New vs Used equipment Ski Swaps, What do you buy?

ciscokid

Been almost 20 years since I bought New Head skis and Marker bindings and 24 yrs new Technica boots. Been all used ever since. Ski swap this weekend always attracts me.

Have YOU bought strictly NEW or USED or COMBINATION ?

TomWhite

My previous boots were new (end of season). My current ones were gently used. I have two pair of new skis (with bindings) that were pretty high level that a ski shop (at ski swap) wanted to unload. They’re Rossi 9S Pro. I paid $99 or 50 each. I mostly ski tight to the fall line. So, I like slalom side cut. I go to 1 or 2 ski swaps each fall. Most of my skis are teen racers castaways, including Stratton Mt. School. Up till last weekend I had 3 Fisher RC4s and 1 Volkl P60. Saturday, I bought another pair of RC4s ($90) and a pair of Rossi rockers ($25). I’ve never skied on rockers, so for this price, it’s like a rental fee. One pair of RC4s will go to my daughter and it turns out the rockers will. They adjust to her boots but not my mine. I’m not going to try remounting the bindings. The only problem with my method is, many of the skis have race bindings. They’re heavier than what I need or want at 9 DIN. I might look at another pair of RC4s on Facebook ($35). I asked the seller what’s the max. DIN. He said 17. I’ve never seen above 14. I’m sure he misread but he did say the skis are heavy.

A tip for buying skis at swaps. Bring a slotted screwdriver or other tool to work the adjustment tab on bindings. Take the skis you’re looking at to the boot section. Try your size boots in them. If they don’t fit, try adjusting the bindings. I’m reluctant to go to the bother or expense to remount bindings. They didn’t have a tool at Saturday’s swap.

DrJeff

Boots, always new. And as of my last few pairs, always up to the fitters best judgement as to what shell fits my foot best, rather than any preconceived notion of what I may want.

Kind of going this way with my ski purchases as well. Talk to the shop (who I trust and know my skiing style), then if at all possible demo (really the only time in the past I bought a pair of skis that I wasn't happy with was when I went solely of reputation of the model via magazine reports and word of mouth from friends - just didn't work out with my preferred skiing style)

Skis, depends. Sometimes new, sometimes from a shops demo fleet when they go on sale (the bases and edges have usually just received a fresh grind before they hit the sales rack, and that's the most important thing to me)

There's really no right or wrong way to look at this topic, just the way that YOU are most comfortable with.

The reality is, especially with skis these days, there's a TON of great equipment out there, that makes the sport more enjoyable/"easier" and the differences from brand to brand or type of ski to type of ski are far less than they ever used to be

rickbolger

I buy used, new, used demos, whatever is the most bang for the buck. Boots I prefer to buy new.

I'm headed to the West Mt swap with Trackbiker this weekend. Love ski swaps! Fortunately I know the various bindings and ski models reasonably well, so I don't usually get stuck with wall decor. But sometimes it happens ;)

I haven't bought myself a pair of new poles since 1982. I usually shop at CurbCo for poles.

NewEnglandSkier13

I currently have a pair of boots that I bought new and a pair that I bought used. All of my skis were used to some extent. I have a mix of new poles and ones left in the lost and found at the end of the season.

The most important thing for me is that I only buy skis with demo bindings. That way I don't have to worry about my boots fitting.

DrJeff

NewEnglandSkier13;c-38406 wroteI currently have a pair of boots that I bought new and a pair that I bought used. All of my skis were used to some extent. I have a mix of new poles and ones left in the lost and found at the end of the season.

The most important thing for me is that I only buy skis with demo bindings. That way I don't have to worry about my boots fitting.

With respect to demo bindings, if one is a grown adult, who's feet aren't rapidly growing, and one isn't say a regular park skier where there's actually some reason from time to time for moving the center position of one's bindings forward or back a centimeter or two, the reality is that most non demo bindings have plenty of adjustment "length" in the heel piece so account for the slight variance that the boot sole length of a new boot may have. Plus, demo bindings are noticeably heavier and have more of an effect on the flex of most skis than non demo bindings, and lastly, if those demo bindings are mounted on a "popular" pair of skis, then they become more enticing to a low life who is looking to take a pair of skis off a random rack and likely quickly put them up for sale on ebay/Craig's list.

If you just plan on using them yourself, while there can be some pluses to finding a pair with demo bindings on them (heck, my wife and I each own a pair with demo bindings on them), there are also some drawbacks, since there is enough adjustability in most bindings made within the time frame that you'd still want to use a binding these days to account for boot sole length variances without having to re-drill the binding mounts....

rickbolger

DrJeff;c-38407 wrote since there is enough adjustability in most bindings made within the time frame that you'd still want to use a binding these days to account for boot sole length variances without having to re-drill the binding mounts....

I wish! I buy and sell about 20 prs of skis per season, seems to me that the people with the smallest feet insist on buying skis that were previously owned by people with gigantic feet, and people with ciscokid sized feet want to buy skis previously owned by people with stubby feet. At least that's my usual luck, so I have to drill, remount etc. which is a time drain and eats into my perceived profit.

I loved buying & selling those Nordica Hot Rod skis and others of that ilk with the integral bindings, but they're getting a bit long in the tooth. They looked great, and the bindings adjusted by flipping the lever and turning a screw. Downside was the skis seemed to delam more readily.

These are likely off the indemnification list...

NewEnglandSkier13

rickbolger;c-38408 wrote
DrJeff;c-38407 wrote since there is enough adjustability in most bindings made within the time frame that you'd still want to use a binding these days to account for boot sole length variances without having to re-drill the binding mounts....
I wish! I buy and sell about 20 prs of skis per season, seems to me that the people with the smallest feet insist on buying skis that were previously owned by people with gigantic feet, and people with ciscokid sized feet want to buy skis previously owned by people with stubby feet. At least that's my usual luck, so I have to drill, remount etc. which is a time drain and eats into my perceived profit.

I loved buying & selling those Nordica Hot Rod skis and others of that ilk with the integral bindings, but they're getting a bit long in the tooth. They looked great, and the bindings adjusted by flipping the lever and turning a screw. Downside was the skis seemed to delam more readily.

These are likely off the indemnification list...

I just bought a pair of those at the Bethel Ski Swap for my brother to ski on! Those bindings are real nice and easy to adjust.

joshua_segal

I agree on buying new boots, but this year, I saw a slightly used pair of boots that is the same model on which I currently ski. This model fits me off-the-shelf with no intervention of a boot fitter. In this case, I did buy used boots for the first time in my life.

As to new skis:
1. I like to ski in the woods and not worry that I am going to trash $500 or more worth of equipment.
2. If I told a car salesman, that I used my car for commuting and he said, "What you need is a Ferrari", we would know the salesman was crazy. And yet, many skiers want the highest performing ski that they do not have the skill to recognize the subtle differences that the extra $500 is buying them.
3. I am of the school that an advanced skier should be able to adjust his/her skill mix to ski on almost anything except in the most extreme conditions. In most cases, these extreme conditions are ones on which these skiers would choose not to ski even with their expensive new skis.

For all of those reasons, I haven't bought a new pair of skis in over 30 years and have not paid over $200 for a pair of skis (with mounted bindings) in that period of time.

Cannonball

Boots: always new.

Skis: I have bought new skis when they were incredibly discounted. Otherwise I've almost always bought my skis used. I generally try to buy used skis that have bindings mounted at my approximate BSL so that I don't have to remount. But I'm also comfortable mounting my own bindings if needed. I used to buy and sell a couple pairs of skis every season but for the past few years I've really settled into two pairs that work perfect for me.

Ski bindings: you really have to be careful with used bindings. If I buy used bindings I have a shop check them out. Mostly I like to buy new bindings.

Snowboards: So much easier than skis since you can move bindings around. I go through tons of used snowboards. I probably buy and sell 3-4 boards per season. I use that as my way to "demo" brands, models, designs, and sizes. It's a good way to test gear over a bunch of days instead of the couple runs you get with a demo. Plus snowboard demos are few and far between compared to skis. And it's nearly free since I can usually resell used boards for what I paid. Then I buy a new board every 4-5 years to use as my primary board.

Snowboard bindings: Similar to with boards. I buy new high-end bindings every few years. But I also pick up used bindings whenever I see something I'm interested in. I have boxes and boxes of parts and often mix and match to customize or test different binding configurations.

JimK

I'm like the other posters. Aways buy new boots and stick with them for 5-10 years. Liable to buy skis new or used. Just bought a slightly used pair of Blizzard Bonafides for my daily western drivers to mostly replace a pair of Nordica Vagabonds that I bought new five years ago and probably won't fully retire. I also have a skinnier pair of Nordica's that I bought new and a wider pair of Volkl One's that I got used.

This is an impressive factoid from Joshua that very much conveys his ski savvy. And frugality: :)
"For all of those reasons, I haven't bought a new pair of skis in over 30 years and have not paid over $200 for a pair of skis (with mounted bindings) in that period of time."

joshua_segal

JimK;c-38504 wroteI'm like the other posters. …

This is an impressive factoid from Joshua that very much conveys his ski savvy. And frugality: :)
…

Interesting perception:

Frugality? When one skis 100+ days per season, averages going through 2-pairs of skis per season + the cost of my Killington pass + the costs of driving and lodging at my 25 to 30 days at Killington - not to mention the costs associated with my slope-side condo at CM, I do NOT call it frugality. I call it, "finding a way to enable a life-style". While I'm rich spiritually, I'm not rich fiscally!

rickbolger

Cannonball;c-38418 wrote Snowboard bindings: Similar to with boards. I buy new high-end bindings every few years. But I also pick up used bindings whenever I see something I'm interested in. I have boxes and boxes of parts and often mix and match to customize or test different binding configurations.

Interesting info!

I imagine the straps break on occasion, or parts get worn? My understanding is they don't release -- is there any kind of indemnification list for board bindings?

Are you testing for how they feel/respond?