wrote in message
oups.com...
Gareth Crawshaw wrote:

[snip]

Regarding your question about ski purchase, I only know one retailer in
the south of Britain whom I would recommend. However, he only sells
racing gear, so unless you are set on learning to be a speedy track
skier, he is probably not your best option. This is his link:
http://www.biathlonsport.com/. He only does mail order, but is very
helpful in advising what you need. Prices are pretty good too, but
remember to add VAT when comparing.

There is a shop in Aviemore in Scotland, but I haven't used them for
years, so I don't know what they are like now, or what name they are
currently trading under. My link doesn't work anymore.

Here is the link to the Madhus site http://www.madshus.com/index.php

Unless you won't have access to good ski-hire, I think I would
tentatively suggest that you hire for the time being, until you have a
bit more experience and know what sort of ski-ing you like best and
where you want to ski. Flying with skis and poles is a bit of a pain,
and some airlines charge. Also, the skis, boots and poles that suit
you best as a beginner, may not suit you when you get a bit better
(although you could always keep the old ones for rock skis or sell
them). The third reason for hiring is that most hire-shops will let
you swap skis to find one that suits you, or swap waxable for waxless
if the conditions change.

[]

If you are keen, you may find it useful to join a club - this one
covers the south of England -
http://www.micromission.co.uk/lrnsc/Default.htm

And this is the Snowsport England website -
http://www.escnordic.org.uk/Home_Main_1.html

This is a useful UK based magazine - http://www.ski-nordic.co.uk/


Hi Alex,

Thanks for all the suggestions and links there. There has been a bit of a
fortunate change of plan here for me now... Changes to the trip mean that
equipment is all going to be provided which saves me a bit of a headache...
It was as you said about not really being experienced enough to know what
sort of direction my skiing is likely to take in the future, although I do
get the impression that people tend to have a range of different equipment
to suit the different things they are likely to be doing - which is fine if
you're in a position to be able to go off at short notice. Unfortunately,
doesn't apply to my situation here in England!

What I can do now though is benefit from what I have learned so far, ask the
right questions when I'm there and have time to browse around without having
to worry about how I'm going to be able to ski...

Thanks for all the links - good few tips for beginners there that I want to
try and put into practice... 49 days and counting! Perhaps I ought to try
some roller-skating... (Might upset my newfound Classic style though... Ah
well.)

Gareth