Gonna buy a set of these skis for my 10y. This will be her 5th week on snow and she can parallel blues/easy reds. They come with a choice of bindings. Can someone have a look and tell me which ones i should get and what kind of difference they will make?

http://www.ekosport.co.uk/rossignol-sprayer-pro-15-rossignol-axium-jr-pro-70-b73-blk-15-p-M00018384.html

Thanks

Unless you’re spending multiple weeks per season on skis, don’t bother and just rent skis and boots. It’ll save you money in the long run. You feel she’s stopped growing, spend the money on boots.

Hoping to get 2weeks in alps this year + dome + dry slope. Her younger brother will get them next so we will get our use out of them.

Not much in it as far as I can see.
Don’t forget that you will have to pay the ski carriage on the aircraft..not cheap these days.
Unless you can get them in with another set of skis..not that I have ever done that.

Good friend of mine has a ski shop and he says that ski sales have almost disappeared. Another good friend and his family skis about 3 full weeks a year plus 2 long weekends – he’s very very good (mum skied for GB) and yet none of them have their own skis, they always rent to get the new gear and not waste money flying them out there.
Just a thought.

Plus you get all the edges and waxing done for you and if anything goes wrong with them you go back to the shop.

The Markers have an anti-friction plate (I think) that gives a more consistent front release even with filthy boots so if 2 DIN is low enough for your daughter’s weight/boot size/ability I’d buy those. If 2 DIN is too high then the Rossignol Comps.

We all have our own skis, a lot – X-C skate (many different types), X-C classic, X-C classic waxing, Slalom, GS, double-spats, rando touring, rando race…

Even when junior needed skis for training and race for just one super G I bought them, tuned them to his taste (no compromise razors, appropriate base preparation and waxing) then sold them after. Not much more expensive than renting.

The skis I ski most on piste are 10-year-old Dynastar 64 Omeglas Slalom. There are newer Head and Atomic slalom skis in the cupboard but I’m more at home on the old 64s. They are not always in the cupboard because junior nicks them as a comfortable all-day ski for his ESF duties. So if ever you rent skis you really like, don’t hand them back, buy them.

Yep Edukator’s spot on. The marker’s don’t just rely on a PTFE sheet as a sliding surface for toe release & have a small sprung carriage that the toe rests on. The only binding feature that stands out, otherwise they’re much of a muchness.

She rides 3 DIN so the Markers it is. Thanks

Carriage is not a issue as I take 3 boards for myself so it’s 2 coffins when i go with my family. Crystal have got 2for1 carriage this year so to too bad.

I like having my own gear – rather than picking from what is avail for rent at the time.

And are you telling me you don’t take your own iron and selection of waxes on holiday?

I don’t think anyone would argue it’s nicer having your own skis, if you can deal with all the stuff that goes with that option. Sounds like you’ve got it sorted.

sharkbait – Member

Good friend of mine has a ski shop and he says that ski sales have almost disappeared.

Is correct, because….

I don’t think anyone would argue it’s nicer having your own skis

….doesn’t really apply anymore. It used to be the case that rental shops were restricted to crappy skis, but now they can select anything they want. So why bother owning and maintaining your own skis when you can pick up something from this seasons range in resort? Don’t like the first pair, take em back and try something else. Basically gives you a demo pool to try for a week. (It should be noted that this often doesn’t apply when renting in Scotland)

Boots otoh are much nicer to own

It should be noted that this often doesn’t apply when renting in Scotland

I’ve thrown out better wood than some of the skis I’ve been attempted to have passed off as hire skis at Scottish ski centres.

Top tip. Rent before you get to the ski centre I’ve always got kit that’s in better nick than ski centre stuff.

Good brand an ross before the lecht seem to consistently give the best maintained kit I’ve used.

….and if you ski for more than a week each year? at some point it gets cheaper to own your own gear. And if you drive out there you don’t have to pay the airline extras and can take your whole array of terrain bashing equipment and maintenance kit.

OK maybe it’s not terribly cost effective to own your own kit if you only have occasional ski trips, but it is nice. You know what you’ve got. Though I suspect I’d get some funny looks if I decided to go skiing now after many years off with my 200cm Dynastar Verticals! Skis seem subject to fashion and change shape quite rapidly over the years and I would suggest boots are a better buy (though I appreciate with growing feet that may not be desirable).

The OP will pay £112. His daughter will get brand new waxed skis for this year exactly suited to her needs. His son will then get little used (and probably well-maintained skis) for next. The skis will then sell second hand for about £75 (or they would in France). Now how much is a weeks rental for some used and abused kid’s skis that will only be freshly waxed if you insist on them doing it and were probably walked on concrete at some point by someone?

For a kid it’s expensive to buy as you’ll be buying every year. If it’s going to be handed down though it’s not so bad. If going rental, boots I’d spend on the premium stuff if they have any as standard rental boots are plain awful and very painful.

If you’re an adult not growing any more, definitely own your own if you’re up to intermediate level, even if it’s just once a year. Especially boots. Your feet will thank you. Skis though, again only the premium rentals will be any good. For a beginner the cheap stuff is fine enough though for sliding down a beginner slope.

I own 2 sets of skate skis (race, rock) 3 sets of classic (race, rock, fishscale) and a set of Nordic touring skis. Have never owned DH skis though, and don’t regret that at all (though I do own a board). XC skis are kind of a different thing though – and all of those 6 sets were most recently used in the UK!

its not all about being the most cost effective – For me its about getting whats gonna allow you to have the biggest smile and balancing that off with the marginal cost.

I don’t want to get the (+£15) Markers if it isn’t gonna make a difference or its less suitable than the std Ros bindings. But if its gonna be better for my kid then £15 isn’t too bad (cost that same as 3 bowls of fries on the mountain)

I made the mistake when I was younger of buying pro level boards when I was better off with int stuff. Held me back for years.

Marker are a reliable choice. Known for quality and setting the standard.

They’re also known for making a lot of other brands bindings….

I made the mistake when I was younger of buying pro level boards when I was better off with int stuff. Held me back for years.

Even more argument to rent! Most rentals allow you to swap skis at least once in the week. If they are a nice shop they will let you do more. Skis these days are all very different, and swapping is a good way of finding out what you like.

Agree with Edukator though, once you find one you like stick with it.

Even more argument to rent! Most rentals allow you to swap skis at least once in the week. If they are a nice shop they will let you do more. Skis these days are all very different, and swapping is a good way of finding out what you like

With kids skis its different – not the variety in the rentals as there is with adult. Most kids stuff is classic piste style. Found one store in resort renting twin-ish tip kids skis – 35euro/day plus 2euro insurance.

From what i can tell, twin-ish tip skis tend to be wider and hence floater in pow – which is all life is about in my book.

X-C skis are all about the glide. We’ve got some old Rossignol Delta Course (over 20 years old) and x-iums from the “service course” with bases that glide exceptionally well – no reason to change.

Piste and off-piste skis evolve constantly and usually for the better. The are some fashion-dictated anomalies such as super fat skis designed for Alaska that you see people slithering down icy blue runs on. And some rule change anomalies such as the current FIS GS skis with a radius 30m+ to try and slow down the racers and reduce the number of injuries – hard work and dull.

Things get better so I understand people who rent if they go for the up-market packs and they want to try the latest designs. Do try and see through the marketing guff and gimmicks though. A good slalom ski from 10 years ago will still run rings around the latest Goth-deco-double-spat-rocker-double-edge-compound-radius-all-mountain-death-metal-blah-blah for what most “intermediate” British holiday skiers do on their annual trip.

Edit: Kids don’t weigh much, Earl, a quick calculation will show that kids have as much float with their piste skis as their dads on powder skis. I have memories of junior passing me with flouncy-bouncy powder turns while I was ploughing down knee deep.

Personally I wouldn’t be getting kids fat skis.

They have a place for middle aged men with not great technique who like to spend time at the side of a red/black run doing ‘pow’

Get them on a good all round ski, and get them skiing all types of terrain, that will then enable them to become good skiers as they get older.

Back in the day it was an eye opener for our coaches. One day they employed a pretty good coach from a European team. Our coaches were there with their drills and polls ready to go, but we just spend the whole day skiing the mountain on just about every terrain going. It soon showed where peoples skills were lacking, even though they could be pretty dam fast through some gates.