"May Oh" writes:

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.

Think carefully about this. If you ski frequently, it's a good
investment. If you don't, it's more of an image thing: look, see,
I'm not on dorky rental skis!

What kind of skiis should
I get?

What kind of skis have you skied on? What do you like or dislike
about them? Where do you ski, what kind of trails, under what
conditions? How good are you, and how much time and effort do you
intend to spend on getting better?

Should I be looking at end of season sales for bargains?

Yes, IF you are sure that buying is the right thing for you, IF you
are sure that buying _now_ is the right thing for you, and WHEN you
know exactly what it is you want to buy. A "bargain" is no bargain
if it's the wrong thing.

All
those questions. I know people say, demo, but I wouldn't know what to
look for.

Well, what do you want to do? You wouldn't shop for a motor vehicle
that way, would you? You'd start off with some idea of what you
want to do with it. You'd choose a different vehicle to drive 20
miles every day to work on suburban highways than you would to haul
hay bales around a dairy farm. Same with skis. What do you want to
do with 'em?

Here's what I'd do. Find a _good_ ski shop that rents decent skis.
If they've only got one model of rentals, sorry, no sale. Find a
shop that's renting the same stuff they're selling. Tell the
salesperson that you're thinking about buying, but you want to rent
some prospective models and try them out first. Try at least three.
If you can't tell any difference between them, or between them and
what you've been renting, chances are it won't make much difference
for you. If you do notice a difference, talk to the salesperson so
they can make some suggestions. And put your major effort into the
boots, because the quality and fit of the boots will have a much
bigger effect on your skiing than the skis will. Good deals on skis
are available at the start of the season, as long as you define
"start" as being anytime after Labor Day, which is when shops start
gearing up and selling off whatever's left of last year's unsold
gear.

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Mary Malmros
Some days you're the windshield,
Other days you're the bug.