subject: What Are The Best Kind of Skis For Beginners? [print this page] What Are The Best Kind of Skis For Beginners?
It can all be a bit overwhelming can't it? You're new to a sport and all you want to do is get out there and practice. The problem is, as well as the lessons, you have to think about the equipment.
You don't want to rush out there and get the first thing you see this can be said of any ski equipment, but most importantly you need to make sure you get the correct skis. If not, you could have serious difficulties picking up the techniques. Furthermore if you rush out and get the most expensive skis or what you have been told are the best ones, you could end up being labelled as all the gear no idea.' Not a great start to any budding skier.
So, what are the best skis for beginners?
Well, there are a few things that you need to consider when looking for beginners skis. This includes gender, age, size, your own skill type and of course the ski type.
Ski Conditions
Make sure the skis that you hire or purchase are suitable for different ski conditions. Unfortunately, there is not one ski that is suitable for all conditions. The different types of skis include Mountain skis, Powder skis, Carving skis, and Race skis.
As a beginner you're a most likely to use Mountain skis as these are suited to most conditions. These ones have a waste width of 75 90mm. It is generally recommended that as a beginner, you use skis that have a waist width 70 76mm. The waste width is the middle part of the ski. Having ones within this range can give more stability and control for the beginner as well as making it easier to turn.
The remaining skis are for more specified conditions. For example, powder skis are for when there is heavy snow fall, the waste width of these ones are much wider than what is necessary for beginners, making it much harder to turn. Carving skis are suitable for piste's that are packed hard with snow and can be very icy. The waste width of these ones is much narrower, just like with race skis. Due to their width, using these ones can make achieving stability and control more difficult.
Gender, age and size
Generally speaking, there are different ones for men and women. This is to do with the difference in body shapes and where we carry our weight. In this case women find it harder to stay forward, which is necessary to keep control. Therefore, where their ski boots are bound to the actual ski is in fact a couple of inches forward in comparison to men's.
Whatever age or size you are, the best way to gauge what type of ski a beginner needs is to make sure the length is a couple of inches shorter than their own body. So in this case it should come up to chin height. As you progress you can dabble with longer ones, most average skiers have ones that reach the height of their nose or forehead.
So to recap, the best ones for beginners are those that are light, mid width and shorter than your average ski length. This will enable the beginner with more control and flexibility going into turns and picking up techniques. Take things slowly, and a step at a time, once you have learned the basics with these types, you can move onto more sophisticated ones. In the meantime, have fun on the piste!
