The 101: How to Buy Skis

From camber and rocker to groomers versus pow, it's easy to get lost in the vocabulary of buying your first set of skis. Outside contributor Bryan Rogala is here to walk you through a beginner's guide to navigating those end-of-season deals in the latest installment of The 101.

[@nathanhalfman1]

Just looking at the thumbnail, thought for a sec why Alex Honnold started selling skies...

[@kevinc2911]

dammit you beat me to it hahaha. this was my first thought

[@jagovanbeek]

I almost did too lol

[@jetbandit3873]

I think a lot of people did.

[@juusomiinalainen]

😂

[@billyroche5007]

Same here

[@nickj3218]

God this video is exactly what I needed. Straightforward, dense, not getting off in the weeds about specialty skis. Thank you lol

[@EthanAdey]

Yes

[@misterfunnybones]

Rule number 1. Ignore the top sheet graphics Rule number 2. Go to a "demo day" as stated Rule number 3. Don't demo Kastle, DPS, or Stöckli skis unless your committed to the sport or just have 💰 to burn. Rule number 4. Spend the majority of your money on boots - comfy, warm feet are more important than ski performance, unless you're racing & you're not racing if your watching this video.

[@markplymale]

Thank you! Your comment was helpful in addition to this video

[@jannik7354]

haha rule 4 got me! 😂

[@youraknob11]

Learned more here than the video

[@janamel7]

Sweet, this confirmed my ski purchase plans... now the happy owner of Rossy soul 7s with Salomon switch bindings. Ultimate one quiver set. Yay!

[@timreicker7663]

Great job, I have been skiing for years & I learned stuff from this.. Two thumbs up !!

[@joshstrenk1877]

Is this Alex harnolds brother?

[@zzdoodzz]

haha, I had the same thought, that and wow, the dudes voice wasn't what I was expecting.

[@andrewdiamond2697]

Good advice. I made the minor mistake of making my first pair of skis frontside/piste skis. By the end of my second season, they were really holding me back. My second pair are all-mountain/freeride skis. Way better for what I do.

[@BubbaBros]

What type of skiing would you say you prominently do?

[@ziggypuff5736]

Hi. I am deciding to go with the blizzards you recommend in the video. One thing I don’t know about is bindings. Wish you talked about that in this video or another. Any recommendations?

[@jeffs8525]

Rental to first skis! 90mm is plenty fat and stick with a front side preference. A little tip and tail rocker to make em user friendly is a bonus.

[@KM-ss1if]

I agree, you will learn the basics on much easier on softer rentals with a narrower waist.

[@felixh.9903]

Can you go inte the park with the all Mountain skies... Of course I dont mean 5m jumps but little jumps and maybe some short rails

[@grasuh]

3:24 Is Blizzard Rustler 10 good for a beginner (learning to carve)?

[@travelwithmates3599]

Please help me in choosing the right ski I'm let's say intermediate to advanced skier and I want to buy a new pair of skis I stopped at: - Fischer RC4 The Curv Race TI + RSc10GW - Rossignol Pursuit 700bTI + NX12K Dualb2018 M - Elan GSX PRO PS + ELS 11 GRN All from above are at the same price I'm 1.80 cm and 82kg looking for 170cm ski. I apreciate if you can help me choose.

[@ds0305]

which model from black crows skis is an all mountain ski? (i'm not a beginner but also not a pro)

[@kayakutah]

Check credit card limit. Buy skis. Don't exceed the limit.

[@thomasmedeiros5722]

Very good presentation. I have been involved in the ski shop side of skiing for a long time. Most people only think about ski length in relation to body height but forget to factor in weight. If you have a skier that is heavy for the length of ski the performance will not be the same. I have had customers that weigh 210 lbs that are 5’ 6” and another that was 150 lbs and 5’6”. Both advanced skiers. The 210 lbs Guy needs a 180cm and the 150 lbs Guy can use a 170-73cm ski. Again this is an example and I am thinking of sizing all Mountain skis. Also with a ski with more rocker you can go longer if you’re looking at Big Mountain or Powder Skis. Just some ideas to consider.

[@evanturenchalk1156]

yes, if you are a little underweight for your height you should get a ski a little shorter than your chin and if your over weight for your height, you should get a longer ski

[@ThePoopiestButthole]

LMFAO I TYPED IN WHAT SKS SHOULD I BUY!! Next time I’ll read before clicking hahahaha

[@petehuws]

Great vid. Do you know? When shopping for skis & we measure them against our body height do we measure whilst wearing our ski boots or without?

[@evanturenchalk1156]

without

[@petehuws]

@@evanturenchalk1156 thanks a bunch 👍

[@dracthedog]

Helloooooo does anyone know or tried the "Esquis hombre Wedze cross 150+ Pista rojo" they are 110-79-100" from Decathlon? I'm an intermediate skier and have rented until this moment to try different types of skis. However weirdly I still don't know what the shape tips of the skis mean. When I search tips of a ski or different types of tips of skis, the only thing that comes up is hacks for skis. Would anyone be kind enough to explain to me what the tip shape means? 🤣🤣

[@MattShafter]

You go from 80mm rental carvers to 104's?

[@erikhjortsater5461]

What do you want to ride?

[@MRPLANBPRODUCTIONS]

This guys responsible for a bunch of kids rippin groomed resorts in powder skis

[@stevespace_4809]

So do you stand the skis up next to u when u have ski boots on ,sneakers, barefoot? Which one?

[@deniskopotun3201]

When already in boots im p sure

[@marygrimes7229]

Without ski boots on

[@Janegrannis]

Super informative, but as someone who just learned how to ski, buying $500 skis is not what's in my price range. I'm hoping to find some great used skis for much less as my first year ski's but this helped me as for what to look for at my local outdoor gear exchange.

[@liveandletlive2894]

Found anything?

[@DeanG-pf3kv]

If you just learned don’t buy new skis keep renting

[@myceliumislife]

I'm 2 years late to this comment but you can get season rentals at a much more affordable rate

[@FsimulatorX]

@@DeanG-pf3kv keep renting? I could put that rental money to the new equipment instead

[@minimusmax]

what's the difference in the type of skiing done in the west vs east?

[@zacdef8845]

Less powder in the east

[@andrewdiamond2697]

The difference is the composition of the snow. In the east, it's mostly frozen granular. Out west it's more powder. A beginner in the east might do best with 80-90 mm under foot. Out west that goes up to more like 90-100 mm under foot.

[@minimusmax]

@@andrewdiamond2697 thanks

[@Jorge-ob6py]

Because of covid, I'm going to buy mine online. Wish me luck

[@ballislife8069]

What about boots. Are you gonna buy them without trying then on ?

[@saadamiens]

Can anybody please tell me if the Blizzard Rustler 10 Skis would be a good fit for an absolute beginner, thanks

[@KM-ss1if]

Definetly no. First time go with rentals. Rustler 9, 10 and 11s are all great skis but not for beginners. Softer and shorter skis with narrower waist is easier.

[@newttella1043]

What KM said. You can learn basic skills faster and get more confidence before going with those Blizzards. No point struggling more than necessary when starting out, it's just not fun.

[@miloman812]

I’ve been skiing for 17 years ( I’m 22, only go once or twice a year, but look to start going more by myself) I live in St.Louis Mo, and the nearest decent ski resort is up in Dubuque Iowa about 5 hours away. I’ve gone skiing in utah, and Colorado. I would definitely consider myself an upper class “intermediate” skier, and I have balls. I like to go fast, cut, go through trails, and I’m starting to hit more jumps. I get that all around skis are what I’m probably looking for, but what brands are the best for the money? Id like to keep it under $1,000. Any help at all is appreciated!

[@didrikreuterskiold1102]

k2, salomon, blizzard or atomic sre some great brands

[@rpringle16]

Brand doesn’t really matter, you just need to find the right ski for you. If you want good info, go to the ski selector on Skitalk.com www.skitalk.com/forums/product-reviews.120/ski-selector to look for options, Then use the search function to get more in depth in the forums. There’s more info there than you’ll probably ever want. Of course, before you buy skis, make sure you have well fitting boots, preferably from a quality boot fitter. Boots first, then skis.

[@kevinc2911]

why is alex hannold telling me how to buy skis?

[@codyroe5027]

hey, that's Taos!

[@_THUMPR_]

I didn't know Travis Pastrana had a brother 🤣

[@filipm5509]

Isn't he the guy who climbed that mountain, free solo?

[@virendrasabbanwar]

Good video, but if you are doing 101 you should have explained different terms, conditions and types of skiing you used.. Not a great video for beginner..

[@Npcjohn]

shut up dude

[@impact0r]

Weird advice. In Europe, 76mm ski is already considered atypically Wide.

[@dracthedog]

Yess! I found skis on decathlon which I think are perfect, however they have a 79mm underfoot, and after this video, I am starting to doubt my research and think if I should buy them or not. THey are on sale for 130eur too.

[@impact0r]

@@dracthedog I'd advise you to look for used skis of higher quality. New skis for 130euro won't be good. There is a huge difference in how skis feel on snow.

[@dracthedog]

@@impact0r Ah gosh darnit. It’s hard to pick a ski without trying it🤦‍♂️ Even if it’s second hand or new, Idk what to get even after months of research 🤪🤦‍♂️ Thanks for the Info tho 😀 .

[@impact0r]

@@dracthedog What's your skill level, type of skiing you do, your weight and height?

[@dracthedog]

@@impact0r I’m intermediate. New to carving. And also starting to do some offroads. As far as height and weight, I’m right in the average category. So right in the middle

[@MindLukas]

5 minutes video and dude didn't say shit. Basically the conclusion is "It depends".