First Skis for an Intermediate - Advice Please

Pavelski,
I asked for mens skis on one occasion for myself. The men in the ski hire shop looked horrified! What actually is the difference between mens and womens skis?

Ally

AllyG wrote: What actually is the difference between mens and womens skis?

Ally

Well, womens skis tend to be quite inflexible and rigid and usually very cold first thing in the morning. Oh, and they will get more and more uncomfortable as the day wears on.

Whereas mens skis are easy to get along with.

Generally. :|

The difference is Ally the reason you asked for mens skis :?:

Ally I asked the same question recently in a ski shop. After their faces went from this :shock:to this :| to this :-) they told me that the heel part of the binding is built up a little more than a man's ski. Apparently women have a tendency to hold their weight on their heels. Apart from that I think they're generally a but softer than mens skis. I may be wrong. To be honest I glazed over at one point 'cos I'd been there for ten minutes and he still hadn't asked me a single question about my ability or needs.

I skied on womens skis last year - they were great :mrgreen:
Did my usual of asking for skis to suit conditions and my skiing.
There was a suggestion and then the older (who may or may not have been more experienced) ski hire guy suggested some K2's there was a discussion in very fast French ....... and I took the skis.
Found out a day later they were womens slalom racing skis - perfect for me on the hard packed conditions at the time.
Older, not very fit but technically a good skier - the older guy chose skis to suit ME and it worked.
:thumbup:

EmmaEvs wrote:Ally I asked the same question recently in a ski shop. After their faces went from this :shock:to this :| to this :-) they told me that the heel part of the binding is built up a little more than a man's ski. Apparently women have a tendency to hold their weight on their heels. Apart from that I think they're generally a but softer than mens skis. I may be wrong. To be honest I glazed over at one point 'cos I'd been there for ten minutes and he still hadn't asked me a single question about my ability or needs.

Well that difference is the binding & not the ski, out of curiosity
why did you & Ally ask for mens skis, & please be honest. :oops:

brooksy wrote:

EmmaEvs wrote:Ally I asked the same question recently in a ski shop. After their faces went from this :shock:to this :| to this :-) they told me that the heel part of the binding is built up a little more than a man's ski. Apparently women have a tendency to hold their weight on their heels. Apart from that I think they're generally a but softer than mens skis. I may be wrong. To be honest I glazed over at one point 'cos I'd been there for ten minutes and he still hadn't asked me a single question about my ability or needs.

Well that difference is the binding & not the ski, out of curiosity
why did you & Ally ask for mens skis, & please be honest. :oops:

I didn't ask for men's skis. I asked what the difference was. Why did I ask what the difference was? Because I'd just got back from a holiday where I spotted two guys using the same skis as me. All of us had rented. I was curious. Simples. 8)

Most skis, the vast majority of skis for sale and rental to the public, are unisex. There are a few skis, normally skied only by men, often heavy and stiff. You need the bodyweight and strength to flex them.

Some ski/binding packages, especially those with integrated bindings have heel lift built in. This is a problem if you don't need it, because your Centre Of Mass does not match. you are left skiing on tiptoes :roll:

Some ski makers, produce a range for women to use. These skis, are often softer in flex, constructed from lighter materials, foam cores, not wood etc.