How do I know which skis to buy?
Do you want to buy your own skis, but don’t know where to start? We undestand you. There are different types of skis and some of them look alike. How should you know which type of skis you need and which length to choose? We will help you with that!
What kind of skier are you?
Before purchasing your own equipment, we advise you to first identify what kind of skier you are. Are you already experienced or still on a beginner’s level? Would you like to ski at high speeds or would you rather go downhill at a slower pace? Or are you someone who likes to ski off-piste?
Every type of skis has distinguished features, making it easier to decide which type of skis suits you the best. We have five types of skis in our collection. The allround ski, the slalom ski and the race ski are a typical slope ski. The freeride skis are real off-piste skis. Finally, there are also the all mountain skis. They are suitable for both on the slopes and off-piste. Below, we briefly describe most important characteristics for each type of ski.
Allround Skis
The allround skis are suitable for all slopes. You can well on both hard and prepared slopes, as well as on slightly softer, loose slopes. The ski is not very stiff, making it forgiving, easy to turn and easy to control. This is why this gear is ideal for beginners and slightly advanced skiers. The recommended length for an allround ski is approximately between the chest height and nose height.
Slalom Skis
The slalom skis will be a nice choice for skiers, who like short turns and want to be fast and agile. Slalom skis are easy to turn, have a high stability and good edge grip. This type of skis is especially suitable for experienced skiers. The recommended length is about shoulder height.
Race Skis
We recommend it for advanced skiers. To use race skis you need the necessary experience and ski technique. The race skis are ideal at high speeds and long curves. They are extremely stable and have perfect edge grip. However, it is more difficult to ski shorter corners. The adviced length for a race ski is approximately between the shoulder height and the top of your head.
All Mountain Skis
Depending on the width of the ski, the all mountain skis are suitable for every type of skier on every ski level. It is a versatile ski, which proves itself both on the slopes and off-piste. The recommended length for all mountains is approximately your height.
Freeride Skis
The freeride skis are meant to go off-piste. They are very wide, so they have more buoyancy in the loose snow next to the slopes. Unlike slope skis, freeride skis have much less edge. You can use it on the slopes, but it is much more difficult and it is not recommended for beginners or slightly advanced skiers.
The recommended length for a freeride ski is about your height or even longer. Freeride skis are often rocker, which means that both the tip and the tail are slightly raised, so that you can ski through the loose snow more easily. This makes the effective length of the ski, so the part of the ski that actually touches the snow, much shorter.
Which length do I need?
The length of the ski depends on a number of different factors. Naturally, your height is important, but your weight also plays an important role. We added the recommended length for each type of ski, but please note that these are just the guidelines and the perfect length always depends on your own personal preferences. A shorter ski is much easier to turn than a longer ski, but a longer ski is much more stable at high speeds. This is why beginners often prefer slightly shorter skis.
What else should you consider?
There are a number of other features which distinguish skis and that you can pay attention to when purchasing your own gear.
Sidecut
There are 3 parameters to be distinguished: the width of tip, the width of the waist and the width of the tail. The greater the difference between those three numbers, the more detailed a ski is and the shorter the radius is.
Radius
The radius of a ski is the circle that would appear if you imagine to ski on the side of your ski. The average radius of this circle is 13 meters. The smaller the radius is, the easier you can turn the skis and the shorter turns you can take.
A couple tips worth remembering:
- With a short radius, you take shorter turns.
- A narrow ski is faster to change from side to side, which makes it react faster. A narrower ski has more grip on icy slopes.
- A wide ski has more drifting and buoyancy and is easier to turn on loose snow.
- The shorter the ski, the more agile it is.
Information videos:
Would you like more information about skis? Check our videos for more explanation:
Information videos
