GeckoDisciple wrote:

I'm in the market for some new skis never having skied before. I've
done a lot of reading up on skiing and ski equipment so that I will be
ready when the time comes this winter. I'm in the West.

STANDARD ADVICE:

Rent the gear the first couple of times. Since you've never been
skiing, you don't even know whether you're going to like it. Why spend
$1200 on gear for (potentially) one day of use?

Once you've decided you're going to stick with it, buy boots first.
Don't skimp. Buy from a real ski shop with a good boot fitter. Take
your time.

Then, demo demo demo. Don't buy skis without trying them first. You
can use magazines, usenet, the web, word of mouth etc. to narrow down
the list of candidate skis, but try before you buy.

ANOTHER APPROACH:

Go to a ski swap and buy a cheap set of used gear. Plan on replacing it
in a year. Then use steps 2 and 3 above.


//Walt