
Helpful tip: Buy a really shitty pair of boots and ride in pain for a month or 2, then buy nicers boots (not going to get a boot fitting) and then your feet wont hurt as bad because you are so used to riding shitty boots all the time lol
Agree with everything in this video. I wouldn’t recommend buying expensive poles for normal skiing but I do slalom and the more expensive leki poles are definetly worth it for slalom.
I'm going to slightly disagree with the poles assessment. It's one of the last things to spend money on, but if you aren't brutal on your poles, a nicer pair will last longer and just be all around more comfortable during longer days/tours. You need to justify why you are buying the nice poles, but they aren't a waste of money. Also, if you ski early season, rock skis are a must. Well worth the investment.
I was able to snatch some Tom Wallisch Pro Full tilt ski boots (2014) for 200$ and they are the best boots I’ve ever had! I also got some local made bamboo made poles that are really good looking and very good performing. I also only wear a hoodie and comfortable sweatpants under my coat and pants, the only time I get somewhat cold is on the lift ride up 😂
When he said don’t buy new boots without getting a professional to size them right Me: laughs nervously 😅after just buying Sammy Carlsons full tilt ascendents
What I’ve learned is that that wider the boot (102mm last in your case) the less likely you will need to have them tweaked by a boot fitter since your feet probably have comfortable room while skiing
My usual ski day temperature is not very cold -4⁰C or 25⁰F But I like to wear knee pads from mountain biking under my shell pants. Keeps them warm on the chair lift 😜
I sprung for the line fiberglass poles and they have lasted me 4+ years of park riding at this point without a single bend. Only exception I can see to your rule.
@@cameronwilliams5704 I used to bend poles a lot until I got these. I don't land on them too often though. My natural impulse is to drop them when I am falling. I don't use pole straps in the park for that reason.
@@dragsterguy21 fair enough I am pretty good at breaking them in dumb ways to think I've landed or ran one over once and snapped her just trudging out the woods after a smoke lmao
As a beginner I was sold a pair of Atomic Hawx Magna 80. They are comfortable but I’m not sure if they’re too wide for me. The shop told me all beginner boots have a wider last and it’s ok that they are a bit looser as long as the length is good (it’s perfect). I did some research and they appear to be right. Every biginner boot has a wide last. Should I worry or just use them?
Unless you feel like your feet are swimming in them and you're lacking control due to the boot not locking your foot in it should be fine. I had this issue a few seasons ago but the length was too long - made aggressive skiing challenging because it felt like my input was delayed when I would carve
I need to know where to get cheap gear in / near Denver or copper mountain. Me and my gf are driving there day after tmrw. But we are from Florida, so we need to buy some gear as soon as we get there. Do y’all know of any good in person stores that would have the best prices. Or any particular thrift type of store there that usually has ski gear? We mainly need pants, or a one piece. And maybe some goggles, gloves, jackets, or base / mid layers.
My skis boots and poles were in total were about $500 and my helmet I bought was $300 I definitely have had times where I’m glad I bough a good helmet it has MIPS for safety aswell as Bluetooth audio 😏
I’ll throw this out there and y’all may not like it but don’t buy Vishnu skis, yes there very fun but the durability is shit I’ve gone through 2 pairs both are absolutely fucked. 3 other buddies of mine have the same problem.
No hate but sounds like none of you boys know how to take care of edge cracks and damage in the first place… theres a reason why some of us slam the fuck out of our skis day in and day out all winter and keep the V’s going for 3+ seasons.
Boots are so crucial, it's the entire mechanism that transfers what you're doing to the skis, and comfort is king. As a past professional bootfitter making custom orthotics, injected liners, and everything else, I can't tell you how many people came in with the wrong size shell. Great content! 🤙
Disagree on the poles comment, IF you are a fan of the moguls and/or trees. Light swing weight and resistance to being sliced off (moguls) matter, especially when you're still mastering the "craft". If, on the other hand, you're a park and groomers skier, poles aren't very important, like he says.
I spent like $35 or $40 on poles but they are adjustable and I needed poles for mogul comps that are short but I wanted longer poles for other skiing Much easier to have 1 set of poles than 2 sets
I've been watching your videos now for the last month or so! Super helpful. Mountain biker and my wife and I are going on our first ski trip in Montana. We're taking lessons and I'm looking forward to it. You helped us decide to ski over board. I went back and forth. I noticed when you ride park, you don't use poles. Is that pretty normal now days? The only time I ever skied was in 2008 in Japan when I lived there and the skiing was very stodgy. That's what made me want to board. You make it look really cool to ski!
My favourite ski wear is a neck gaiter. I used a Merino wool one but if want it to cover your mouth and nose it will get wet/frozen. I use a face mask with breathing holes for the mouth.
I bought my second pair of secondhand FIS giant slalom skis 193cm last week. Can’t wait to try them out in a few weeks. I have almost always skied on 165 slalom short radius ski’s.
Bought used boots, almost never used, damn near perfect fit. They’re a wide fit though so as I’ve progressed over the past two years I’ve noticed they’re a bit big. Going in on some new boots with the shell molding this Saturday!
I agree with all your points. However i do think you could spend some money on telescope poles if you do a lot of different types of skiing, especially if you have multiple pairs of skis. Having different poles for powder, park and slope skiing is unnecessary when you can have one pair of poles that can change in height. When i ride park, I like my poles a bit shorter, but if i'm walking or skiing offpiste I prefer them a bit longer.
So I’ve skiied in the warmest and coldest climates. I ONLY buy shells. You can always layer up underneath and manage the temperature and more importantly the moisture. But if you buy an insulated outerwear set the spring is almost inaccessible to you.
ive never needed insulated snow pants as long as im wearing long underwear, even in -20C temps. if it gets to 25+ then i might consider wearing insulated snow pants with the long underwear under normal pants but at that point id rather stay inside lol
Great video, going to agree with everything but the poles segment. Yea if you are just a regular resort rider especially mostly park and mid west, who cares about poles....but, I would recommend spending extra if you tour back country of even venture to sidecountry. You want adjustability, longer grips also so you can change position on side hills and if you split board also you want to be able to break them down and store them on or in your pack for the down. Having the right baskets on the poles for these situations also is helpful but not a huge deal.
So...don't make mistakes with paying too much, getting the wrong skis, getting ill-fitting boots, getting expensive poles, helmets, gloves, goggles, outer layers, base layers and something I'm forgetting at this point (neck gaiters, I believe, now I'm thinking about it). So...not making the top 10: Getting the wrong bindings, getting the wrong season pass, wearing a Jerry scarf, getting the wrong ski or boot bag, choosing the wrong menu item at the lodge for lunch. Seriously, your top 10 is about nearly everything a skier would typically have. 😀
agreed, I've been doing a lot of research on skis as I'm looking to buy skis and boots soon, and I thought this video would maybe learn me something, but I knew literally everything he explained beforehand.
good advice, but on ski poles. there is a case for poles that are a bit more expensive. Adjustable pole are good if you Tele or AT. poles for climbing are a different height that downhill and having one set that can fill both needs is worth a bit more $
Im looking to get into park skiing but I primarily snowboard so I don't want to break the bank on new skis and am buying used. Im 5'9" 140lbs and I typically like a bit of a smaller ski/snowboard. I ride a 152 snowboard so I was thinking I should stay in the 150 range for skis. I found a pair that I really like for a good price, but they are 163, do you think that would be too big or am I good? Other than that, are there any general rules for deciding what length of ski to buy?
If you’re 5’9” you’d be better off with something under/close to 170. I’m 5’10” and ride 178 and 172. 163 will feel a bit short if you’re used to skiing regular skis and have closer to center mounted park skis but that makes for easier 3s and 540s
Rules of thumb are relevant to your height. If you want all mountain, charging skis, I’d go with something level to your nose up to right above your head. For purely park with rails and boxes it can be similar maybe a bit shorter since you’re not looking for something to be super fast/need for hard carving. There’s always in between options and options for where the bindings are mounted too
@@Rickshaw_Bohammer yeah im starting to figure out that 150 is actually really short for skis. I'm probably going to mount the bindings closer to true center and I know that twin tips can have a bit of a shorter effective edge, so am now looking more in the 160-180 range. I plan to do mostly rails but also want to be able to hit fairly big jumps and maybe do SOME carving/charging here and there. I found another pair that I like, and they are 178 but have an above-average rocker length in the tips and are meant to be mounted true center. Would you say that's a bit too long or would that be a good choice? I'm in a bit of a unique situation as far as my skill level goes but long story short I'd say I am intermediate, so I want stability for decent size jumps and speed, but do not want something that's too long for me to even be able to control.
@@gispee I know this is an old comment, but in case you're somehow still looking or others are wondering: 178 with a true centre mount would be a good size, especially considering they are rockered. This is also true when considering you want to charge and hit jumps as they will provide more stability. Hope you found your skis for this season :)
