Skiing FAQ File
When should I invest in boots?
What is the boot fitting process?
How much should I tip my boot-fitter?
When should I buy skis?
Are magazine reviews of skis useful?
What skis should I buy?
What does "too much ski for you" mean?
What is the difference between ski rental packages, Sport, Performance, Demo?
How do I keep my feet warm?
When should I take a lesson?
Should I tip my ski instructor?
What gear do you use?
Are walkie-talkies worth the price?
When should I invest in boots?
The moment you know that you will take at least one ski vacation per year for the foreseeable future you are ready for custom-fit ski boots. It is very difficult to learn to ski the blue terrain well without being properly connected to the ski. This is the purpose of custom-fit boots.
What is the boot fitting process?
The process of selecting and customizing ski boots will require multiple sessions with a qualified boot-fitter over a period of several weeks. You should plan to spend two to three hours for your first session. Before you go to your fitting make sure to have a pair of ski socks.
It is important that the boot-fitter be able to see your legs from the hip down so that s/he can evaluate the alignment of your joints and the shape of your feet. Make sure to either bring a pair of shorts or wear ski pants that "zip-up" the leg beyond the knees. The session will begin with a thorough examination and measuring of your feet. Please be kind to your boot-fitter and wash your feet before the session; especially after a long day of skiing. The boot-fitter will then bring out some candidate boots based on the size and shape of your foot. I asked my boot-fitter not to mention price until I had ranked the boots. At some point, the boot-fitter will ask you to try on each boot fully buckled with the lining inserted. Ask your boot-fitter what the boot should feel like and how to think about the sensations, e.g. how much pressure, heal lift, shin contact, how the boot flexes forward. I first tried the Lange Banshee Pro. After 15 minutes in skiing position I was ready to cry. I had sharp pain in the side of my foot; they were just too narrow. Next I tried a boot by Head. I had no "points of pain", but I could not quite get my heel to "lock-down" when I would flex forward. Finally, I tried the Head Worldcup Ti M103R SuperHeat3, as I flexed forward, my heels were locked down and I had constant pressure on the shin. I truly felt connected to the boot. They also felt extremely tight, but with uniform pressure everywhere. I swear that I thought my eyes were going to "pop out" as Alexis ratcheted the buckles. Believe your boot-fitter when they recommend a boot that is this tight. The liners will adjust to the shape of your foot within 10 days. Once my boots were "packed out" they were not too tight or too loose. My friend, bought boots that were "comfortable" during the fitting. A year later she is constantly returning to the fitter to have extra padding put in to keep her heal fixed in place. She will probably have to buy different boots this season. After you select your boot, the fitter will remove the lining and begin adjusting (canting etc.) the boot to account for any orthopedic issues you may have. Their goal is to adjust the boots so that your weight is balanced over the boot correctly and your joints are aligned as if you are anatomically perfect.
The next day was truly painful as I started to "pack out" the liners; or the liners started to "pack in" my feet. I needed to stop every few hours to relieve the pressure, however, my skiing was greatly improved that day as my boots ensured that I was always "well connected" to my skis. I returned the next evening to have the custom foot-beds manufactured and installed. The boots were again adjusted to account for the changes in alignment generated by the foot-beds. It took a few days for the boots to begin to feel comfortable, but, it was well worth the wait and expense!
How much should I tip my boot-fitter?
Ski boots and a pair of custom foot-beds can cost between $400 and $1000 dollars. A good technician will spend 4 to 6 hours exclusively with you to usher you through the process. Remember that you are building a relationship, and sometimes a friendship, with a boot-fitter that you will be working with regularly over the next few weeks and possibly for many ski seasons. When thinking about tipping, I want to encourage people to make a rewarding career out of boot-fitting so that knowledgeable, experienced, craftsmen are available. Given that wages and benefits in ski towns are abysmal, tipping must compensate enough to create a sustainable and desirable income stream. I believe that $25-35 per hour is a reasonable wage. For my first two fittings I left around $120 and the staff was very appreciative.
First, you need not buy skis until you are settled into a pair of custom-fit boots. Once you are adjusted to your boots then you are ready to buy skis. I recommend purchasing as early in the season as possible. There is a little known fact about the ski industry. Most manufactures target to sell out of their best skis by January! Waiting for the season end clearance will seriously limit your alternatives.
I started my quest for skis in December 01, by the end of the first week in January I had purchased some demo skis, because, I could not find a new pair of the skis that I wanted in the proper length.
Are magazine reviews of skis useful?
Before purchasing my first set of skis in the 01.02 season I consulted online "gear finders" as well as the September issues of "Skiing" and "Ski Magazine" that are dedicated to equipment reviews. They don't last until October so buy them early. You and most everyone else that waits too long will be in the queue at the local library come spring!
Both magazines test skis and classify them by ability. "Ski Magazine" has good narratives about each ski, however, their rankings are implicit and must be derived manually from the narratives. I prefer the format found in "Skiing". The magazines provide value in three ways. One, the ratings help to triage the list of skis that you will want demo. Don't be frustrated if you can only find in stores half of the models on your list. Two, the reviewers comments and rating systems will give you some vocabulary and a set of dimensions to think about as you test your demos. Three, they are a great reference to take to your demo sessions or local ski store; especially with respect to price.
"Skiing" provides a number of tools that can be useful. First, skis are organized by ability and style. I did not find this classification to be terribly useful. I purchased an advanced ski, even though, I was an intermediate looking to break-through to the next level. Second, they assign letter grades to each ski for performance under different conditions: long turns, short turns, rebound energy, moguls, crud/powder, hard-snow grip, and forgivingness. These ratings are excellent. They give you some things to think about as you demo and they also show that with modern ski technology there is no need to compromise; look for a "straight A" report card. Third, they show the levels for which the ski is appropriate: green thru GS racing. These are mostly useful for determining how long the ski will last you if you are planning on moving up to more difficult terrain. At the time, I was looking to make the breakthrough from awkwardly cruising the blues to smoothly carving on a diamond. I ended up preferring a ski that was not marked for blue, but, rather for diamonds. Finally, the testers provide some qualitative remarks that I thought were often flippant and content-free before I got on the demos, e.g. "huge sweet-spot over the center", "nervous on ice.", etc. After trying the skis I understood the remarks; they are not flippant, just highly compressed and "dead-on". For example, after trying the ski, one can decompress and translate the remarks e.g. "If you ski with your weight to far back the ski will not forgive you and it will be impossible to carve a turn with out skidding massively." "On ice, the ski will tend to skid; if you are not used to sliding you will fall."
If you were asking me if the tennis racquet makes the player, I would say no. I have played since I was seven. After ten minutes of adjustment I can play just as well with a Wilson Chris Everett "Miss Chris" made of wood or with my favorite, the graphite Wilson Pro Staff 6.1. As an intermediate skier I expected to feel the same way when I set out to demo skis in the 01.02 season.
When I went to see Christian at West Portal Rentals in Winter Park I had a list of the skis that I wanted to try based on "Skiing" magazine reviews. The list included, the Salomon Scream 8 Pilot, Rossignol Bandit XX/XXL, and the Volant T3 Power. I asked Christian to recommend a ski and length for me. After a brief set of questions he said, "The Völkl Carver Motion 177 is your ski." It was not on the list, but I decided to trust him.
We set out onto the slopes which were covered in five inches of fresh powder. We selected a sequence of runs to make with each demo ski. We started with two runs on Cranmer, a wide intermediate blue with fairly constant slope to warm up and get into a rhythm. I tried carving turns with my weight forward, centered, and back. I tried some narrow, medium, and wide turns. We then headed over to the Mary Jane to try some bumpier terrain. We returned to the same sequence late in the day to see how the skis would respond as the power got "chopped up". We returned early the next day once the runs had been groomed to test on the corduroy. The key is that we tested each ski in a comparable set of conditions that had enough variety to be representative. We also tested some different lengths, e.g. the Salomon Scream Pilot 10 was "too much ski" for me at 180, but was better at 170.
I was surprised to find that there was a great difference in the way the skis felt. Even after a few hours of skiing, I would still have a strong preference for one ski versus another.
If you are curious, in the end, I agreed with Christian. The Völkl Carver Motion 177 that he recommended was by far the best choice for an intermediate aspiring to greater things. My first run on those was my "best run ever". It was easy to initiate a turn. The ski provided a key breakthrough for my skiing. If I got my weight too far back, the ski gave me time to correct and move forward-to finish the turn, where the Salomon skis tended to skid and put me too far off-balance to recover and build into a rhythm. The skis were fairly agile in the bumps and had fantastic edge grip when I pushed them hard; even on ice. My only complaint was that they did not "bust through the crud" like the Pilot; but after a day, I got used to the feeling. If I had to give a ranking I would say, first, Völkl Carver Motion; a close second, the "Cadillac" K2 Axis X; third Völkl P50, and a distant fourth the Salomon Scream Pilot 10 in the shorter length, and the Volant Machetes at the bottom. To be fair to Volant, the Machetes are not really designed for a skier like me.
What does "too much ski for you" mean?
With shaped skis, the correct ski length is a function of your height and weight; not ability. When you put weight on the ski it bends, to create the shape that makes the turn easy to initiate and finish. If you are having to work too hard to turn it is either because the ski is too long or too stiff a.k.a. "too much ski for you. "
What is the difference between ski rental packages, Sport, Performance, Demo?
First, if you do not have your own boots that have been adjusted professionally and fitted with custom foot-beds just rent the cheapest shaped ski of the recommended length. If you are not connected to the ski properly, it does not matter how well the ski might match you. The Sport packages are about $20 per day.
Once I had my personalized boots, I always thought that I was renting a well-tuned (sharp and appropriately waxed) ski with the Performance rental for $28 per day. I never guessed that these skis were only $200-$300 skis that get tuned once a month and destroyed by the end of the year. For $38 per day, I could have been renting a $500-$900 ski that is tuned after every day of use. The tune is especially important for edge-grip on ice. A great ski will skid uncomfortably instead of carving if it is not sharp. Moreover, Demo packages often allow you to try multiple skis per day.
If you are an intermediate struggling for a breakthrough, try the Demo skis. A high-quality well-tuned ski of the proper length and stiffness will enable a breakthrough; it did for me.
Four factors can contribute to cold feet: wet feet, poor circulation, a cold center, and well, snow is cold. All four factors contribute significantly to freezing feet after a few hours on the slopes. To keep warm, there are a few alternatives. First, if your entire body is cold your feet will be too. Make sure to layer adequately and wear a hat. In ski lingo, "keep your center warm." Second, thin ski socks wick moisture away from your feet (remember no cotton). Dry feet will stay warmer longer as water conducts heat better than air. Three, put your boots on fifteen minutes before you go outside to give your feet a chance to warm the boots. Four, try chemical foot warmers. For a few dollars per day you can purchase disposable chemical packs that stick to the bottom of your socks and release heat all day. They don't always stick so well as you put on your boots, but, they work for some skiers. Lastly, if you have your own boots you can invest $150 to have electronic heaters installed by your local ski shop. The chemical packets and socks were not enough for me. I have poor circulation, tight boots, and sweaty feet. The Hotronic system does the trick. I turn them to level two before I go out for the day and turn them to level 3 of 4 on the lifts for extra warmth. They recharge over night.
I ski my best when I am following an instructor or someone who is better than I am. A good instructor can assess your capability and inspire you to "push your limits." I always underestimate how well I can ski and am too tentative. Allowing the instructor to set the pace and rhythm helps me to build confidence when I am seeking the "next challenge", when my skiing has reached a plateau, or when my skiing periodically regresses. Also try a lesson if you want to skip the lift lines or get on the mountain before it opens on a "powder day" (kind of decadent, but more power to you if you can afford it).
I have probably said this too often by now, but, if this will be your first day skiing, you will enjoy your skiing much more if you take a lesson first thing; preferably a private one.
Should I tip my ski instructor?
A 1 ½ hour private lesson at Winter Park costs $115 (2001-2), I would tip 15% for an average lesson and 20% for an outstanding lesson. For a group lesson, instructors usually say that tipping is optional. I would try to organize the group to tip such that the instructor receives a gratuity that is equivalent to what s/he would get for a private of the same length. Often, instructors will give extra time to the lesson; I give a big bonus for this.
On a cold day (-10-25F) I wear:
Baselayer: Patagonia Capilene Midweight Zip-T, Patagonia Capilene Expedition Weight Bottom over a Patagonia Capilene Midweight Weight Bottom.
Insulation: Patagonia fleece jacket
Outerwear: Mountain Hardwear Ethereal FTX Parka and Bib (waterproof overalls). The engineer in me likes this brand because of the well designed storage pockets and under-arm zippers for intense runs or warm spring days.
Goggles: Oakley A Frame; until Maui Jim comes out with goggles.
Gloves: Mittens with glove liners by Smith
Hat: Screamer Devil/Cow hat that "moooos" on contact. Thanks Meg! "Chicks dig hats that talk?" I also use a hood to keep the wind out.
Skis: Völkl Carver Motion 177
Boots: Head Worldcup Ti M103R SuperHeat3 with custom cork-foot-beds and Hotronic electric foot warmers.
On a warm day (25F-45F)
I would skip the Expedition Weight layer.
Are walkie-talkies worth the price?
I find that my Motorola TalkAbout radios are most useful when I am skiing the same lift as my family and friends. It is great to be able to ski a different run or ski at a different pace yet still hook-up for a social ride on the lift. They are also useful if you ski ahead of someone that falls and does not get up! Occasionally, I have been able to successfully contact a friend on another part of the mountain, although, in the mountains, the 2 mile range is not reliable. Don't count on the radio to re-group for lunch. Always set a time and place as well. Longer range radios are available, but require an FCC license.