Ski Buyers Guide
Buying a pair of skis doesn't need to be a daunting experience. When buying a pair of skis, there are a few simple pieces of information that will help you to find your perfect match. With the introduction of carving skis and new technology, ski length is based more on the user’s weight than the tradition of using your height. Combine this with your ski level and your aspirations and this will help narrow your choice very quickly. Follow these simple steps:
STEP 1 - ABILITY
Firstly choose your current skiing level from the list below:
1 - Never skied before
2 - I can stop with a snowplough
3 - I am doing snowplough turns, and the odd blue run
4 - I am starting to parallel ski and onto blue runs
5 - I am venturing onto reds, and starting to make step turns
6 - I am getting confident on reds, and maybe doing the odd black
7 - I am comfortable skiing most black runs
8 - I am confortable on ice, and venturing off-piste
9 - I am skiing off-piste aggresively, and carving across all pistes
10 - I am a professional experienced ski instructor or racer
Here at The Skiers Lounge we then brake this down into 4 groups:
- NOVICE (Level 1 to 4)
- INTERMEDIATE (Level 4-6)
- ADVANCED (Level 6-8)
- EXPERT (Level 8-9)
- PROFESSIONAL (Level 10)
STEP 2 - TERRAINNow you know your skier level, you can decide where you will mainly be using your new skis:
- - Groomed Piste Runs
- - All snow conditions (From ice to slush)
- - All mountain skiing conditions (piste and off-piste)
- - Off-piste skiing (powder)
- - Ski touring
STEP 3 - SKI LENGTH
For selecting the correct ski length, we take your ability, weight and where you will use the skis, and can calculate an approximate length:
STEP 3 - FINAL ADJUSTMENT FOR SKILL LEVELThe final calculation- For
NOVICE skiers, this is your recommended length. For
INTERMEDIATE and
ADVANCED skiers we recommend adding 5cm to the above measurement, and for
EXPERT and
PROFESSIONAL skiers you would normally add 10cm to the above length and a little more for freeride skis.