Buying a ski without trying it...

desmonipoux

I am considering buying a new ski.
But In France we do not have much choice and I am thinking of buying it without trying it.
Does it sound crazy for you ?
I am not a very good skier but I want to please myself with a nice ski.
Do you think I am making a mistake ?
Thank you for your answers.
Nicolas

The_MS

Can you test a Reflex in France?

skier2788

I Have Done That For Several Skis. I Don't Think It Is Crazy If You Read Up On The Ski And See hortons Review On It And Be Honest About Your Skiing. If You Ride The Tail Don't Have Good Handle Control Etc.... I Would Always Suggest Ride Before You Buy But Understand It Isn't Always On Option.

MattP

@desmonipoux what is your skiing level? Height, weight ?

@scotchipman be honest with your self we all know you will never get off a Goode for too long.

estrom

I've done what you're considering but you do need to consider 2 things. First, as has already been mentioned, decide how good of skier you are, and second, be honest with where you want the ski to take you. Are you at the beginning of an aggressive approach to advance into shortline, or is that not necessarily where you're headed with your skiing?

In my case, I was coming off a 1980's era ski, so most anything would be an improvement. I'm a better than average free skier (there's no local courses here ), but I don't envision working to achieve 38 off at this point in my life either. Based on that, I wanted a quality ski that has somewhat of a reputation of being easy and fun to ride. Did some research here and found a deal on a D3 RCX that was a couple years old.

desmonipoux

Thank you all of you for your answers.
I am 47, 5,9 and 165 pounds.
I ski for only 4 years and I ski at 34, my best of the best is 22 off.
I ski with my muscles and not with my technique I must say.
I honestly think that I am very very close to my best level, if I go to 28 off one day, it will be a miracle...
In France, we can buy most of the skis, D3, Reflex, HO, Radar, Sans Rival… but it is not easy to try them.
Actually, it is the winter season and in only 1 or 2 ski school, in the south of France, you can try before you buy, but not before April because of the weather.
I am going to ski in March in Saint Martin and I was considering buying a new ski and have it sent there for me.
In Saint Martin, they propose me to try the Quest only.
Then, the skis are 35 % cheaper in your country than in mine, that also makes a difference.
If I buy a 2013 new ski, then the difference in price is 50 %…
I am in touch with a famous ski store in Florida, they propose me the Nano one XT, but it is not the cheapest ski on the market…
Of course, I can wait till the sunny season and try many skis in my club, this might be the option and have the ski sent from Florida to LA in August where I will travel to before skiing in Cancun.


Can you explain what you mean, I do not understand when you say :
@scotchipman be honest with your self we all know you will never get off a Goode for too long.

Thank you for your comments.
Nicolas

ToddL

I recently tried the following skis: 2013 Connelly Prophecy, 2013 D3 Quest, 2014 HO A3. I skied to my current PB on all three skis. I ended up liking the 2014 A3 the most. It was the smoothest ski of the group. The Prophecy was fast and aggressive, but it was a bit too responsive at times. It also let me be more active (muscle) vs. learning better technique. The Quest was smoother but very aggressive in the turns. It seemed to be great when I was smooth, but a little too crazy when I was less smooth. The 2014 A3 was just right for me. I still got wide and early with ease, but it was smoother in the turns. This allowed me to focus on smooth technique to get further vs. muscling to get 1 more buoy. I don't know if the 2013 A3 is a as good as the 2014 (speed skin bottom texture).

What works for you may be different. The point is that there are so many really great skis and every one of them is capable of running 28 off and shorter line lengths. If you happen to find a gently used ski (less than 6 mos old), and later you decide that you do not like it, you may be able to resell it for nearly what you paid for it. Thus, any difference in sale price could be thought of as a "rental" fee.

SkiJay

@desmonipoux I don't think you are making a mistake. I'm very fortunate to be able to try lots of skis every year, and it seems to me that it would be hard to find a bad ski these days.

Unless you ski just about daily all year long, or have been an avid skier for a very long time, most of the differences you'll find while demoing different brands will be more due to the normal day-to-day variables in your skiing ability than to the subtle differences between today's crop of high-end skis.

If your technique isn't cast in stone, then you will likely adapt to whatever ski you end up using. Sure it would be ideal to demo all the skis that interest you. But if you can't, buy the ski that you think is the sexiest of the lot. Loving your new ski is good for your expectations, commitment, and even confidence.

Just make sure it is properly set up.

MISkier

@desmonipoux, the comment from @MattP was directed a @scotchipman and was a commentary about @scotchipman loyalty and satisfaction with the Goode brand of skis. He is saying that @scotchipman is unlikely to switch away from a Goode to another brand for any great length of time - if at all.

I moved from a circa-1980 EP Super 2 to a 2005 Goode 9100 without trying it. I did run the course on the old ski and used it for free skiing for 25 years. But, I had been away from course skiing for a while when I bought the new one. It took me a while to adjust to the leap is ski technology and performance. I ended up totally reworking my technique and actually advanced. But, the ski didn't do that. More time on the water, coaching from my ski club friends, and some online video coaching on forum's like this one were the factors to help me get the most out of that ski and improve. One thing that was interesting for me was the difference in speed and handling, like going from Volkswagen Beetle to a Ferrari.

So, buying without trying can be done. I didn't see what ski you are using now. If it is recent, the change may be subtle. If it is not recent, just about any new ski on the market should help. Make sure to start with stock (factory-recommended) fin and binding settings and work on your technique first - especially body position.

Good luck.

pumpinpete

@desmonipoux I ski at 34mph and love my 2013 HO Triumph i am a old guy a little heavier and I live on a tropical island inside the Great Barrier Reef even so the rollers are really really intense at times when we are free skiing and am always amazed how this ski copes with some crazy conditions and then works so well on the flat water of the dam on the mainland. I reckon go for it . Get on the net grab a last years model of a triumph or a radar senate (wifey loves hers) and save a chunk of cash. Maybe spend the difference next year and get a 2014 model A3 or D3 or Goode on the same sort of deals after you have got your technique up . As for technique I found videos from Wade Cox and Gordon Rathbun very helpful. The main thing is have fun!

The_MS

They call it orange and black crack, addicting and hard to quit.

bishop8950

Exactly what @skijay said