lin 0 Posted November 12, 2002 Share Posted November 12, 2002 Is more expensive equipment easy to tell in terms of it being noticeably better? Link to post Share on other sites
jared 0 Posted November 12, 2002 Share Posted November 12, 2002 not until you are pretty good. And expensive does not make it better for YOU. You need gear that matches your level of skiing. ie race skis for anyone but racers is expensive and inappropreate. you will be better off spending half the money for skis matched to you. dont get sucked in by the shop guy trying to sell you the most expensive gear - its not only a waste of money it could be bad for your skiing if they are too advanced for your needs. that said if your are a pretty good skier dont go too cheap. and you are only going to get better at skiing so if you get learners skis you will grow out of them pretty quick. Link to post Share on other sites
danz 0 Posted November 12, 2002 Share Posted November 12, 2002 yup...agreed with jared on this... I once went skiing with a budy of mine who was just starting...we had the same boot size, so I let him try out my skiis, which are a high-performance racing ski...needless to say, the guy couldn't make them do anything, and was much happier with his "beginner" ski...and when I tried his ski, I was frustrated that the ski just wouldn't respond to my commandes...like trying to drive a pinto thinking its a ferrari... get equipment that is slightly above your level, but not to much...that way you can grow into your ski a bit...I recommend spending top dollar on boots though... enjoy! danz Link to post Share on other sites
Markie 0 Posted November 12, 2002 Share Posted November 12, 2002 This is all very interesting, jared and danz, thanks. I have heard it has a lot to do with the stiffness and sidecut. But the why and how is still a great mystery to me. For example, danz, what characteristic/s of the beginner skis make it difficult for you to handle and how would this be different on your skis. Somehow I bet the answer to that helps to unlock the secret of better technique. So please do tell more. I'm all ears. Link to post Share on other sites
danz 0 Posted November 12, 2002 Share Posted November 12, 2002 hmmm...how to explain... I like the race car analogy...when you are in a high-performance car, it responds instantly to your command...when you floor it, the car moves, no delay...for a piece of junk you can't get that performance...responsiveness... a lot of times when you talk about a skiis performance, you talk about the "snap" of the ski...a ski is like a big spring...if you compress a spring it naturally wants to go back to its original position...pressuring the ski is like compressing the spring...couple that with the shape of the ski, and you get a turn...a beginner ski relies more on the shape than the springiness...less effort for the skier...on a beginning ski, you can just tip the ski on edge, and the shape will cause it to turn...you can do the same with a high performance ski, but if you give it a good kick, it will snap you into the next turn...the springiness of a beginner ski is just to soft and can't respond to a quick impulse... anyway, this gets deep into the physics of skiing...but i've probably rambled too much...hope this made some sense... danz Link to post Share on other sites
Markie 0 Posted November 12, 2002 Share Posted November 12, 2002 Thanks, danz. That's the best explanation I've heard so far that makes some sense to me. I have been asking people about this and I must have been asking the wrong people. Either they don't know or they know but don't know how to explain it or don't want to. So let's see. The skis need to bend to give you a good turn so more flexible skis for beginners will allow this to happen naturally but it also means they have less control of the turn because the skis are very flexible. With stiffer skis, you can have a more precise control of the turn but you need to be able to control the bend of the ski with your boot and beginners can't do that yet so they need softer skis otherwise their skis won't bend. So as you improve and feel you want more control, you move to stiffer skis. Right? Since you're so nice, I'll press my luck a bit and continue to ask: How about the length of the skis and the sidecut? Link to post Share on other sites
enderzero 0 Posted November 13, 2002 Share Posted November 13, 2002 I think this may be less complicated when it comes to snowboarding. Usually more money equals a better board. There are, of course, exceptions. These are the board manufacturers that are all marketing and hype. But when it comes to a respectable board manufacturer, a more expensive board will most likely be of higher quality. Definitely want to stay away from the budget boards you only see in the hardware stores and giant sporting goods chains. (Unless you are a real beginner and don't care about becoming more than that) Link to post Share on other sites
jared 0 Posted November 13, 2002 Share Posted November 13, 2002 Dont stress too much about the length around eye level is a pretty good length +or- about 5cm. Try and demo a range of different side cuts to find out what you like, personally I like quite a bit if I am skiing on groomed slopes. As that seldom happens and landing jumps is more important to me I use skis with a bit less sidecut than alot of skis. A guide might be to get a few brosuresw or visit websites and read about the skis. note the measurements of the skis that sound like they are for you and compare them with the other brands equivalent ski. They are probley all pretty similar. Link to post Share on other sites
Markie 0 Posted November 13, 2002 Share Posted November 13, 2002 Great! Thanks again, jared. Link to post Share on other sites
Markie 0 Posted November 13, 2002 Share Posted November 13, 2002 BTW, thanks for recommending www.newschoolers.com That's a cool site too. Link to post Share on other sites
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