|
|
Choosing alpine skis: beginner to intermediateJul 10 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Sport and Outdoor
The Bottom Line Consider your skiing ability, how often you ski, and your budget, and ask a store employee for advice.
Happy skiing!
I am by no means an absolute expert on the subject; however, I have been skiing for a number of years now, and I have learned quite a bit about skiing and all that goes along with it. I hope this article is helpful: If you only go skiing once or twice a year, it probably makes no sense for you to invest in your own skis (and boots, and poles, and bindings...). Moreover, in those circumstances you might be better off having the professionals from the rental place pick out skis that are most suitable for your skiing ability. However, if you go skiing often (even if you are only a beginner), buying your own skis would be a much better investment. You can get very good deals on skis around this time of year (July to Labor Day), as many stores are having pre-season sales on ski equipment. I am not going to go into detail on whether you should get conventional or shaped skis. Once you go into a store, you'll see that they have way more shaped skis than conventional ones. Although the technique required by the two types of skis is somewhat different, at the beginner and "early" intermediate level it will not matter very much. You'll care more about staying on your feet, not the particulars of skiing physics :) You don't want to get skis that are too short, even if you are an absolute beginner. If your skis are too short for your height, you will have trouble learning proper skiing technique and it will be more difficult for you to subsequently move on to longer skis and more advanced slopes. If your skis are too long, it will be extremely hard for you to learn the basic stuff. For a beginner (adult), skis between 160-182 centimeters are generally a good idea (remember: unless you are COMFORTABLE skiing blue slopes, your skis must not be taller than you). If you are 5'1" or shorter, get skis that are 155 centimeters (all skis are measured in centimeters, so take a calculator with you to the store, if you think you'll need one). Example: I am 5'4", and I started out on skis that were 160 cm (about 5'3"). Once I was comfortable on blue and black runs, I got skis that were 175 cm (about 5'9"). Once I got longer skis, I knew I should expect a minor setback in my skiing ability until I adjusted to the new length of the skis. As a beginner, one of the things you will be learning is to keep your skis parallel to each other, turn, etc. With shorter skis, you can master proper technique; once you "move" into the intermediate range and become more comfortable on blue runs, you'll want longer skis to work on making your turns smoother, carving the moguls, etc. At that point, you will find it a lot easier to improve your technique with longer skis, and you will look better on the slopes, too. At this level, your skis may well be taller than you, but only by about 4-6 inches--no more than that. If you are not sure which skis are right for you, ask the store employees for help. If they do not seem knowledgeable enough, find someone who is. Personally, I always make it a point to shop for ski equipment at a place that specializes in ski and snowboarding gear, so I can always ask questions and get intelligent answers because the employees there are professionals. Plus, you will need to buy bindings too, and you absolutely MUST have someone who's a professional help you pick out bindings, install them, and adjust release settings according to your skiing ability. So that's another reason to buy your alpine skis some place where the employees know what they are doing. Last bit of advice: keep in mind how much total you are willing to spend on ski gear. Don't spend all of it on skis: you'll need boots, poles and bindings, too (plus the cost of having the bindings installed).  |
| Read all comments (2)|Write your own comment |
|
Ads by Google
|
