LENGTH

One of the most important things to consider when buying a pair of skis is the length. Ski length is measured in centimeters (cm). The typical rule of thumb is to choose a pair of skis that when standing up straight, are somewhere in between your chin and the top of your head. In reality, there is nothing that will determine the perfect ski length for you, but there are a few things to consider. Your height, ability, and style of skiing all influence what length of skis are appropriate for you.

HEIGHT

Generally speaking, the length of your touring skis should not differ too much from what you typically use at the resort. Some backcountry skiers choose to size down in order to save weight and make the ski feel a little more maneuverable. This makes kick turns easier and can help navigate tight terrain like steep, narrow couloirs. This is perfectly normal, but it’s worth considering what impact this has on your skiing. It’s no good sizing down for an easier time on the skin track if the turns are no fun! If you find yourself between sizes, erring on the shorter side for your touring ski will usually be a good bet.

Your choice of length depends greatly on your height. The chart below should be referred to as a base guideline when determining what length of the ski to buy.

How to Find the Right Size Skis For Kids:

1. Measure your child’s height and weight.
2. Locate that height on the kids’ ski size chart below.
3. Line up their height with the corresponding ski length to get the correct ski size range.

Kids Ski Size Chart

What if my child is in between the heights listed on the size chart?

Your child might be between two of the heights listed; in that case, find their weight on the chart. If they are light for their height, you’re going to size a ski to the shorter height, and therefore will end up with shorter skis. If they are heavy for their height, you’ll go off the taller height and end up with longer skis.

Reasons to size kids’ skis shorter, closer to the chest:

• They are a beginner or cautious skier.
• Their weight is lighter than average for their height.
• They like to make short, quick turns and seldom ski fast.

Reasons to size kids’ skis longer, closer to the nose:

• They are skiing fast and aggressively.
• They weigh more than average for their height.
• You want to purchase a ski with room to grow. Children grow fast and there are boots and outerwear designed to accommodate this, however, we do not recommend sizing their skis much bigger than the recommended range.

How to Choose Touring Ski Length

ABILITY

Beginners are new to the sport of skiing. They are still learning how to stay in control and maintain balance on their skis. Generally sticking to bunny hills and green runs.

Intermediate skiers are comfortable linking turns together and maintaining balance on their skis. Generally sticking to green and blue runs.

Advanced skiers have learned proper skiing techniques and have a good command of their skis. They are able to ski both on and off-piste and are comfortable at higher speeds. Able to ski most conditions and black runs

Experts ski fast and aggressively with strong technique. They are able to ski safely and in control of any type of terrain, pitch, and snow condition.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Beginner and intermediate skiers will require a ski that is easier to turn. Shorter skis are more maneuverable, so beginners will prefer a ski on the shorter side. Shorter skis are easier to control but are less stable at high speeds. Something from chin to nose length is suggested for beginners/intermediates.

Advanced and expert skiers, especially those who enjoy skiing fast and in variable conditions, may prefer a longer ski. Something between the eyes and the top of the head. Some experts may even prefer a ski that is taller than they are, especially if the skis have a rocker. Rockered skis have a smaller contact surface (where the base of the ski touches the snow) so skiing them at longer lengths is often recommended.

STYLE OF SKIING

You may want a longer ski if …

• YOU SKI FAST, AGGRESSIVELY, AND STRONGLY.
• YOU LIKE TO SKI OFF-PISTE, BIG MOUNTAIN, AND BACKCOUNTRY TERRAIN.
• YOU’RE BUYING RACKERED AND/OR TWIN TIP SKIS.
• YOU ARE AN EXPERT SKIER AND KNOW WHAT YOU WANT.

You may want a shorter ski if ...

• YOU LIKE TO CARVE IT UP WITH SHORT, TECHNICAL TURNS.
• YOU’RE LEARNING TO SKI (BEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE).
• YOU’RE BUYING A SKI WITH TRADITIONAL CAMBER

How to Ski in All Conditions

Everyone dreams of a magical day of floating down the mountain, cutting turns on perfectly groomed runs, and billowing through fresh powder. Unfortunately, snow conditions don’t always measure up to your dreams. 

But don’t worry! The following techniques and tips will help you tackle various snow types. There are also gear recommendations to make gliding through even the most challenging conditions a whole lot easier. Of course, lessons are always a great option if you want to get some “hands-on” experience and pointers as you go.

Ice

Let’s say that the term “hard pack” is too generous and there’s no mistake that you’re skiing on ice. For skiers, it’s easy to tense up and keep your weight on your heels, but this will only result in losing more control on your turns. Instead, put your hands up and stay forward in your stance, leaning downhill on turns to evenly weigh your skis and to prevent the uphill ski from slipping out from under you. Although you want to use your edges to make turns on ice, you should make shorter, quicker turns and refrain from keeping your edges on the surface for an extended period. 

Snowboarders, keep your weight centered on the middle of your feet with knees bent rather than putting too much weight in your heels or toes. Let your board slide with the 

Best gear: Stiff slalom skis with narrow cut work best in these conditions. Stiff all-mountain board with edges sharpened to 90 degrees.

Heavy Snow

There are many names for this type of snow—including “peanut butter” and “wet cement”—none of which sound appealing. While it might not seem like the most inviting consistency to glide through, fighting half-frozen, thick snow will only make things harder on yourself. 

Staying light on your feet with your weight centered is the best way to cope with choppy, inconsistent conditions. You might hit a soft spot one minute and a half-baked block the next. Keeping pressure on the front of your boots, knees bent and hands forward will never be more important. 

Best gear: When you’re working with heavy snow, go with fat skis with a rocker, or a stiff powder board with a slight rocker.

Slush

When the sun is shining and warm spring temperatures out in force, the snow takes a turn for the wet and heavy and if you use the right techniques, you’ll have a blast in the slush. 

The first thing you have to become comfortable with is sliding around and moving with your skis or board. There’s no holding an edge in this stuff, so be prepared to swing wide on your turns. Keep your weight forward, hands up, and make short, quick turns. 

Best gear: Try powder skis with a rocker or a semi-flexible board with a rocker camber when the temps are warm and the snow is slushy.

These days, there are a million and one ski & snowboard sites, publications, and channels that are all vying for your attention.  How do you figure out what gear is best for you in such a sea of information?  Conflicting reviews are everywhere.  Forums are full of people arguing about whether product A is better than B or not.  The fact of the matter is that it can be nearly impossible to get a true indication of a product without having to sift through a whole lot of paid advertising, influencing, bias, etc.  Who can you turn to?  Friends and family that have used the same or similar gear would be a good start.  They won’t steer you wrong.  Beyond that, queue your friendly neighborhood shop!  Small, specialized, independent retailers (like us, and many other shops across the country) spend a lot of time and energy on buying the right products for their customers.  We have the opportunity to demo a huge range of gear, work with excellent brands and sales reps that help guide us through their catalogs, and ultimately, we spend our time on the shop floor talking to customers and getting a sense of what works for them.  We provide ranges of products from trusted manufacturers so that we can provide the best on-hill experiences for our customers.  Independent retailers are hands-on in all aspects, not just determining profit margins or bulk discount buying.  So, if you have questions, direct them to your local shop.  If they carry the products you’re interested in, they’ll give you straight answers about them.  If they don’t, they’ll let you know why, and what would be a potential alternative.  At the end of the day, you, the consumer, are what matters most to small retailers so it’s in our best interest to ensure you’re given the best information possible.  Stop by your local shop to see just what you’ve been missing!

STOP BY AND LET US HELP PICK THE RIGHT SKI OR BOARD FOR YOU!

When a ski boot makes an online publication’s “Best of” list, it does signify that it’s probably a great boot, but that doesn’t mean it’s right for you. These skiers/writers know their stuff, but they don’t have the same feet as you.

But who do you turn to when the Internet can’t be relied upon?

 If only there were a person with expert knowledge about boots and feet, conveniently located where ski equipment is sold.  Let me introduce you to a ski shop boot fitter. A good boot fitter is like a barber and a mechanic wrapped up into one individual. They know ski boots inside and out (literally) and can tailor the right one to an individual’s specific foot and skiing style.

Good boot fitter would sit on the bench for an examination. These types of interactions always started with a conversation: “Where do you normally ski, what type of skiing do you like to do, how often do you ski…” and so on. Then the boots would come off and the liners peeled from the shells. The boot fitter would perform a shell fit — the skier places his bare foot into the plastic ski boot shell with toes just touching the front of the boot and the fitter measures the leftover space in the heel by fingers.

Our shop’s boot fitter spends roughly an hour to analyze a customer’s feet and stance to size them up in multiple pairs of boots from different brands to find just the right one. Most opt for heat-molded custom footbeds and liners. Almost every skier who bought a new pair of boots leaves our shop happy, with a strong notion that the experience and the cost were worth it. 

PS. IN OUR SKI SHOP WE TAKE CARE OF YOUR FEET

Qualified sales person provide boots that fit your feet

SHOPPING:

Don’t be greedy, the common reason why people fall for scams is that they are greedy. Scams are usually offering a deal that is too good to be true. An example of a scam is an advertisement is offering a advance ski package for $200.

Now a day the world is growing enormously in many technologies. Many modern new technology mobile phones do have internet facilities. So it is the other way for the people to purchase the product through mobile phones if they got an internet connection

While online shopping has many advantages, it has also got its own drawbacks. Not every online shopper is happy with their online shopping experiences. You can say more than half of online shoppers might face problems while shopping online. In this blog, we will discuss various disadvantages of online shopping.

The internet has changed how we shop. But for many things, you’re still better off buying the old-fashioned way.

Online stores are highly competitive, not only with other online stores but also with brick-and-mortar competitors. Price-comparison websites make deal hunting easier and also help guide shoppers to online stores with the best reputations by posting reviews submitted by other shoppers.

Fraud in online shopping is the biggest disadvantage of online shopping.  Many people are attracted by great offers which seem too good to be true. Fake online shopping portals display some great products on the website and attract customers to buy the product. Usually, websites which sell fake products instead of the genuine article, do not accept cash on delivery and request customers to make an online payment. But, in the end, customers will either receive the fake product or they will not receive the product at all. There are many cases of cybercrime where customers debit or credit cards details are misused to make fraudulent transactions

With the click of a mouse, you can order everything from clothing to food. However, there are some items you should just buy at a brick-and-mortar store. Certain purchases could be a risky buy if you put them in your virtual cart and have them shipped to you, sight unseen. Sometimes, a picture on a website isn’t enough information to go on, even if there are reviews. But online shopping isn’t for everything.

Our Knowledgeable Staff

Specialty stores have an advantage when it comes to staffing and training. Employees only need to know or learn about one type of merchandise. For example, a Ski shop or sporting goods store can employ sales staff with backgrounds in team sports and personal fitness. This provides an advantage over general retailers, whose staff are less likely to know about all of the products available to customers

Disadvantages of Shopping Online

Sometimes a deal that looks great falls short of what has been advertised. Communicating dissatisfaction can be difficult online and often takes enormous patience and tenacity to achieve satisfaction. Problem-solving face-to-face with local store employees is often faster and more satisfying. Contacting the next level of management is much easier at local stores than online.

Clothing from a brand you’ve never worn

It’s not uncommon to be a different size depending on the brand. You could take a chance and rely on the size chart (if there is one), but why go through the hassle of receiving the wrong size and having to make a return? Save yourself the headache and head on over to the store for clothing from a brand you’re not familiar with. Colors also tend to look different online, so if you’re particular about color, that’s another reason it pays to make your purchase in a physical store.

• Online shoppers do not have the ability to physically inspect or try on the items being considered for purchase.
• Online shoppers sometimes lose the power to negotiate the price and payment terms that may exist in local stores.
• Items ordered online are sometimes back-ordered, but shoppers may not find out until weeks later. This is particularly problematic when buying gifts.
• Online shoppers do not always know if a site is a legitimate retail store and if is safe to shop.
• Restocking and shipping costs are often charged on returns.
• Online shoppers often do not have a person (or the same person) to talk to when dealing with a problem.
• It is sometimes easier to get the money refunded locally when the item purchased drops in price within the guaranteed price period.

Hidden costs and shipping charges

When you first see the product on a portal, it generally looks cheaper. But when you proceed with the payment, the extra charges like shipping charges, tax and packing charges are added.  These charges will make the product expensive vis-a-vis the local store. Some portals offer free shipping if you shop more than a certain amount. Sometimes just to avail free shipping, you end up shopping more than your requirement.

Lack of interaction

In case of offline shopping, sales assistants shower personal attention on customers and give complete details on the product. If you have any queries, you can ask right there. But, this does not happen in the case of online shopping. All you can do is see the picture and read the description. Some portals allow shoppers check the customer reviews.

Returning the product

There is an option to return the product, if you do not like it. But again, it is a big headache. The return policy differs from one company to other. In case of some online shopping portals, customers have to bear the cost of returning the product.