Most Useless (or Neglected) Piece of Ski Gear You've Ever Bought

[BlizzardBabe]

This is the stuff I think about in the off season. Pity me.

What is the one piece of equipment you were excited to buy and then never or rarely used? For me it was bamboo ski poles w/custom wrist straps and baskets. Beautiful, but never used. They will end up decorating a wall when I get around to it. Maybe curtain rods?? I love the custom straps, but the baskets are too large to be practical. I'm afraid I'd "trip" over them if I tried skiing w/them, and I never get to ski deep powder living where I do. In the meantime, I've fallen in love with my LEKI system poles.

 

[Aerlind]

My poles are ancient Life-Link telescoping poles, that have great sentimental value because they’re my (now deceased) father’s mountaineering poles. However, being purchased for backcountry adventures, they have massive pole baskets. I do ski over them sometimes, which usually results in me dropping one and then hiking back up to get it while laughing hysterically. But I will absolutely not replace them unless/until they break, and at this point, they’re 30+ years old!

As for most useless….honestly my Santa Ana Unlimited skis, that I bought initially because I didn’t know there was a difference between the Unlimited and the regular model. I picked up the regular model for a song off of FB, and I think I’ve been on the Unlimiteds like 4 times since (out of about 45 ski days…). HOWEVER I’m in the process of saving up for tech bindings for them to turn them into a true backcountry setup, so I’ll have that going next season and while I’ll still ski them less, I might at least get more days on them next season than I did this season.

Technically I have skins that I bought but haven’t used (for the Unlimiteds), but I’m not sure that counts as I only bought them because they were on mega-sale at Evo this spring.

 

[Jilly]

Salomon ski suit. I "help out" at the local ski shop, so the owner offer up a pro deal on a new suit. I got the suit in the fall of 2019. Tried it on and sort of went....what the hell was I thinking. Dark navy blue jacket and medium blue pants. Look like a big bruise. Also it was too small. Special order, can't send back. It's sat in my closet, then at a friends. She tried to sell it. Didn't go. So it's off to a consignment boutique next fall.

Another one is "over mitts". These are made by Level here in Canada. They go over your gloves to keep your hands warm. Doesn't work. They are sitting in the ski trunk.

 

[Jenny]

My poles are ancient Life-Link telescoping poles, that have great sentimental value because they’re my (now deceased) father’s mountaineering poles. However, being purchased for backcountry adventures, they have massive pole baskets. I do ski over them sometimes, which usually results in me dropping one and then hiking back up to get it while laughing hysterically. But I will absolutely not replace them unless/until they break, and at this point, they’re 30+ years old!

I use my dad's poles, too, and will not replace them, either. But at least he purchased them for groomer use, so I don't have to worry about tripping myself with them. I did have them cut a little bit shorter, though.

 

[Jilly]

I use my dad's poles, too, and will not replace them, either. But at least he purchased them for groomer use, so I don't have to worry about tripping myself with them. I did have them cut a little bit shorter, though.

Wait what....you had to make the poles shorter??

 

[Aerlind]

I use my dad's poles, too, and will not replace them, either. But at least he purchased them for groomer use, so I don't have to worry about tripping myself with them. I did have them cut a little bit shorter, though.

I don’t think “groomer” was in my dad’s vocabulary, LOL! Luckily I don’t spend a lot of time on them either, so it’s not a major hindrance. Lucky for me, the shortest length of the poles is perfect for my height, and I do make them longer if I’m using them for backcountry or cross country skiing (and I totally don’t care that I’m the weird looking downhill skier at the XC track….) They do sometimes, in sticky spring snow, twist loose and randomly change length on me, which is always entertaining. They bring me a lot of joy, in many different ways.

 

[marzNC]

The accessory that I only used a few times was an early version of the West Slope Pro-180 Slim Chest Pack. It's a way to keep a phone in front, instead of in a pocket. Now that I think about it, may more useful for biking or a short day hike when I'm not wearing a jacket. The main reason it doesn't make sense for me at these days is that I use my iPhone as a camera. Also, while dealing with a covered phone screen works, it's hard for me to see the screen with goggles on.

 

[Jenny]

Wait what....you had to make the poles shorter??

Yeah, he had 3 inches on me. I didn’t do it right way, but I’m pretty sure an instructor suggested they be shorter. Had it done at Tremblant, actually. Even so, I can still manage to drag them behind me.

 

[HuntersEmma57]

I made 2 massive mistakes in pursuit of alpine backcountry skiing. The first set up I bought was mid-range and I hated it, the boots were miserable, and the binding + skin super heavy. I felt like I had concrete on my feet. So I doubled down and got high-end everything...and learned I did not at all like alpine backcountry skiing. And on top of it all, the mountain I live on closed off all backcountry skiing. Sigh.

I think it's noteworthy that I have been a backcountry Nordic skier for many years and love that. The free heel bindings are light, agile, & with no dragging skins that have to be stripped off for downhill. They are perfect for lower angle terrain that is a blast and avalanche risk is low. I was accustomed to, and spoiled by, the simple free heel characteristics.

I thought I'd enjoy the long ascents to earn the long rip downhill, but I just didn't. That's a me thing. I just don't like complicated.

 

[badger]

My Lange RS boot. I ordered from a shop in Killington and waited about two months for them to arrive from France. Size 21 is hard to come by and I had great hopes for the fit and precision. They finally arrived and the fit was quite nice out of the box. However when it came time to use them for the first time I was quite disappointed. Way too soft, and so slippery (they have a special coating on the plastic ) that even walking on snow was incredibly difficult. I used them for two days and just gave up. They were supposed to be a back-up for my Atomic Redsters , but they are not going to be of any use.

 

[GreenMtnDiva]

This may be a hot take but my Hestra Heli Ski lobster gloves. The singular pointer finger managed to make my entire hand cold. We had a really cold winter here in Vermont this season, and these gloves were the worst for me. I switched to $50 Kinco's and my hands were nice and warm compared to my $100+ Hestras. Also, if the weather was above freezing, the Hestras would make my hands sweat. My most expensive pair of gloves got switched out by one of my cheapest.