# United States & Canada Vacations Forums > Ski Country Forum >  >  Calling on ski country-triple diamond expert

## ashtangi

Ok, so I don't live in ski country, but I ski in Vermont, New Hampshire, Quebec.  The "nerve" part of my question is because I have been skiing on my equipment for 15+ years, (yikes)I still have rear entry boots and old school skis.  Mine are atomic and my husbands are kastle.  I hate to get rid of them but I think it's time for new ski equipment.  My question is this, and I'm sure my so-so ability will be abundantly clear in this question...What am I looking for BEFORE I walk into the ski shop?  I have never skied on the rounded tip skis, is that all they have now?  I ski for 10 -14 days per season max.  I travel with my skis.  How many thousand dollars should I spend?

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## MIke R

first of all......take the rear entry boots and the 15 year old skis and dont even try and sell them...toss em out with the next nights garbage....think of how far computers have come in 15 years....thats how far skis and boots have come....get yourself into a nice front entry boot...each  boot company has a diferent "fit" - so try a bunch on until you find the boot that feels right..the boot finding and fitting process should take quite some time..if you are being rushed by the boot fitter.....run... the right boot, fitted correctly, is key to skiing well and skiing comfortably....it should feel kind of tight in the shop..no slop in the toe or heel...but no numbing feeling either...a boot doesnt get really comfortable until you ve been on them a few days.....walk around the house with them before you go on your first trip to break them in....you will be amazed at how comfy boots have become....get yourself in a nice short parabolic ski with a generous sidecut...these skis practically turn themselves...a little pressure on your big toe and you are in the turn.....doesn't matter what company....look at Voikl skis that have the bindings built in so the ski/binding is one piece....they are sweet... this months SKI magazine goes oer ALL the new equuipment thats out and is very good with their recommendations and matching skis and boots to abilities...grab a copy

how many thousands....???...less then one if you shop right now and buy lasts years stuff...they are giving away the stuff right now out here, and in New England the traditional huge  tent sales occur on Columbus Day Weekend where they unload last years stuff.....very cheap

where do you ski in New England??....our shops are in Waterville Valley NH, and Wendis' parents own one of the better restaurants in Killington VT

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## ashtangi

Thank you so much Mike, I am throwing them out and I can't wait.  I'm so excited now...I will ski better, I will ski longer, I will be more comfortable, and maybe even they'll look fancy.  I love my ski clothes, of course, I change that up quite frequently...LOL  Anyway, I ski at Okemo, Cannon, Loon, Sunapee, Mont St Anne, Stoneham,  and the most magnificent and panoramic Le Massif, just the best.  I had a feeling that now was the time to buy...so I am going this weekend and you gave me the push I needed...Look out double diamonds!  (not really)

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## MIke R

forget Loon...go ten minutes south to my place at Waterville Valley....better mountain and seriously less crowded....I hear there is pretty good shopping in the village too ;-))))

Cannon is the best of that bunch...thats my personal favorite

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## MIke R

and if you want to take comfort to the next level boot wise...get a custom inner lining and footbed.....its like a second skin....best 500 bucks you will ever spend

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## ashtangi

OK... never been to waterville valley and I will try that....I am first going to Sno Haus and then Ski Stop...and I will let you know what I get...WOOHOO

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## MIke R

give the place a look over....

http://www.waterville.com/info/summer/index.asp


and tell the shop you want a bona fide boot fitter to help you..not some punkass college kid who thinks he knows how to fit a boot..and if it doesn't feel right...no matter how many boots you have tried..make him show you another one

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## ashtangi

This place looks beautiful, I don't know how we end up at Loon in the first  place...I just know I'll get the punkass, but I'm ready

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## MIke R

it is beautiful....and the resort is at an end of a road...so there isnt any traffic "passng through"...very quiet....I move back there in a  year....the picture of the 2 bikers was taken from one of my shops front door

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## ashtangi

_One_ of your shops?  How many do you have for goodness sake and why are you moving?  Are you a travelling ski-man? Did you see the indoor ski mountain in Dubai?  Maybe you can bring it to sbh...well, at least water-skiing...maybe

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## MIke R

I have three shops there.....most of the villages retail is run by Wendi and I...pre baby we had 3 out here as well..... its  now time to settle down somewhere for the sake of the kid....and  so we have one at a time closed the shops out here and are settling back to our home back there....plus this two home thing is not all what it is cracked up to be....plus the New England shops way outperformed the shops out here.....they are the cash cow....plus going back and forth now costs way more then it used to ....plus my Mom is of a age that I need to be nearer to her..plus my older daughter pisses and moans all the time that she doesn't see us enough....and so  forth and so on...so there you have it in a nutshell..get the picture???...LOL

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## ashtangi

Yeah, I get the picture.....the Northeast is where you belong...it's where your cash is, where your kid will grow up, where the rest of your family is...hence where your heart is...a nice place to be...it's time to come home...besides it's closer to SBH

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## MIke R

yeah but its been a helluva 7 years out here....what a blast we ve had

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## ashtangi

You can take the man out of Colorado but........

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## Posterboy

I hope you don't mind if I throw my 2 cents in here...when you go to buy your boots, KEEP THEM ON IN THE STORE FOR AT LEAST 45 MINUTES BEFORE you even decide to buy them!  It will take at least that long before your foot begins to feel the boot and the pain begins...it will take that long for sure!

I am the Pro Patroller at Owl's Head, just over the border from you, and see newbies and olides alike,with their new boots, literally crying from the pain.  Please buy carefully and keep them on in the store...bring a book to read because you will want to have your feet in the boots for a while just to see if they will hurt you after a half-hour or so.

And if you are looking for a BIG mountain with an AMAZING view and nobody on the slopes, come visit us during any week this winter.  We are located just 20 minutes from Jay on the shores of Lake Memphremagog and we have the highest elevation in the Eastern Townships.  The place is literally empty during the week and I will gladly ski with you and show you around.

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## MIke R

excellent point.....getting a boot should take you  a half day if you want to do it right...20 minutes from Jay eh???..sounds good....I may visit you next winter when I am  back east...I'm only about 2 and half hours from Jay, which is a great place as well

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## ashtangi

Thanks to you too Jeffrey, I am planning to make a day of it at this point.  I am currently reading Julia Child's My Life in France and I will gladly bring it along.  My problem has been that my boots are too tight and then my feet freeze due to poor circulation, so I will look out for this. Montreal and Quebec City  _during the winter_ are as dear to us as St Barths.  I will look into Owl's Head.  Pro Patroller?  Now, you must have some stories!

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## MIke R

FYI...I ran into a friend today who happens to demo the new skis for promtional media....she says the K2 T9 Burnin Luv is a real kick ass ski for intermediate to advanced intermediate women...says its the best of whats coming out

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## ashtangi

Mike, I looked at these and they are beautiful, but I'm a little confused, this ski comes with the binding built in?  How does the affect my order if I find a good deal online?  Also, my weight shows a shorter ski, but I am almost 6' tall.  The skis I have now are loooong.  Skis seems shorter overall.  This ski also has the sidecut you speak of and is really for an advanced skier, but will adjust for a beginner/intermediate.  I would say I am intermediate and my husband is better than I am.  He's 6'2", so the same question applies. Weight vs Height vs ability?

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## MIke R

no one is on long skis anymore.....thats so.....80's...LOL..I used to be on 207's....I am now on 173's and I'm 6'2 215 lbs...thats the way they are built now so get that long ski idea out of your mind....


I dont get what you are asking with the ski and binding and buying online and all... the ski will come with a binding built in ( the only way to go if you ask me )...when you get the ski, if you buy it online you can take it to a  ski shop and they will adjust the DIN settting to your weight and ability and also to your boot size...and you re done....its better to get a ski that it is a little over your ability so you can grow into it...unless you are going to buy a ski evefy other year llike I do

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## ashtangi

okay, got it, you answered my question about the adjustments, this is ski buying 101 class for me...I realize how little I pay attention to others when I'm skiing, so now that I will be looking at every pair of skis I see, this is really important, what if the boot I like doesn't match the ski I like?  Yikes.  Oh my, as per sbhonline, deep tans and long skis are so 80's.

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## JoshA

Here's another thought: rent skis. I've recently started doing this after considering buying yet another set to add to the ski museum in my basement. The advantage is that you can rent for the conditions of the day. Fat skis for powder, slalom skis for ice, etc. I couldn't believe what a difference that made. Also, if you schlep skis through airports, it's a great relief.

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## ashtangi

hmmm, tempting.  But can you rent nice stuff (like I have the nerve to ask that after what I've been skiing on)

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## MIke R

> hmmm, tempting.  But can you rent nice stuff (like I have the nerve to ask that after what I've been skiing on)



you can rent nice stuff...but I dont know..there is a but lot to be said for having your own pair totally tweaked for you and all..plus the more you ski on them..the more you get used to them and the more confidence you have in and on them....plus I have custom lifters in mine and and I sharpen them with a bevel cut which isnt on rentals....but I can see Josh's point of having a basement full of skis and schleping them through airports and all..for me..I ski em to death for 2 years, and then I stick them in the snow with a sign on them for sale at the end of the second season near a lift....and I give the lift attendant a cut if he sells them...which he usually does...and they are gone just like that.....

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## JoshA

Yes. I rented great equipment. Ask for the demo package. It might cost as much as $50/day so if you ski just a few days per year, as I do (sadly, after moving away from Colorado), then it makes financial sense as well.

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## Posterboy

Skiing on "hot rentals" is a little difficult, depending on where you are going to ski.  Some centers, like ours, feature great skiis for rent and they are about $50 for the day.  Most centers, though, just rent side cuts that are already 2 years old and most renters don't really know the difference.

I would rent some very hot skiis for a day or the weekend and then go out and do some research...just like we do here on sbonline when we wanted to rent a villa for our upcoming wedding this November on our first St Bart's visit.

I was skiing on 175 Volkl 6Stars, but they will kill you.  Now I'm on 182 All Stars, which are even tougher, but your husband might get away with the 4 Star and be able to work it with his height and weight.  I am 6'2" and weigh 145, and even at 55 years young, I still get paid to Patrol 5 days a week, schlepping a 60 pound tobogan behind me...and often another 250 pounder inside.

Do your research and carefully read the Ski Magazines that are featauring the new skiis and boots this time of year.

Skiing on 15+ year old equipment is dangerous and really stupid.  Sorry, but we are so busy patrolling that when we see people with such old stuff, we STRONGLY suggest they go into the cafeteria for a hot chocolate...and stay there.  Your skiis are finished  -- the camber is gone and your boots cannot support your feet, ankles, nor legs.  Do yourself a favour...if you like skiing at all, throw your old stuff out right now!

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## Dennis

> I am 6'2" and weigh 145,



Geeze, Jeff...have a burger!


Dennis (6'2", 215)

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## MIke R

LOL..you said what I was thinking.....

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## ashtangi

Lucky for us, we have never needed the assistance of ski patrol in 20 years of skiing.  Lucky for us we have never needed the nudge of anyone to go sit in the lodge and have a cocktail...(or two)  I love the feeling of being high in the mountain, with my man, beauty, stinging cold, pulse, life....you get the picture.  The equipment has always been secondary in my mind.  I have seen my share of bad accidents, and usually, it is someone with high performance equipment, skiing as though their ability matches the ski's performance ability...and they have overestimated themselves.  We, on the contrary, have underestimated ourselves.  It is interestsing to me to understand how all this time has passed, where did it go?  I just bought those skis the year after we got married, could it be I will visit St. Barths for my 16th trip?

I am buying. The K2 burnin' love or Misdemeanor will likely be my ski.  The old skis are gone already.  I never once relied on this site to pick a villa, we dive right in.....

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## MIke R

> .  I have seen my share of bad accidents, and usually, it is someone with high performance equipment, skiing as though their ability matches the ski's performance ability...and they have overestimated themselves.



truer words were never spoken...nd I like your ski choice.....enjoy!

what about boots?

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## ashtangi

Mike, I have not found the right boot, but I wonder if I'm getting too focused on it...paying super careful attention to the feel, with so many to try on I feel impatient and don't leave them on long enough.

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## MIke R

you are not getting too focused...it is the single most important equipment decision you will make...go slow and be thourough...you wont regret it

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