busybeehelpers

What equipment do I need to buy in order to really start getting into skiing?

www.ski-base.com

You don't need any equipment you should be able to hire everything you need. It's the best wayt to start off. I would suggest that you buy only a good quality jacket, trousers and gloves

Sparky

Apart from the skiis, you just really need safety gear including helmet, gloves, jacket, goggles etc.

cmuskikid

Well it really all depends on what kind of skiier you wish to become. If you only intend to ski a few times of year, renting equiptment would suffice, though it will be a little more costly (for obvious reasons) for a weekend trip. But if your looking to jump into the sport and go more than say, 6 or 7 times, I personally would suggest buying your own equipment. You can find all sorts of deals, whether on the internet (ebay) or at a ski swap. Reseach some good beginner skis, there certainly are enough reviews of skis out there these days that even a beginner would be able to find a ski to fit them. Go low budget and work your way up as you engage in the sport more heavely. To start with i would suggest the obvious, a pair of skis, boots and poles. I would also reccomend goggles because you can never really tell what the conditions will be on the mountain. They can often be the differnce between a good day and a bad day on the hill. Go with comfort and warmth all the way around. It will make getting into the sport more enjoyable. But check out some reviews and I personally suggest ebay as a good way to find good deals on equipment. Good luck!

Gilipsie

I realize you can rent most of the equipment, but as to the skis I wonder if you are better off owning your own.

micheal

I usually always rent my equipment because I don't ski that often. I mean If I lived in an area where I could ski all the time, I would buy it but since I don't I don't think it would be a good investment.

stephpoet

I agree. I would not start buying stuff immediately until you know your commitment and also frequency of skiing.

Kjerstin Klein

Sounds like you are ready to hit the slopes this winter. Sounds like you have already gotten some good advice; determine how committed you are then start by renting the big ticket items. It is my suggestion to get your own boots first as this will make the most significant difference in your experience on the slopes. See my article for a great reference for everything you need for skiing at Your Ski and Snowboard Checklist for the Slopes - Associated Content. I have written several other articles that will help you with the purchasing process. My blog at Snow Deva addresses some of the common questions about purchasing and specific products and I am happy to go into more detail if you need further info. Glad you're getting out there!

HalfPipeGrind44

Good luckk starting out man!

wbsr

I am biased as I am in the ski rental business, but I will copy and paste an answer I give to a lot of people.

This season, lets say you ski for 14 days (two separate weeks), then you can rent in Whistler for around $500 including taxes etc... so if you did that for 3 years, then you would have spent $1500, which is about the same as buying (high performance skis/bindings/boots/ski poles) yes you can buy cheaper for second hand / last years model but thats half my point.

In 3 years time you have broken even, and in the meantime you have to worry about maintenance / transporting your skis. you are also now skiing 3 year old skis.

By renting, you get to ski current season models every year, you get to change skis depending on snow conditions (free to change in whistler, maybe not other resorts), you don't have to worry about waxing/edging/base repair. You don't have the hassle of getting skis on and off planes or cars....

Thats if you hire 14 days each season, it takes even longer to break even if you ski less (obviously less time if you ski more... duh)

If you hire for 14 days straight it costs about $370
If you hire for 21 days straight it costs about $500.

Side note: I DO recommend people buy their own boots - good boots are the most important piece of equipment.

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