Help Needed: Ski swap tips?

[Jen]

Hi, I'm looking to purchase my first pair of skis (bought boots last year). My local ski shop is doing a tent sale and ski swap next week and I was thinking that would be a good way to get a deal on either used or last season's skis. Does anyone have tips for how to approach an event like this? Should I research skis in advance and go in with a list of ones to look for? Rely on the ski shop staff? They've always been helpful in store, but I don't know how something like this works

 

[ski diva]

Hi, Jen, and welcome to the site! Yes, I think it'd be a great idea to do some research before you get to the swap. Obviously, you'll need to know the size and type of ski you want (powder, all mountain, groomer, etc). Beyond that, do some digging to find some skis that might fit your needs (this forum is a great resource. Check out our Gear Reviews section). Also, I did a blog post on how to buy used skis that might prove helpful. You can find it here.

 

[marzNC]

Agree that it's best to have a list of potential skis, as well as the lengths of interest.

If you can grab someone knowledgeable who works at the shop to confirm a selection, don't be shy. But they may be pretty busy.

If you can, it's best to show up early. Meaning 20-30 min before the stated opening time. The best items go fast. Sometimes parking can be an issue too. If the sale starts on Friday, consider if it's worth a preview trip before the swap.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

I agree research and knowledge about what skis you might be considering and in what length is helpful to go to a swap having. The shop manager at my mountain is a great resource for people at our swap. We often have prospective ski buyers find something at the swap and then quickly find penny and get her opinion on what they want to buy. We also have staff by the non swap/new skis inside ready to answer any questions people have.

Having a rapport with the ski shop manager is always a good thing when going to a swap. Otherwise perhaps theres knowledgeable staff on hand to field any ski questions.

I agree that getting there early is better too as the good stuff doesnt sit around for long.

Good luck

 

[Jen]

Thank you very much for your responses! Choosing skis seems as complicated as buying a car!

 

[contesstant]

DEFINITELY go in with an idea of what you are looking for.
Anything we can do here to help you narrow it down?
For instance, where do you ski, at what level? What kind of terrain do you like, and what do you find yourself skiing most often? What are some goals you have for this season? What did you ski on last season?

The more knowledge you can go into these things with, the better questions you will be able to ask if you do choose to get advice from the shop.

 

[Jen]

I would love your help if you have time, thanks!

I live in PA, so I mainly ski in the Poconos and sometimes Vermont. Last year I took my first trip out west to Colorado, and will probably do something similar this year. I am comfortable on the blue runs, both here and out west, and usually stick to those. I would like to improve my technique to be comfortable on blacks. I'm still not very comfortable going fast (I'm generally the slowest skier in my group), so I struggle when it's steep and I feel like I can't control my speed. I also struggle when it's icy, which unfortunately it often is here. I have only ever skied groomed runs and I'm probably fine with that for the next few years until I get better. My biggest goal for the season is to get more control going at higher speeds.

If it matters, I'm 5'4" and 130 lbs. I was thinking I should be shooting for around 150-155 cm length and 75-90 mm waist width? I can't say I understand most of the other specs besides those.

Any advice?

 

[contesstant]

I would love your help if you have time, thanks!

I live in PA, so I mainly ski in the Poconos and sometimes Vermont. Last year I took my first trip out west to Colorado, and will probably do something similar this year. I am comfortable on the blue runs, both here and out west, and usually stick to those. I would like to improve my technique to be comfortable on blacks. I'm still not very comfortable going fast (I'm generally the slowest skier in my group), so I struggle when it's steep and I feel like I can't control my speed. I also struggle when it's icy, which unfortunately it often is here. I have only ever skied groomed runs and I'm probably fine with that for the next few years until I get better. My biggest goal for the season is to get more control going at higher speeds.

If it matters, I'm 5'4" and 130 lbs. I was thinking I should be shooting for around 150-155 cm length and 75-90 mm waist width? I can't say I understand most of the other specs besides those.

Any advice?

Great! What skis did you ski last winter? Were they rentals or an old pair or??
Our stats are similar.
Don't neglect a good tune to help with ice handling. It makes all the difference in the world! If you pick up some skis, get them a good tune right away.

I'd actually prefer the east coast gals chime in here. I'm a spoiled Utah skier. That being said, I wouldn't hesitate to put you on these:
https://www.powder7.com/Head-Absolut-Joy-Skis-158cm-Used-2016/for-sale
Or these:
https://www.powder7.com/Volkl-Yumi-Skis-154cm-Used-2016/for-sale
Or these:
https://www.powder7.com/Atomic-Affinity-Storm-Skis-159cm-Used-2016/for-sale

Or these (these might be my first choice, as they have a pretty nice all-mountain design so would do well out west for you, too.):
https://www.powder7.com/Blizzard-Cheyenne-Skis-156cm-Used-2015/for-sale
Or these:
https://www.powder7.com/Dynastar-Glory-84-Skis-156cm-Used-2016/for-sale
Or these:
https://www.powder7.com/K2-Luv-Struck-80-Skis-156cm-Used-2016/for-sale

Or several more just on that site alone. Don't sell yourself short (no pun intended) on the length. Don't be afraid to go close to a 160 in length.

 

[Jen]

Thank you so much for your help! I've never owned a pair of skis before, I've just done rentals (and day-by-day, not season long). I just figured if I could get a good deal, having my own skis would help me improve, and would let me skip those pesky rental lines every time I go! This definitely gives me a good place to start.

 

[Jilly]

contesstant's list is good. I would like to add:

Atomic Cloud 7 or 8
Rossi Unique or Unique 6
Rossi Temptation 75, 77 or 80 - these skis are rockered, so go a longer than 154.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

I agree don't be afraid to go up in length a little bit especially if the ski has tip rocker. I also agree that a tune can make a huge difference. I used to own the Yumi and took it out on on a very icy day in Vermont before I got the chance to tune it and it was like skiing on butter knives. However, a good sharpening and tune up by my guy and they were like night and day much better. I haven't skied the others Contestant and Jilly suggested but the Yumi was fun.

I though the Glory 84 was terrible on ice (skied it in quebec) but that's just my opinion. Perhaps the Glory just needed a tune up or maybe I outweighed it but I just didn't care for it on ice. Who knows maybe on soft snow it would have been a different ski?

Try not to get too overwhelmed by all the choices out there, you have lots of good suggestions so far.

 

[contesstant]

You will definitely progress faster on your own, new skis! (Or, new to you!)
Do NOT let salespeople try to push you onto a "beginner" or even an intermediate ski that you will quickly outgrow. It's OK to be put on an "advanced" ski IF it's a forgiving ski (like the Yumi, or the Cheyenne.) Ski designs anymore can accommodate a pretty wide range of skill levels, which makes them great for developing skills on!

Which ski swap are you going to? Maybe one of the mid-Atlantic Divas can join you and give some guidance.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference. And the only way to TRULY know what you prefer is to get out there and demo skis. But since you are looking to pick up a good deal at a swap, that's not an option it sounds like. Give us time, we are very good at enabling demoing and buying new skis

 

[elemmac]

My biggest goal for the season is to get more control going at higher speeds.

If it matters, I'm 5'4" and 130 lbs. I was thinking I should be shooting for around 150-155 cm length and 75-90 mm waist width?

With your size and having a goal to get more control going at higher speeds, I would bump up your "shooting for" length a bit...probably 155-160 +/-. If you've been skiing anything in the low 150 range for rentals, this could be part of your problem with getting more comfortable at higher speeds. Skis that are too small for your size/ability can actually hinder your progression by feeling squirrelly and not stable.

As for ski swap specific tips:
- Go early (as mentioned before), and don't be afraid to ask for help, most of the staff has probably already browsed through the inventory and have an idea of what's there.

- Lastly, I'd make sure you have your phone on you to be able to do quick internet searches. If a ski sounds over-priced there's a good chance it is, a quick E-bay search can clear up some of those questions pretty quickly.

 

[snow addict]

I think you should stay within 160. If you are scared of speed it doesn't sound you would care for more stability, your problem sound like control. I would say 158 could be ideal. It's easier to control a shorter ski. It will also be picking less speed due to quicker edge change. You need to trust your ski to run a little and you need to be able to ski its whole length. I am taller than you and my first ski were 156, albeit with no rocker. They served me well for 4 seasons. Rocker does help with turn initiation but it doesn't exactly turn the ski for you. And rocker on that type of ski is not that huge, so I don't think a bit less edge will even matter. Under 155 probably would be on a short side. Get a length you feel you will be comfortable on. Look at the actual ski to decide. Ski stiffness plays a role too. Including in providing stability. If you stumble upon some k2 super free from a few years back, I bought mine in 2013 end of season sale, the purple ones, I think you may like it or a similar ski. I skied mine at 160 and length was fine for me. I was recovering from injury so needed easy ski, but I was more experienced than you

 

[Jen]

Thanks so much, this is all super helpful!! I'll let you know what I find next week

 

[Olesya Chornoguz]

Hi @Jen , which ski swap are you going to? There will be one at Alpina ski shop this coming weekend near Jack Frost. @vanhoskier and @tinymoose may go there this weekend. I probably won't go because I don't need to buy anything and don't want to be tempted. Dieter the owner of Alpina ski shop is very knowledgeable.

 

[Jen]

It's at Buckman's in King of Prussia. It's a tent sale, so I think a combo clearance and ski swap. That other one sounds good but unfortunately I won't be around this weekend.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

I'm working my mountains swap today. Swap doesn't start until tomorrow so today I'm helping with intake from 4-6 which I'm excited about. Shopping at the swap tomorrow. Have a small list of things I'd like to buy so we'll see what happens.

Good luck at your swap. Can't wait to hear what you found.

 

[volklgirl]

If you can, it's best to show up early. Meaning 20-30 min before the stated opening time. The best items go fast. Sometimes parking can be an issue too. If the sale starts on Friday, consider if it's worth a preview trip before the swap.

Wow. I wish! The Traverse City swap officially starts at 9 am. Entry tickets become available at 7 am. The first 10 in line bring a tent and sleep there sometime around midnight, while we're usually in the first 20 by being in line at 4 am.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

I worked at my mountain's ski swap on friday from 4-6pm during the check in time and it was fun. Others from the ski school were there so it was nice to see friends I hadn't seen since March. I was a runner bringing equipment that was checked in to the inside staging area where it would all be organized for the swap the next day. It was a lot of fun. Lots of great clothes and ski boots and 2 pairs of ladies skis were good were brought in but otherwise a lot of what I call junk that people were trying to get money for. One point of hilarity was someone brought in a pair of ski poles that they tried to give to us to sell that were actually our rental poles that were stolen from the rental area. Lois said um no but we'll take them and thank you.

Next day the 2 pairs of ladies skis were gone, figured they wouldn't last long. It was funny when we were setting up on friday there were people that had dropped stuff off that were perusing trying to get a lead in on buying stuff so we ended up making a little bit in sales before the swap even opened.

Our swap benefits our adaptive program and I enjoyed helping out. I will definitely do it again next year.