How to Buy Skis

Ski technology advanced dramatically during the 1990s when new materials and designs came together in easy-to-use, high-performance skis. Ski design used to be race-driven, so everyone skied on slalom or giant slalom skis. Today it's largely driven by free-skiers who favor all kinds of terrain, including chutes and bowls, and skis now commonly defy categorization.

Instructions

1. When buying skis of any variety, seasonality matters. Start looking in early spring and plan to purchase that year's models by late spring. f you wait to buy until the snow starts to fly in the fall, you'll pay a premium for the new models.

2. Buy alpine skis for downhill skiing. Within these, there are a number of variations depending on what type of skier you are. All-mountain skis have good versatility for the do-everything, mid-sized adult. They're great for cruising groomed runs and making the occasional foray into other terrain. Mid-fat and fat skis are for powder hounds, as they're shorter and excel in deep powder and soft snow. These are stiff and demanding skis, designed for accomplished skiers. Slalom racing skis are shorter by the year, it seems, offering great speed and quick turning on firm snow. Poor for deep snow and ungroomed terrain. Twin-tips are for tricksters looking to cruise a half pipe, in part because the bindings are mounted farther forward on the ski.

3. Buy cross-country skis for lightweight, self-propelled travel. These can go on most types of terrain and are often easier to use without wax. They come in two varieties, generally: Racing and touring. Racing skis are a bit narrower than touring skis.

4. Give the new gear a try--you might be surprised by how much your skiing improves. Talk to the experts at ski shops and sporting goods stores to help you narrow down your choices in each category.