Ski Purchase Advice

Hi there,

I've been skiing for 2 seasons now, but I recently moved to Japan. In the US, I was skiing 163cm skis, but I'm only 5'5", 130 lbs., which means that I should probably be skiing 154cm skis.

Anyway, since I moved to Japan I had to buy new skis. I wanted to be uber nimble and agile on the slopes this year, so I went for short skis (152cm).



Here is some information regarding my physical condition and skiing ability, which you skiing buffs can use to get an idea of an ideal ski for me:

I have a lot of power under me because I'm 1) very light weight (130lbs), 2) I run 5 miles a day (6:00-6:30 per mile pace) and lift weights 3 times a week (including leg lifts) and 3) I do martial arts. Additionally, I'm only 22 years old and just naturally strong and fast for my size.

My skiing ability is pretty good. I graduated from pizza slice/fry formation and onto carving after about 5 minutes after the first attempt of my life at skiing (about 2.5 years ago). My first season saw many blacks and some double blacks. I tumbled down many of them, but by the end of the season I could make it down some at a decent pace without a single tumble.

My second season saw many jumps (I love jumps) and I was able to make it down most blacks with great ease, and at a fast pace. Double blacks I took slower, but I could still make it down them with relative ease. I'd say that my favorite difficulty right now is black.



Now, I did buy new skis the other day, but they were only $150, so they can easily be returned, or sold, and then I can buy new, better skis if these actually suck. This is one of the reasons that I'm posting this message: I want to know if I bought bad skis that aren't going to be very good for someone of my skill. Here is there description:

Nordica, Olympia, Harmony 2
Lady's Skis
Beginner's Skis
152cm

Unfortunately, when I was picking them out I was shopping blind because I don't know jack shit about skis. I was at a second hand store, and the deal was so good that I just had to grab them. I didn't know that they were ladies skis at the time, and all I was paying attention to was the fact that they were 1) cheap as hell, 2) a worthy brand and 3) about the size that I wanted.

A recent conversation with a co-worker alerted me to the fact that ladies snowboards may bend more easily, which could make them easier to ride for weaker people, but at the cost of agility. Harder, more agile boards are meant for people with greater leg strength, because they can take advantage of this extra agility without falling on their asses.

Unfortunately, this might be the case for the lady's skis that I bought. Now, like I said, I really don't know much about skis, so I was wondering what you think. Are the Harmony 2's going to be too soft for me? Are lady's skis even different from male skis beyond the fruitier colorscheme and pictures? Are they so much different that I should go out and get men's skis?

I plan on skiing pretty hard, and pretty often this season. It would be a bummer to go up on the slopes and find out that my skis don't allow me to exploit my physical condition and skiing ability to the max.

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Note: Keep in mind that I'm not looking to buy skis online. I mean, it's possible, but I'd like to avoid it because I'm in Japan and I don't want to risk any companies, or ebayers, screwing up the mailing address, which would then result in my being screwed. The shipping would also cost a fortune, which I would prefer to spend on the skis themselves.

For this reason I'd appreciate recommendations for the general type of ski that I should be looking for. But any recommendations would be appreciated, so if you'd like to recommend brands and models too then go for it.

I really want to thank you for your time. You'll be helping me out a lot.

Hi, you've put tons of info in you're post, so it's hard to see which direction your skiing is going in, but I think the most sensible thing you can do for yourself right now is take the skis back and get a refund.
They seem way too short for your height. If they are a beginner's model, you will overpower them. If you want a nimble ski, look at a slalom model, with a deep sidecut and lots of energy.

I am the same height as you, and I ski on 158's/163's and most recently I had a great time testing some 174's, but my skis spend about 50% of their time away from groomed slopes, so we may have different goals in skiing.

I really believe that you should test some skis out before you buy any. So your next step is to look at the new season's models, and make a wish list to take to a dealer's with a view to testing before you buy :D

My goals for skiing include doing some jumps, being able to ride down blacks hard, and being pretty bouncy (i.e. I just like to go all over fairly well groomed runs and jump off random shit). Basically, I guess I need a good all around ski.

I'm really kicking myself for having spent the money. I hope the store takes refunds, but I doubt it.

When you talk about testing skis, are you talking about simply renting skis from the different resorts and trying those? Or are you talking about testing skis from stores?

Thanks for the advice!

Yes, you need an all round ski. I'm suggesting that as you want to buy skis, then you approach resort shops with a view to testing before you buy. They might be hire shops with a rack of this models on VIP/Top Line rental, or a dealership. Either way, it's not too realistic to buy without trying.
In Europe we have a number of events where the public can test as many new skis as they desire. For example:
http://www.mondialduski.com/
http://www.zermatt.ch/e/packages/z09.html

I have been on the Swiss Ski Test in Zermatt this year, and had a great time :D