advice on skis

bandit, I may be going at it the wrong way, I don't know. The thing is, I'm not gonna buy another skis for at three years (hopefully) and I want to find something that won't only be ok for my current level but will also take me to the next one.
And if it can be a go anywhere ski that'll be awsome.
I wasn't told I'm at that level, I think I'm at that level according to the 9 point system (the only one I found online).
If you have any pointers to help fine tune the assesment that'll be very helpfull. I'm not an expert... at my level you can always better your technique, and I really like practicing and thinking about what I'm doing.

When I rented skis in the previous years I always upgraded them, whatever that means, and I was told by an instructor that I was right to do it. I never felt the need to change skis so that's comforting when approaching this buy.

I don't have the privilege of testing the skis so I'm glad some of you think I can do ok.

dotan wrote:bandit, I may be going at it the wrong way, I don't know. The thing is, I'm not gonna buy another skis for at three years (hopefully) and I want to find something that won't only be ok for my current level but will also take me to the next one.
And if it can be a go anywhere ski that'll be awsome.
I wasn't told I'm at that level, I think I'm at that level according to the 9 point system (the only one I found online).
If you have any pointers to help fine tune the assesment that'll be very helpfull. I'm not an expert... at my level you can always better your technique, and I really like practicing and thinking about what I'm doing.

When I rented skis in the previous years I always upgraded them, whatever that means, and I was told by an instructor that I was right to do it. I never felt the need to change skis so that's comforting when approaching this buy.

I don't have the privilege of testing the skis so I'm glad some of you think I can do ok.

Dotan, This game can cost you mega bucks if you let it, there is also many people around here with a lot more disposable income than I have, so don't through your money around shop around and be frugal.

Ian, I'm looking around for a bargain and am willing to compromise to save a buck but I want to lower the risk of making a mistake.
That's why I have to make sure my level of sking is good enough for the skis I want.

I'm currently considering the fischer's watea 84 2010 (cheaper than 2011). I think it's the same as the 2011 except for the design.

Dotan
Here is a different ski ability chart. This time from Snow & Rock a UK retailer, which is intended to help their customers pitch their purchase correctly.

http://www.snowandrock.com/ski-ski-buying-guide/content/fcp-content

Another viable option may be for you to visit a ski shop when you next go to a resort, and ask to test skis with a view to buying. Most shops will take off the hire costs if you buy, and you should be able to negotiate a discount % as well.

According to this chart I'm at the third level of advanced.

I realize it's an option, but will probably be very expensive.

Tony, thanks for the invitation. I'm going to be at St. Anton on march 3rd...

Ideally, we could all demo lots of skis in different conditions, and choose the ones we like best. Unfortunately, most of us will buy skis based on our knowledge about ski design. There are at the moment, four basic parameters that are essential to understand, in order to buy a skis that's right for you. Length, waist width, sidecut radius, and flex. If you don't understand those, even the manufacturers waffle, and testing reviews by people who often want very different things from a ski, will not help much.

In to that mix now comes camber. Bandits post about the patent dispute is what this is about. Over the next few years, conventional camber will just about become obsolete for all types of skiing. Having some understanding of what these new different camber profiles will do for your skiing is going to as important as length, or sidecut. It's almost as important a revolution, as shaped skis were.

I think it's reasonable to put techy stuff out there, so that even if they are not fully understood, an idea of these things might be gleaned.

dotan wrote:Ian, I'm looking around for a bargain and am willing to compromise to save a buck but I want to lower the risk of making a mistake.
That's why I have to make sure my level of sking is good enough for the skis I want.

I'm currently considering the fischer's watea 84 2010 (cheaper than 2011). I think it's the same as the 2011 except for the design.

I have had a look at the skis and they state for experts, It now depends whether you consider yourself an expert.

really? where did you see that?

I saw on the fischer site:
"Called the "category killer" for its light weight, stability, and versatility, the Watea 84 is the perfect mid fat ski for the advanced to expert adventure seeker. I-Beam technology, sidewall construction, and the perfect waist width for a mountain of options…explore yours."
and on a graph from 1 to 10 they mark these as suitable for level 6 to 9.