Source
r/skiing•
LilLessWise

Buying skiing gear - advice appreciated

Hello,

About me: 6'2 220-230 Ski always on resorts mostly Big White and Sunshine. I enjoy blue runs, and am just starting to tackle some of the 'easier' blacks.

I've only ever rented skis before. Last year I bought a pair of boots Salomon Quest Access 80 at a local shop. The fitting experience was decent, but after seeing my Wife get some done at Dizzy's at Big White they were a whole nother level. She also got some custom orthotic built and she basically won't stop saying how wonderful they are. So I may have made a bit of a mistake there, that being said the boots are quite comfortable, especially relative to rental boots. Honestly she praises them so much I'm debating just selling mine that I've only used 2-3 times and getting new boots there.

Regardless, I've started to ski enough I think it's about time I enter the fray and buy the rest of my own equipment so I can quit waiting in line.

So given that I basically do almost all of my skiing on groomed trails with no interest in doing anything more extreme. Should I get a on piste type ski or an all mountain type ski? Does anyone have any advice as to get in order to have some room to grow into them a bit? I've been looking at Salomon X-drives and X-max, but don't really know how to differentiate much between the levels. Also don't really have any particular brand loyalty, but I've got to start somewhere. Money really isn't too much of a concern as long as they'll last me a few years.

Appreciate any comments or suggestions. Thank you for your time in advance.

Posted Dec 31, 2016, 8:34 PM UTC

35
Stinger886Winter Park/Copper•

I'm about your size and the flex rating on those boots is extremely soft, so if it possible to get another pair then it might be worth looking into. I guess another question is where do you want your skiing abilities to be as you gain more experience. You don't want to get a ski that won't preform to your liking as you improve.

2
LilLessWiseOP•

Well, I don't see myself looking into getting into anything too adventurous. So I wouldn't mind being able to tackle black runs with some confidence at some point. I'd like some intermediate gear that I can grow into black runs. Is it better to get the all mountain skis then in the event there's some powdery stuff that I find on the resorts?

So getting stiffer boots from a bootfitter might be where to start. Maybe I will look into that when I'm in Kelowna this year. What sort of stiffness range would you recommend?

1
wineandwoman•

For performance you basically you want the stiffest boot you can flex. You are 6 foot 200+ pounds so you are probably going to be able to flex a 120 or 130. When you go in to the boot fitter try on different boots to see how stiff of a boot you can flex. Flex ratings are really just numbers and the important thing is getting the right boot.

2
ConvertsToMetric•

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0
mylosnow•

Well if you're only getting one ski then you can either get one that does great on groomers and not so great on everything else, or one that does okay on everything. If you always stay on trail then sure get something in the low 70s underfoot and you'll have a great time. No reason to handicap yourself with a wider ski when you'll never use it for its intended purpose.

Looking at the skis you mentioned the x-max is the narrower of the two with the shorter radius and the x-drive is the more all-mountain ski.

Your other option is to get a race-lite type ski (something like Head supershape) which will take some getting used to but will have tons of performance for you to grow into. Also ignore all the people on here who will call you a square because you don't huck cliffs or spend time in the park. Spending time on groomers developing your technique is just as rewarding for a lot of skiers.

2