UKH

So i've just started to ski and like climbing it's bloody expensive. Choice is do i spend the winter renting (probable cost for my daughter and I around £120 to £160)

OR

Do i spend £230 on roofbars for the car and buy 2nd hand gear? I've been told not to worry about skis as i'm not at a stage where specifics will make a difference. However i've been advised to avoid 2nd hand boots. Surely if i'm renting that counts as the same as 2nd hand? So why not just avoid the expense and buy gear, which is dirt cheap on gumtree buy the way, saving myself a lot in the long run?

Thoughts anyone?

In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Well any boots that you rent will effectively be 2nd hand. You do have the added benefit that you can swap them easily.

Buying 2nd hand is ok If they fit and are decent, and you can try them on I don't see a problem - but this means being close to the seller or having the option to return. Most people selling ski boots won't do more than 6 days a year in them anyway so they're unlikely to be trashed.

In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Certainly not guaranteed, but renting you should hopefully be dealing with someone who can work out if a pair of fit and obviously if they are not quite right you can go back and change them.

In reply to Father Noel Furlong:
No issues with second hand as far as I can see (done it before).

Only thing I would say is that ski shoes tend to be very specific to feet and there is a big risk of getting a shoe that doesn't fit all that well and having a miserable time (blisters, cold feet..ect). If you are in a position to try out a second hand boot before buying or know that the particular model will fit you well then go for it. Don't rely on foot size conversions online to find the right size! The shape of your foot will really determine the size of boot you need. For example, I have a size 9.5 street shoe which should equate to a mondo 28.5 but its because I have wide feet so I actually have a mondo 27 ski boot.


Other thing to look into is whether or not the liners have been thermo-moulded or not and whether they are a type you can remould.

If you look into these things before buying you can get great deals on boots. I got a pair of touring boots last year for half their retail price and they'd been worn for 2 descents!

In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Why not second hand. Unless they're really knackered only real risk is they won't fit properly and potentially I suppose lead to an inujury, but if you've just started you won't know a good fit anyway.
I picked up a good quality pair of second hand for £20 last year. Unfortunately I've not had the chance to use them yet, but they felt alright so with the amount of skiing I'll do its worth it

In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

I'd definitely avoid getting used ski boots. Getting a good fit is really important with ski boots, hence why there are people out there who make money from fitting them. I doubt you'll get anything close to good buying used, which is just setting yourself up for a whole world of pain and skiing difficulty down the line.

In reply to J_Trottet:


That's definitely a top tip, thanks

In reply to JamButty:


That's kind of my thinking

In reply to tehmarks:

There's a pair of Tenica's in my size (accepting i don't yet know if they'll fit) on gumtree for £90. I'll be in town, can try them on and they're only used twice (accepting i only have the sellers word for it).

Bargain, no?

In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

I'm not generally a fan of buying second hand footware of any description, but a pair of ski boots with only light use should be fine if you have a good idea of fit. Avoid anything that's already been hot moulded, as mentioned. If I saw a pair in my size in good nick, I'd snap up a pair of Technica Diablo tomorrow

On the other hand, I got my Salomon boots for less than half retail price at a ski wear sale and they hot moulded them there and then for me.

I'd be inclined to stick with renting skis, unless you're really keen - that way, you'll be able to experiment with different/latest styles and it doesn't matter if you trash/lose them. Also saves space storing them for the other 50 weeks of the year and transporting them. Most people I know that ski do this - the exceptions are those of the uphill shuffling persuasion that therefore use specific set-ups.

In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Your choice but mine are £150 boots that I got for £20 and they're in excellent nick.

I'd shop around

In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

I can't see why picking up a cheap pair of reasonably modern ski boots (preferably that you've tried on) is a particular disadvantage over renting. I've certainly seen some pretty terrible rental boots. Cost wise, I don't imagine you'd need to use them many times to be winning.

It's clearly not as good as buying a brand new, custom moulded pair, but that's not the comparison you're making!

Do watch out for what you're getting "dirt cheap on gumtree", though - some of it will probably be 30 years old and ski gear's got an awful lot better in that time. You'd do well to have some idea what you're looking for. We all ski in second hand boots.....

In reply to LastBoyScout:


Or those who live near enough to UK snow to be able to nip out for the odd day here and there, when it saves a lot of hassle to have your own gear.

In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

If they fit, why not?

I certainly wouldn't buy without trying them on though, and making certasin they are really comfortable. As others have said, hire boots are second plus hand.

In reply to Father Noel Furlong:
Like everything footwear related, it's best to try before you buy... I had rented skis each time I had been skiing and my feet always ached, until one time I had a pair that were super comfy, so when I went to return my hired equipment, I asked the guy how much he would take for them, and even though it was very early in the season and they must have only been worn a few times he gave me the most amazing price for them (£30!). I looked online for them when I got home and they retail at £220. I used them with rented skis last year, and this year I have got a pair of second hand skis that are pretty much brand new and were free to pick up.

I briefly looked at buying brand new skis earlier in the year before I got the chance to get a free pair, and it looked like Decathlon had some great bargains if Salomon fit your feet.

In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

If you can try them on beforehand and you know what a good fit feels like, absolutely go for it. With regards to telling how used they are, the liner will pack out over time through use, so that's a fairly good way of telling just how much they've actually been skied in.

In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

always buy 2nd hand, unless you can't find the model you want. Thermo liners can be re blown to fit

In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

I'm thinking of selling my boots in the future to get something more appropriate for me. There is nothing wrong with them, light use, good care etc. Point is, they'd be fine for someone else, if they fit. Don't rule out second hand gear, and don't listen to salesmen/fitters telling you otherwise. If they're good condition and fit well then they'll be fine, and much cheaper than new.

In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Do be careful of fit. If you are trying boots on bear in mind they should be relatively snug. Make sure you buckle them up and lean your weight forward in them, that will pull your toes back off the end. At the end of the day you will be using the power transition from your toes and foot to turn the ski, so dont be afraid of a secure fit (they're not winter boots where you'll bash your toes off the end if they're too tight!) however if you have any sore points when trying them on they'll only get worse as you ski.

Hope some of that helps. Just make sure you get a pair that fit rather than being blinded by a "bargain"

In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Thanks all, lots of really good info.

Father Noel

In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

I know nothing about ski boots but I recommend you check roofbox.co.uk because they are very good value for roof bars and their customer service was great. Mine were much cheaper there than halfords etc. I recommend Thule, not the cheapest, but they are easy to fit, good quality and you can get locks with the same key.

In reply to Father Noel Furlong:
That's why you go to a good ski boot fitter, they can help guide you as to what a good fit feels like.

Edit: I really like buying things second hand usually, but I think for the first pair of ski boots its worth getting a correctly fitted pair, then you'll start to understand what a good fit means, then after that by all means go second hand.

In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

I would avoid second-hand boots. As others have said, fitting is very specific and the padding of boots tends to adjust to the foot of the wearer. I don't think second-hand boots (with one previous owner) are the same as rental boots because they have always been worn with the same feet, whereas rental boots experience a random selection of foot shapes.

In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

If you want used boots but want someone to fit them for you I know snow and rock at least sell used boots. Don't expect the seller to be as enthusiastic though but it probably beats trying them in someone's living room for two minutes if you don't know what you are looking for.

Also, can you not get your skis to fit in the car?

In reply to Hannes:


No, much to wifes delight....she hates my car and always wanted me to buy something else.

In reply to Bob_the_Builder:

You're making a good case. I'm going to give this a lot of thought, although may just go rental for this year and see how it goes.

In reply to Father Noel Furlong:
Why do you need to spend £230 on roof bars?????? You can get two pairs of skis inside most cars with ease. What do you drive? Even most of what are considered small cars have at least a six foot straight line inside at a diagonal from passenger footwell to rear window on driver's side that will take 180cm skis with ease.

Even if you have a truly small car, you still will get them in, maybe with your daughter needing to sit in rear passsenger seat on the other side from you.

In reply to nickinscottishmountains:

>What do you drive?

Something i don't want to trash by squeezing skis into it. That said thanks, i'll check out the option of whether i really need the roofbars.

In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Fair one, some cars interiors are worth protecting......maybe splash out twenty quid on a ski bag rather than two hundred odd for roof bars!?

In reply to nickinscottishmountains:

That's one reason the missus hates it.......my old car was much more practical.......hey ho, i didn't think i was going to get into skiing when i bought the new one!

In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

If it was my first time trying skiing and I wasn't sure if I was going to carry on with it then maybe. I'd buy my own boots straight away if I was going to carry on with it though. Having your own boots makes a massive difference, if you only have one week a year then you want to make it as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. At the end of the day it's expensive, it just is there's no getting away from that!