May Oh wrote:

Hi,

OK, so I just started skiing this season (actually, at the end of last
season) and I've been skiing on rentals all this time. I want to get my
own stuff, so I can feel like a real skiier. What kind of skiis should
I get? Should I be looking at end of season sales for bargains? All
those questions. I know people say, demo, but I wouldn't know what to
look for.

Get the best boots you can afford, from the best boot fitter you can
find. Let us know where you live/ski and maybe we'll have bootfitter
suggestions - a good bootfitter is more important than the boot brand,
by far.

Get some throw-away poles from a dumpster or garage sale.

Find a good rental shop that rents "performance" or "demo" skis and try
several different skis until you find a couple you like (then try them
in a couple of different lengths.) Then during the end-of-year sales
pick up a pair of those you like from the demo ski sell-off.

Note that as a rule of thumb you need to ski 10+ days a year for
purchase to beat rent, for skis. Boots are the key to learning, hence
the recommendation to buy as soon as you can.