Ski Equipment: Get it Right, or Ruin your Holiday

Skis and ski boots can be hell.

We’re not kidding. Get your choice of ski equipment wrong and you’re on a downhill Schuss to misery. Aside from a 30mph argument with a tree, few things are more certain to ruin the enjoyment of your holiday.

If your ski boots are too loose, you might as well be skiing in an old pair of wellies, for all the control you’ll have to have over your edges. If they’re too tight, you will probably start crying after a couple of runs. And then, a week or two after the holiday, your toenails will fall out.

As for the skis…Yes, yes, we all know Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn can ski on anything. But most of us manage six or seven days a year on snow. We need something a little more tailored to our level of skill. After all, there are few things more alarming than trying to initiate a turn and finding that your skis are just not interested because, you know, zay are built für ein Austrian ski racer und have no respect for a weakling like you.

So how do you avoid the common pratfalls? Well, by following the tips in this section for a start. Anyone who’s planning to hire skis and ski boots should do so online, before they go on holiday, so they get a discount. And then, before they actually go to the rental centre, they need to read our guide to getting the right equipment. Better still, they should read it when they’re actually in the shop, and quote it at the assistants if they’re not getting good service (and boy, we’ve had some shocking service in rental centres over the years).

Meanwhile, if you’re planning to buy skis, check out our guide to what skis actually do – so that you don’t look blank when the assistant starts talking about radius, side-cut and camber. We’ve also got features on avalanche airbag rucksacks and the right kind of ski boot liners, and over the coming months we’ll be adding plenty more.
 

Welove2ski Classic Collection: Our Best Ski Equipment Advice

If you're completely new to Welove2ski - or even if you're not - this is the place to start. The following guides are the cream of the crop when it comes to ski equipment information. Make sure you read them first - they'll give you a solid grounding in what you need to know and allow you to get the most from the rest of our archives.