tele gear

i am a long-time alpine skier looking to improve my tele skills and
hopefully get into the new england back-country this winter. i am
looking to buy used equipment since i just invested in a new pair of
alpine boots and don't have much money left for new gear. could
anyone recommend local shops that might sell used/demo tele gear? on
the web i have found a couple possibilities but i do not like buying
equipment, especially used that i have not seen in person.

any comments on the following deal:
atomic alpin tour carve with targa G3 bindings for $169 plus shipping.
i am 5'10, 145 pounds. would the 177 or 184 be better for me?

also i found a good deal on new garmont veloce boots size 28. this
corresponds to my shoe size of 10, but i have a narrow foot. would it
be risky purchasing these boots without trying them on?

thanks for any advice.

On 11 Sep 2003 09:39:16 -0700, (dave) wrote:

i am a long-time alpine skier looking to improve my tele skills and
hopefully get into the new england back-country this winter. i am
looking to buy used equipment since i just invested in a new pair of
alpine boots and don't have much money left for new gear. could
anyone recommend local shops that might sell used/demo tele gear? on
the web i have found a couple possibilities but i do not like buying
equipment, especially used that i have not seen in person.

Some of the shops up in North Conway have extensive consignment areas
with tele gear, IME, and Ragged in particular. Also note the Ragged
tent sale over Columbus Day weekend. Both also have extensive
selections of new gear, and rentals.

Spend a little time and money more to get good boots that fit you
well, and upgrade the skis later.

Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
------------------------------------------------
at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

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In article ,
dave wrote:
i am a long-time alpine skier looking to improve my tele skills and
hopefully get into the new england back-country this winter. i am
looking to buy used equipment since i just invested in a new pair of
alpine boots and don't have much money left for new gear. could
anyone recommend local shops that might sell used/demo tele gear? on
the web i have found a couple possibilities but i do not like buying
equipment, especially used that i have not seen in person.

any comments on the following deal:
atomic alpin tour carve with targa G3 bindings for $169 plus shipping.
i am 5'10, 145 pounds. would the 177 or 184 be better for me?

_ Shorter is better to start with. I'd go with the 177's. That is
a pretty reasonable deal and a good setup for NE conditions.


also i found a good deal on new garmont veloce boots size 28. this
corresponds to my shoe size of 10, but i have a narrow foot. would it
be risky purchasing these boots without trying them on?

_ Yes... The one place to not scrimp on money is boots. Scarpa's
tend to work better for people with narrow feet, Garmonts for the
wider, but you really need to try them on to be sure. It depends
exactly where your feet are narrow. Depending on exactly how much
you plan on skiing you might try just renting to start
with. There's nothing like a day on the slopes to let you know
whether a boot is going to work for you or not.

_ Booker C. Bense


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dave wrote:

any comments on the following deal:
atomic alpin tour carve with targa G3 bindings for $169 plus shipping.
i am 5'10, 145 pounds. would the 177 or 184 be better for me?

177 - i'm not familiar with american snow conditions, but i think in the
nort-east you'll often find hard or wind-blown snow. probably, the ski
is a little bit weak (i only skied the atomic touring once and with
alpine touring equipment). don't you have an alpine ski, you could
change to tele-setup?

also i found a good deal on new garmont veloce boots size 28. this
corresponds to my shoe size of 10, but i have a narrow foot. would it
be risky purchasing these boots without trying them on?

i'd absolutely try a boot before buying. even better if you could rent
and try it on the skis. generally, the scarpa is smaller than garmont. i
also found that crispi are smaller around the ankle (although the
forefoot is large - for me).

a general footnote: since you're coming from a long alpine experience, i
think you'll learn quickly - at least that's my experience. so, for the
beginning it might be a good idea to rent - all or parts - of the
equipment and then, after some progresses, to buy? if buying
immediately, i'd try to get the better (stronger) equipment, which will
work also next year ...

good luck,

ulrich

dave wrote:
i am a long-time alpine skier looking to improve my tele skills and
hopefully get into the new england back-country this winter. i am
looking to buy used equipment since i just invested in a new pair of
alpine boots and don't have much money left for new gear. could
anyone recommend local shops that might sell used/demo tele gear? on
the web i have found a couple possibilities but i do not like buying
equipment, especially used that i have not seen in person.

any comments on the following deal:
atomic alpin tour carve with targa G3 bindings for $169 plus shipping.
i am 5'10, 145 pounds. would the 177 or 184 be better for me?

also i found a good deal on new garmont veloce boots size 28. this
corresponds to my shoe size of 10, but i have a narrow foot. would it
be risky purchasing these boots without trying them on?

thanks for any advice.

Hey Dave,

you sound like my twin. I'm looking at the TourCarv's too and they
sound like a pretty good back country ski. The guy I was talking to said
they're easy to turn and relatively light. The negatives are that they
don't carve very well, less stability on hard pack, don't float in
powder as well as the wider skis or cut through crud as well as heavier
skis. I've been telemarking in the back country and on the slopes in
Colorado for quite a while on an old pair of Tua's (skinny compared to
these) so I think they'll be a nice upgrade for me.

I've got the Garmont Veloces and love them. The sizing was pretty
straight forward but if they don't fit you'll be unhappy so check on the
return policy.

Mitch

thanks for the advice. i have skied a handful of days on rented
equipment and found myself progressing fairly raidly. as recommended
i will invest primarily in the boots and see what deals i can find on
skis. i called IME yesterday and they said used tele gear should
appear in about a month as the first significant snow starts to fall.