Ski Gear Recommendations Needed.

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RustedFox

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Wife and I are headed to Jackson Hole in February for various winter activities.
She'd like to try skiing for the first time.
I grew up with a mom who worked for the Nat'l Ski Patrol, so I was on skis before I was fully potty-trained.
However, it has been a long time since I hit the slopes.

We need gear recommendations. Plug your favorite stuff.
Go!
 
Wife and I are headed to Jackson Hole in February for various winter activities.
She'd like to try skiing for the first time.
I grew up with a mom who worked for the Nat'l Ski Patrol, so I was on skis before I was fully potty-trained.
However, it has been a long time since I hit the slopes.

We need gear recommendations. Plug your favorite stuff.
Go!
Icelantic Nomads - super fun, playful ski.
 
Buy a snowboard instead.

But what I would do is go to a ski shop and try on lots of different boots. Brand doesn’t matter so much as comfort and you’ll only figure that out by trying them on. She will want shorter skis, can probably just go to a resale place like playitagain sports or something. Outer gear also doesn’t matter it’s just a matter of how much you wanna spend. You could spend $50 on snow pants or $500. The $500 pair will definitely look better, last longer and be better in the rain/slush but if you don’t plan to go often, prolly not worth it. The best sales for gear and wear happen around March/April and you can snag great stuff for 30-40% off.

Have fun bro, you should come to the Tahoe conference with me, Han, and Andy.
 
are you buying equipment? I wouldn’t buy skis for either of you (especially her) unless you’re committed to spending a lot of time on the slopes. If you’re going to buy anything, spend some money on boots, preferably with a certified pedorthist bootfitter (there are several in Jackson). That will make skiing that much more comfortable and enjoyable , especially for a beginner. Then Just rent skis. Skis will not matter for a never-ever person, and you can just pay for demos and switch out throughout the day. Try all the latest and greatest.

Personally, I’m a Blizzard person. I have Brahmas, Bonafides, and Rustler 10’s. Bonafides are my daily driver and overall fave. They are all a bit stiff and require some strength to really get performance. Other skis I’ve enjoyed are Volkl Mantras and Rossi Soul 7’s. Rossi experience 88’s are a good all around choice as well. Kind of depends what kind of terrain/snow you’re dealing with.
 
Another consideration is that Jackson is a pretty rough place to ski for the first time. Extremely limited green terrain, basically just off Teewinot chair. Apart from that area, the terrain tends to be reeeeeal steep, even the “easy blues”. If you’re not planning to throw the wife into lessons and are gonna try to ski together, it’s gonna get really boring real fast. And god help a man trying to teach his wife to ski. The temptation to lead her down something “a little more fun” can quickly turn into “all aboard the divorce train”!
 
I shoulda been more specific ...

Coats/pants/soft gear only.

We're renting skis. She is taking a lesson at Snow King. If she likes it, then we'll go from there.
 
If you envision skiing together long term with her enjoying it then invest the time and money to maximize her chances of learning appropriately and having fun. Stick her in ski school and then hire a private instructor for her for at least half a day (or more). Once she finds her legs then spend a day skiing greens with her and stopping often to get food/beer and make sure she’s having fun. Set expectations early so she doesn’t think you’ll be with her 100% of the day, and you can go enjoy some blacks or off piste or whatever.

She needs a good beginner/intermediate ski that’s not too long, not too heavy, has good flex and is forgiving. Maybe pair of Rossi Sky 7s (Upgrade to their Sin 7 line), it’s part of their freestyle line and prob more up her alley.

Demo skis honestly is the way to go. Hell, I still demo on virtually all of my trips. Sure, it may be a bit more expensive in the long run but unless you guys are going to be skiing 30+ days out of year, just rent. The thing I enjoy the most is that you get to check out all the latest gear. Plus, I’m doing diff stuff on diff days and prefer a ski to match the terrain. I’m day 3 at Steambost as I type this and for example I’ve been on some Nordica Enforcer 93s 177 last 2 days for speed runs and carving, however I swapped them out for some Salomon QST 92s 169 because I skied tons of bumps, crud and moguls today. For the bumps I personally want more flex and shorter length that’s more responsive with a tighter turning radius. Demo rentals is the way to go IMO as long as you remember to take advantage of the fact that you can swap them out anytime depending on what you have planned for the day.

If I had to pick an all mountain fav it would prob be Blizzard Brahma, Völkl Mantra, Nordica Enforcer or Salomon QST. All are fun, playful, intuitive and can handle just about anything the mountain has to offer. The Nordica is a much stiffer ski though.

Have fun!
 
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I shoulda been more specific ...

Coats/pants/soft gear only.

We're renting skis. She is taking a lesson at Snow King. If she likes it, then we'll go from there.

Ah, I don’t have much suggestions for clothing. I’ve gone through lots of clothing and currently love my hestra 3 finger leather gloves. I’m currently wearing a Spyder Jacket with ripped right pocket where my dog chewed it out to get to some dog treats with Spyder pants with ripped right leg near boot that I’m about to duct tape. Had a pair of North face ski pants last year that also got ripped to shreds. Anything that keeps you warm. I’m not much on brands per say. Just get something cheap from your local outfitter.
 
You want to get a nice high quality shell for your jacket, then layer appropriately depending on the weather that day. Don't get those big heavy jackets that look warm. They are bulky and usually don't give you good water resistance, and not to mention will make you melt if you happen to have a warm day. Something like this will suffice:

Men's Ceptor Jacket | United States
 
Also, ask your colleagues/friends if they have pants/coats. Many will already have the gear and will let you borrow... but don't get anything super big or bulky for "extra room", all it does is hinder your ability to move. Buy your own basic goggles, get a base pair that has an amber lens --NOTHING FANCY-- they get trashed and are not worth the $$$, but put some $ into gloves. Hit up costco for handwarmers/toe warmers. Hands/toes go first, everything after that is easy. I'll put a plug in for Cabela's Pinnacle glove, I've used them for years... As a background I have skied since I was two, raced internationally, and coach ski racing currently. I spend a LOT of days on the snow. Cabela's Men's Pinnacle Gloves with GORE-TEX® : Cabela's

If you're intent on buying coat/pants, look at ebay. There are plenty of good deals that will suffice. I offload sponsored gear there every year that would cost a ton new.. I've worn it once and need to get rid of it for the next seasons incoming gear.
 
If you're thinking that you'll hitting the slopes on a regular basis I highly recommend investing in Arc'teryx gear. You pay a premium but their shells are absolutely bomb-proof and will last forever.

Non-gear recommendation: don't be your wife's ski coach. That never seems to end well. She should definitely invest in some lessons for her first day or two.
 
Man, I’m all about cheap gear at this point. I don’t know what I’m doing. I just got back and now my zipper is broke on this barely one year old Spyder jacket which wasn’t cheap. I did wipe out in epic fashion going through some trees so maybe that’s what did it. Grrr. TC, let us know when you throw all that used gear up on eBay, hook us up!

Speaking of gear, has anyone tried out those nifty, comfy looking Apex boots? I keep getting instagram ads for them. They look like snowboarding boots that bolt into a hard shell that stays on your skis. I’ve never quite seen anything like them. Pricey though.
 
Speaking of gear, has anyone tried out those nifty, comfy looking Apex boots? I keep getting instagram ads for them. They look like snowboarding boots that bolt into a hard shell that stays on your skis. I’ve never quite seen anything like them. Pricey though.

I tried them out a few years ago. Total garbage (for skiing). Great to walk in. Sure, they're super comfy, but all that "give" gives up any semblance of fine control. Boot fit just has to be firm (though not necessarily painful) for 1:1 input😳utput of movement.
 
Get a helmet. I got helmets for the family at Costco last year. They were a good deal, comfy, warm, and stylish. Just make sure your goggles fit well with the helmet.
 
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