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Skiing equipment purchases that you regret/have regretted

Pacobillie

Putting on skis
Skier
Joined
Dec 20, 2015
Posts
99
I will start: powder skis. IMHO, they are unnecessary for resort skiing, even on powder days. A 98 mm wide ski can handle any in-bounds powder day anywhere if you are proficient in powder. Snow Cat skiing in bottomless snow is a different story.
 

Bill Miles

Old Man Groomer Zoomer
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 16, 2015
Posts
1,315
Location
Hailey, Idaho
Pair of Langes when they first came out. Never fit right, especially in arch of foot, and trying to get them fixed didn't help.
 

Ogg

Skiing the powder
Skier
Joined
Jun 3, 2017
Posts
3,484
Location
Long Island, NY
My first pair of skis. I was a complete novice and bought a pair of completely hammered Dynastar Vertical Assaults with Marker Demo bindings and whatever boots they were selling with them because my foot fit in them and they didn't hurt.
ETA:Also my 19-20 full Ikon pass that I only got to use 6 days at the JHMR gathering.
 

James

Out There
Instructor
Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
24,453
Never buy used skis unseen unless you know how the owner skis/takes care of skis/tuning history. Skis can be ruined by owners or shops dulling the edges.
 

Après Skier

Amateur Skier & Professional Curmudgeon
Skier
Joined
Mar 22, 2020
Posts
182
Location
PACA
I once bought a tin of liquid wax to help glide through the sticky-icky spring snow. The wax worked reasonably well on my skis but it made such a mess... ruined one of my favorite jackets.
 

dovski

Waxing my skis and praying for snow
Skier
Joined
Jan 7, 2018
Posts
2,866
Location
Seattle
Trace GPS Tracker - a gift from my wife that I never ever used - did not even make it out of the packaging. She got it as a surprise so I could track my skiing and thought it would be a killer gift. Then I showed her my Slopes app on my iPhone and things kind of went south from there. Neat concept if it came like 10 years earlier, but unfortunately their tech was outdated before the product even launched. Besides who really wants to glue a hockey puck sized device to their skis.
 

markojp

mtn rep for the gear on my feet
Industry Insider
Instructor
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
6,604
Location
PNW aka SEA
A pair of Black Diamond telemark skis around 1997 or 8. Can't remember the model, but they absolutely sucked.

(Late edit.. they were made OEM in the atomic factory in Austria.)
 
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jt10000

步步高升
Skier
Joined
Apr 21, 2019
Posts
1,128
Location
New York City
Not quite regret since the purchases made sense at the time and I used them, but I've got a ton of fluourinated waxes and pure fluoros from when I was racing XC skis and got deals, and am nowhere near using them up since I've stopped racing and fluoros are increasingly being banned.

I guess I bought too much.

In general I tend to overbuy things, especially when I like them and can get them at good prices. For example, I've got many many baselayers, some new in their bags, that I like, but newer/better ones have since come out, so I'm not using them all up.

I also have several pairs of gloves I got when I got serious into alpine skiing that I like, but should have bought in a larger size. They fit and work fine, but would more flexible in terms of temperature ranges if got them larger so I could more easily use liners in them. I can just barely squeeze in very thin liners.
 

Rich_Ease_3051

Getting off the lift
Pass Pulled
Joined
May 16, 2021
Posts
734
Location
Sydney
Just bought my first skis, Deacon V Werks, as my first skis after being on rentals for 3 years. No demo no nothing.

Don't know if I'll regret them. I'll find out in a month.

But if I do...a quiver is born.
 
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Rich_Ease_3051

Getting off the lift
Pass Pulled
Joined
May 16, 2021
Posts
734
Location
Sydney
Skis can be ruined by owners or shops dulling the edges.

I don't know anything about tuning. Dulled edges cannot be resharpened? Please do educate me why this happens and how I can prevent it.
 

Rich_Ease_3051

Getting off the lift
Pass Pulled
Joined
May 16, 2021
Posts
734
Location
Sydney
I also have several pairs of gloves I got when I got serious into alpine skiing that I like, but should have bought in a larger size. They fit and work fine, but would more flexible in terms of temperature ranges if got them larger so I could more easily use liners in them. I can just barely squeeze in very thin liners.

I bought a pair that's one size too small. Was my first pair and found out they were too tight only when I was using them on the hill.

Ripped out the thick liners and, pairing them with thin merino liners, were perfect as spring gloves.
 

SkiSpeed

Getting off the lift
Skier
Joined
Aug 17, 2017
Posts
156
Location
VT
Head Monster 98 in 184…the ski is a beast, but at 184, much too heavy underfoot for me and my lower back told me that ASAP.
 

jt10000

步步高升
Skier
Joined
Apr 21, 2019
Posts
1,128
Location
New York City
I bought a pair that's one size too small. Was my first pair and found out they were too tight only when I was using them on the hill.

Ripped out the thick liners and, pairing them with thin merino liners, were perfect as spring gloves.
My glove ideas come from cross-country ski racing - where a perfect (snug but not too tight) is important for feel when poling. And that doesn't seem important at all on lift-served skiing.
 

slow-line-fast

Out on the slopes
Inactive
Joined
Feb 3, 2021
Posts
932
Location
snow
75mm boots, after previous 75mm boots disintegrated. I should have swapped the binding at the same time to NNN BC.
 

Scruffy

Making fresh tracks
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 16, 2015
Posts
2,429
Location
Upstate NY
I bought a couple of different Atomic Beta skis in that series at the turn of the century, and I never warmed up to them.
 

fatbob

Not responding
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
6,288
So OP, I think we can see a certain pattern or agenda emerging re the threads you start, what powder skis exactly have you bought that you have regretted and what conditions and places have you used them in before you had those categoric regrets?
 

my07mcx2

Getting off the lift
Skier
Joined
Jan 7, 2018
Posts
365
Location
Tulsa, Ok
My Hanson ski boots. was skiing at Taos I the 80's and the only buckle snapped while a steep run. and warranty took forever.
 

skibum4ever

Making fresh tracks
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 18, 2015
Posts
871
My husband and I demoed and purchased Volant Chubbs when they first came out. They were wonderful. Then we each bought a pair of Titanium Chubbs at a demo sale in Aspen. They were really stiff and neither of us could ski them decently.
 

Jilly

Lead Cougar
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
6,412
Location
Belleville, Ontario,/ Mont Tremblant, Quebec
Atomic Vantage 95C's. Too long and too wide for me.
Rossi Axial left over bindings for a pair of Temptation 88's. I would probably still have those skis, but those bindings were PITA
Rossi Hero MT Ca. Too soft.
Dynastar SLC's I think - no demo, too stiff.
There are a few jackets, gloves etc too.
 

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