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Basically know nothing!
My instructor told me I could do with more piste specific skis. Top end middle ability. Recommended 174/175cm, not to race as hefty?
Budget 3-400
I'm a big fan of Head Super Shape (well anything Head TBH).
You don't want too wide a waist - easier to carve on piste.
Glisshop includes customs fees to UK
But TBH, unless you are hitting the Scottish slopes from home a lot, I'd be tempted to just hire in resort or at the plastic hill / fridge.
My instructor told me I could do with more piste specific skis
Back a step... What kind of skiing are you doing / want to do ?
As above, what kind of skiing are you doing? “Piste” covers a multitude of different things.
How often do you ski?
Where do you ski?
How good are you?
I’ve always hired in resort, go for the top line ones, and read a few reviews. The last pair were a quite wonderful pair of Dynastar GS skis there where incredible and made me feel like a proper skier.
And definitely, definitely get boots first. I have my own boots but not skis.
I’d get boots before I got skis. A properly fitted pair of boots are a game changer compared to in resort hire boots. Glide and Slide in Otley is only just over an hours drive and are excellent in doing custom fittings.
Assuming you’ve got boots already though… I personally went for something a bit all mountain with a wider waist, bit more effort on piste but nice float if there’s fresh snow and side piste antics.
Lunge -reread the op dude.
On piste French Alps
Red and black
Once a year
If once a year I wouldn’t buy, I’d would be hiring
That’s what I do (ex international level racer) and go once a year or so
Invest in some good well fitting boots
Lunge, re-read the Op dude
I did, top post is:
Basically know nothing!
My instructor told me I could do with more piste specific skis. Top end middle ability. Recommended 174/175cm, not to race as hefty?
Budget 3-400
Anyway, based on once a year in France on some reds and blacks:
Boots first. If you’ve not got some get to Colin at Solutions4Feet in Bicester and get some properly fitted.
Skis, I’d still hire for 1 week per year, in fact I would for 2 week per year too. £300 + carriage and servicing is a lot when you can hire at resort and remove a pile of hassle.
Hire from the “premium” range of whatever hire shop you choose, and get a GS based ski. If you don’t like it then take it back and try something else. Most places will let you swap over in the week.
My local shops do try before you buy. You go out on hire skis and they deduct the hire fee from the bill if you buy a new pair.
Sounds like the instructor is pointing you at something like the Dynastar Speed 963 or Fisher RC4 CURV GT. I haven't skied either but if I were looking for an all round piste ski that's where I'd start. I prefer a 165 slalom ski on busy pistes. I've got some Atomic GS race skis in the cupboard but haven't used them for years. Junior is ESF and never uses them either prefering his park and pipe skis or slalom skis (Head World Cup Rebels). GS skis are great if you get on the first lift of the day and have the run to yourself but they're a liability and a chore in trafic.
I wouldn’t be hiring a piste specific ski , they can be quite hard work and to get the best out of them you need to be on it all the time.
‘All mountain’ skis are a bit more Jack of all trades but will be nicer IMO
As to boot fitting, it’s not an art and no need to go to an absolute specialist unless you have really ofd feet.
Try as many brands of boot as you can, it should fit well the first time you put it on your foot and should feel comfortable, if it doesn’t the boot isn’t for you.
If I wanted boots I'd have asked 😂 I've got bits thanks with custom moulded inserts - all good
For once a year, as above, hire. New skis, adapt to conditions and your own (evolving?) style / terrain. Expensive kit to keep in the cupboard for 51/52 weeks.
Hiring sounds sensible 👍
If you’ve got boots already (wasn’t clear from first post so apologies for suggesting) I’d still go for something a bit more all mountain with a waist of 90mm or so. I’m a crap skier (blue and red only) but enjoy messing around in boot deep powder when the chance arises and something with a bit more float is nice and doesn’t compromise you on the groomers.
I’ve got a set of Volkl 90Eights which as the name suggests have a 98mm waist and are absolutely fine on piste, in fact if anything nicer than the hire skis I had before which a much more pronounced sidecut.
But if you’re never venturing off the piste, ever, just get a set of piste skis and you’ll get the most from them. Still worth a trip to a proper ski shop like Glide and Slide in Otley as they’ll ask you a whole of of questions to make sure you get the skis you want, and take your boots and they’ll set up bindings for you properly too.
Going to go against the flow on this one..
How do you get to your skiing?
If you are flying, hire.. It's got too expensive to take skis on a plane these days.
If you are driving N+1. I have skis for different conditions and skiing different stuff..
Mini DT's have been known to ask if I have as many bikes as I do skis!
I nearly always buy used, never full retail current model. Models change very little if at all between years (It's worse than bike marketing IME).
Currently have a cracking pair of quite old Movement GS skis that are a hoot on a good piste, a pair of Nordica something or other with touring bindings and skins for softer days and a pair of slalom skis which don't see much use these days.
My instructor told me I could do with more piste specific skis
Most important thing is to find a new instructor, pronto.
Pistes indeed 🤔🙄
Hire.
Last year I bought a pair of skis. They are a compromise and I have to pay to lug the things out to the slopes, and pay to service them. I bought the skis because I wanted my own skis but it doesn't make financial sense at all! It just scratched an itch. And it makes skiing in Scotland a bit easier.
Previous to this I have been hiring and going for the premium option. You get a top end GS or slalom ski (although the hire version is likely to be slightly different) and when there is a powder day you can wander down to the hire shop and swap them for a set that look like water skis. It's a good system.
I live 40mins from Glenshee so have my own skis to avoid the ballache and cost of daily hiring.
When I go abroad I hire skis to avoid the cost and ballache of travelling with skis.
For one week abroad each year I wouldn't even think of buying my own.
Did your instructor say you need new skis to make the pistes come alive? Sounds familiar...
The cost and effort in transporting skis puts me off buying though I used to have some blades I could fit in a suitcase.
Oh BTW. Servicing skis or boards is a doddle. And very little cost.
Old iron, wax, some files from screwfix, and a scraper. Obviously lots of vids on YOuTube.
I have lots of DIY files but none of them go near my skis. An Ice file and various diamond pads of different grades clamped to an 87/88/89° edge guide or in a 0.5°/1° guide to drop the edges are essential to get a clean, sharp, consistent and durable edge. DIY files just don't cut it but may result in you cutting your hand when you pick up the skis.
When stating what's needed off-piste a factor that's often missed is skier weight. I'm 65kg and a 65mm waisted slalom ski gives me as much float as many of you guys on 88mm all-mountain skis. I've got a pair of 88s and whilst very good skis (Blizard Black Pearl) they aren't in the same league as a proper slalom ski in terms of grip or turning ability on piste, however, they are exceptionally easy to ski cool on anything. We don't know how much the OP weighs.
I detest the things that look like water skis on piste or hard snow off-piste, they wash out as soon as I try to load them up - mine currently have no bindings, I put them on skis I'm more likely to use..
I agree with most opinions above, for one week a year hire premium skis in resort.
I have my own skis as I ski in Scotland both resort and backcountry where hire is not so suitable.
When I skied one or two alps weeks a year I hired skis.
FunkyDunc
Free MemberI wouldn’t be hiring a piste specific ski , they can be quite hard work and to get the best out of them you need to be on it all the time
This is only true of race / top end stuff. Lots of very easy to manageable piste skis around. And if you’re only skiing piste and no interest in off piste then no point in getting an all mountain ski
I've got all mountain skis currently as hand me downs from my fil.
Just hard to handle when trying to nail technique. This is only my 6th week skiing ever so unfortunately not a stw ski god status yet 😖
Transporting can be easy. We drive, I always take my own skis.
Servicing is easy. You can get a kit of everything from Glissshop/Ekosports and service them before going out. Not complicated and dunt take long.
I like my own kit as I know how it skis. I have a variety of ski types and take whatever to cover what I'm planning to do. Piste/touring/powder etc. I favour one 8f the all mountain ~90mm wasted types for most of my skiing though I chose quite short deliberately for messing about in moguls etc.
Umm
How long are these skis and how tall are you? Are they old atomic beta carve 9.8 in 188cm from 1996?
In that case yes, you need a newer, shorter, waisted ski. Power in the tail and drive out of the turns. Enough edge grip and sidecut to get you railing the turns.
Those 1996 Atomic Betas were nice to ski compared with the 2016 FIS GS skis with a radius of 35m that even the pros hated. Most skis are designed to perform as best they can for their purpose within constraints of price and materials. FIS GS skis are designed to perform the best they can within the rules that are set to limit their performance to limit speed and injuries. Many recent year editions really aren't very nice to ski.
The GS skis in our cupboard are junior's ski cross skis - unconstrained by GS rules he uses the lady's version which has a shorter radius and is more supple. They do fast carving turns really well but that's it, everything else is a chore. Any thoughts on the two skis I've suggested OP? They're the "accessible performance" piste ski winners in the Ski Chrono tests 2022. The Dynastar is a toned down slalom ski and the Fisher a classic all-round piste ski. As ever, try before you buy.
My own favourite piste skis are Dynastar 64 Omeglas Pro 165 from over 10 years back which are non-FIS slalom skis. Their only fault is that they are really heavy, I'd save a kilo or so if I replaced them with a modern version. Junior nicked my pair so I found some second hand and we now have a pair each.
I'll have a look at what people have recommended and still probably hire
Ended up with some head racing rebels, really liking them so far!