Ski purchase - local or online?

A snowHead

I shall preface by saying I do try to support local businesses, to a point.

I have managed to wear down the wife and convinced her that I should buy my own skis. Laughing

She has offered to get me a pair for my birthday. Isn’t that lovely?

We only have one more weekend of skiing this season, in March, so I’m not going to bother getting skis for then, but next season we’re planning at least two weeklong trips (and I may see if I can sneak in some more, but we shall see…). Plan is to pick some up March/April time when I’m hoping to see some decent discounts (and hopefully the skis I have my eye on are still available in the correct size!).

I guess my query is how far should I go to support my local ski store? We bought our boots there as they were providing the very important role of boot fitting, so I felt the extra cost was worth it for the service provided. However, with skis, whilst I would like to support them, I’m not sure the extra cost is worthwhile? I believe I know which skis I’d like, from doing research online and trying them out form the rental store. With current offers, the difference in cost is around a 40% markup locally, which is not insignificant. The cheapest price is one of the French outlets, whilst the local place is a 30 min drive away. If I were to have issues, it would probably be far easier to get them sorted with the local store. This is all dependent on the local place still having stock of the skis I’m after when I come to purchase in March/April, of course.

So, local or online? Is there a tangible benefit to buying skis locally? As a bonus question: There’s already decent looking deals on, am I ok to wait for what I’m guessing will be bigger sales in a couple of months, or am I running the risk of missing out on the skis I’ve got my eye on for possible little improvement in price?

Thanks!

A snowHead

French outlets - thing I'd be checking is making sure whatever VAT etc is included. It's not always post Brexit (although a lot of them are more sorted these days, there's some weirdly complex tax rules on higher ticket items).

I'm all for supporting local but not it any cost. If it's genuinely 40% cheaper elsewhere then not a chance. I'd pay a bit more for the convenience and to support local though.

I think the thing with skis and snowboards is that you're buying a commodity once you know what you're after.

As a comparison, my snowboard gear - 2 boards bought from non-local but boots and bindings are both local as I spent ages trying them on, they let me try out Step Ons on the slope there (actually borrowed the owners boots). Service was impeccable.

I also get both boards serviced by them. Could do it myself but they save me the hassle and I suspect they make more margin out of that sort of stuff than a board.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

By "local" do you mean in the resort you are at or somewhere in the UK?

I would have a look around the local ski shops when you are skiing in March, or preferably later and see what discounts they are offering on new skis but pay particular attention to ex rental stock, then try them out before buying. An even better idea would be during the summer when the ski shop owners have time to discuss the options with you. In any case be prepared to barter.

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Given the hassle of owning your own skis, why do you want to own? Personally I wouldn't bother if it wasn't for me wanting something specific.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@Cardo, I don't know of any benefit by shopping locally (in the UK) for skis. I've bought all mine from Ekosport or Glisshop. I suspect they are cheaper mostly based on scale. Customer service was fine for me.

If you do want to support your local shop you could just front up and say you prepared to pay a bit more to use them but not 40% more and see what they come back with. But honestly I'm not sure they will be able to come withing 10/15% price difference which is where I might be tempted.

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I’d work out what skis you want first then find out where to buy them. I agree with supporting my local shop but Local / UK ski shops carry a limited range and I wouldn’t want to be pushed towards something just because they have it in stock or on sale.

Pay for a ski hire option for your March trip that allows you to exchange skis then try as many of the kind you like to help you focus on what you want. Also read the many threads here about buying skis.

Once you’ve decided then look for where to buy them.

Finally, if you decide to buy from an EU retailer they will deduct local VAT but add UK vat and possibly import duty and handling fees all on top of postage. Instead ask them to ship the skis a week in advance directly to your hotel. Postage will most likely be free and no import costs + you save on outbound ski carriage.

Btw don’t forget to get poles also. Double check your length in March. Adjustable ones are more versatile.

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@Cardo, don't forget you'll need to pay to get somewhere to set up the bindings if you buy them online (unless you're comfortable doing that yourself).

After all it is free

@Cardo, Simple really

Boots: With a fitter you trust wherever that is. If in resort Ok. If in UK then Ok. For me it is a 200+ mile round trip in UK to the one I trust.

Skis: If you know the exact model and length you want then online cheapest source possible, if that is Glisshop then there are no VAT/Customs traps to watch out for, others I am not sure about. If you aren't sure then in resort is probably best, do a deal with a hire shop that will refund hire charges against purchase price. I've just been lucky enough to pick up on Ebay the exact model of ski I wanted, brand new in wrappers, previous years graphics at less than 50% of full retail. It took a while of scouring Ebay though. Previous skis I have bought have tended to be bought in the summer just as the model I wanted had been discontinued so attracting big discounts.

As for waiting for the best deal against missing the skis is a very fine line whether to hope to save another £20 or £30 against not getting what you want is difficult but £20 is less than the cost of a round of drinks that we don't think twice about.

Glisshop will set your bindings for you if you supply Height, weight, age, boot length and mondo size.

Don't forget direct with the brand (in some instances) . . .I purchased my Octos last season direct from Black Crows and they also fitted the Marker Griffon bindings of my choice at a reduced price - the whole package inc delivery was cheaper than anyone else online which was surprising . . .no added import taxes etc either . . .

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Let me fix that for you wink

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@sugarmoma666, Agree - other than drilling the holes to fit your boots / fitting the bindings I'd always get them checked prior to skiing (unless you can do this yourself)

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Learn how to do it yourself, it's not difficult. You should have an idea of what DIN to run and a quick Google will tell you how to set forward pressure on whichever bindings you're running. I certainly wouldn't want to rely on what Glisshop had decided I should have my DIN at.

I skied for 10 years (probably 150-200 days) on a binding that Glisshop set up. Yes I double checked before I skied on it but I didn’t need to change anything.

You know it makes sense.

I bought a pair of skis in a shop in Corvara on New Year's Day, and skied on them for the last day of the holiday. I gave them a boot to fit, of course. When packing, I took a photo of the binding positions then took the bindings off the rails for packing. When I came to fit them back on, I found they were set 8mm too far apart!

Re Glisshop or any other shop choosing DIN settings, they are all using the same standard calculation: these days it's an app or a website. You can download them from your App store: you just have to agree to a disclaimer that it's for information only and you will take your skis to a qualified technician.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@hammerite, and that's the key, you checked. I'm not saying that they'll definitely get it wrong, just that I'd want to check.

A snowHead

I would always give a local shop the opportunity. I do this also when buying cars. I determine the cost I can get the car for, then decide how much of a "premium" I am willing to live with at my local dealer. If he can't get within that boundary I will just get the car from wherever it is cheapest (normally set a pretty small premium level). Do the same with your local ski shop, just give them a call and see what they can offer the skis at. Do take into account you can get them properly set up for your boots etc.

A snowHead

IMO it depends how well you know your local shop (and they know you).

In the past, once I knew what ski I wanted, I've checked online suppliers for prices and then asked the local/UK shop if they could price match or get close without slitting there own throats. They've were always honest whether they could or couldnt. Where bindings/fitting were needed I've let the local shop do that. I've even had (at their suggestion) the skis delivered direct to the local shop.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I'm with @adithorp on this. My local shop said that the margin in the skis themselves is not so good (they're not a huge outfit) so the reason the big online players can offer such low prices is volume based. A smaller local shop will not have the same volume and they also need to deal with distributors, transport, storage etc. As such, my local shop was also fine with my buying the skis online and then buying from them, and paying for fitting, the bindings. So, I pay them for the higher margin items and everyone is happy.

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@Harry Flashman, I have my own skis, often travel with 2 sets and service them myself, so I know the score. Because I travel with 2 sets I nearly always need luggage in addition to the ski bag (especially with EJ where the limit is 20kg).

I just don't think that having your own pair is always the right answer for everyone. It is rarely 240eur to hire for a week (so your 40eur per day isn't really comparable) and there is a certain hassle factor to travelling with skis.

Tbh, if I just wanted something all mountain then I'd stick with hiring

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All good points. And the hassle factor is massive. I only travel with skis a couple of times a year, and frankly it is hateful. If I can cabin bag boots and kit I may just do this next year on these short trips.

Also, hiring skis means you get to try new ones!

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Mine have all came from abroad, except one set of skis that came locally.

I gave my local a chance to price up some Black Crows and they ended up being cheaper than I ended up paying (left it too late and the local couldn't get them).

I've had good deals but I've also had some headaches along the way, as detailed in older threads.

If it's a new model I'll always give the locals a chance to price up, if it's end of season it just comes down to who has what I want.

After all it is free

Thanks all for the replies. Sounds like I’ll probably end up buying online, as the prices are considerably cheaper than local (gotta love those SE England markups!). The various stores I’ve looked at do ask for all my details to set up the bindings, however I have looked up videos on how to adjust them correctly and it doesn’t appear to be too complex. I already know my din setting as that’s what they use every time I’ve rented, a very modest 6.

I appreciate owning skis is not a particularly cost effective solution, but I am a creature of habit and I know what I like, so I’d rather be using my skis than random rented ones when I head out to play.

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@Cardo, … owning your own skis

Has some real advantages
Really helpful in developing technique
Encourages you to learn about them
Encourages you to learn to service them
You have decent edges all the time
You have correct DIN and forward pressure

And when travelling with them gets you down remember the following

Hire shop:
We’re a bit busy right now come back in an hour - or three
Sorry you ordered those but we actually don’t have them
What do you mean these are blunt as “@@@ and you want decent edges
What do you mean they were damaged before you had them that’s a 200 euro penalty
No you really do need this higher DIN setting
You changed the shop-set DIN? That’s your insurance invalidated then
Sorry we’re closing
On you last day you’d better get here at eight rather than ski the morning before you travel

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@Cardo, A big part of your choice of supplier should depend on what type of ski you are intending to buy as they fall into two distinctive groups, The "flat" ski and the commercial rail mounted skis.

Generally but not necessarily always

Flat skis will require you to choose not just the ski but the type of binding that will be suitable for you intended use and then have to have them professionaly fixed to the ski to suit your ski boot length which will usually require the fitter to have your boot to ensure the perfect fit.

Skis with rail mounted bindings are designed to fit a wide range of boot lengths. For example the Rossignol Konect system used with their NX and SPX bindings caters for boot lengths between 260mm and 375mm. Providing the bindings are set to the correct length then the forward pressure will automatically be correct but obviously the indicator should be checked.

I've had 2 pairs of skis from Glisshop and both came set up perfectly, they were also very helpful when I had managed to bend a brake arm which they replaced free of charge.

and remember that if you must fly Swiss economy fares include ski carriage which generally makes them cheaper than EJ etc.

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We've always bought online towards the end of the season. Besides the cost of rental (seems to be increasing a lot), we can just get onto the slopes straight away. Sport Conrad or Ekosport have been good to buy from; Ultrafun as well if you're after racier gear. If buying from Sport Conrad and you're going to Austria or Germany, shipping is free - we have had gear sent to our accommodation with no issues. If you sign up for newsletters, there's another €10 off IIRC.

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Ski purchase - local or online?

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