DZN wrote:
I have skis I'm very happy with (Rossi RPM oversize 10's, a model they
stopped making a few years ago) for skiing here, in the East. They are good
on ice, don't chatter at speed, and are still pretty easy to turn for an
advanced ski. They're not especially good in powder, which is OK because
when I bought them I rarely skied powder. Last time I skied out West
(Solitude, Utah) I could barely ski, the powder was so deep. 12-16 inches
new inches per day. Even the groomed runs had 6-8 inches by morning). I
took some lessons which helped, but I still skied pretty poorly, like a low
intermediate (in the East, I consider myself advanced, but not expert).
I'm going to Vail next week. I'm wondering if I should rent fat skis if
there is a powder day. I've already spend a ton of money on shipping my
skis and even more on a hotel (next time I'll check hotel rates before
buying my plane tix) and I hate wasting time in ski rental lines, but if
renting fat skis would be worthwhile I will.

Any thoughts about renting fat skis?

You're spending a small fortune to get and stay and ski Vail and you're
wondering if renting some demo skis is a proper expenditure? I think you
know the answer.

On the other hand you haven't really skied powder until you've skied it
on long, soft, skinny skis - whole different thing, and worth learning.
Everybody's looking for shortcuts these days, but as always time
invested learning a skill pays off in enjoying the benefits of that
skill. Always has and always will. The converse is also true.

(And the realest answer I've got is, next time you visit Colorado, can
Vail and environs, and head to A-Basin.)