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If you've ever gone shopping for ski equipment, you know how expensive buying new equipment can be. Skis can be spendy on their own, but you also need to purchase the necessary accessories: bindings, poles, boots and much more.
Although purchasing new ski equipment can be a good investment in the long run, you may want to consider buying used equipment to save some money.
Travis Moise, owner of Utah Ski Gear and elite skiier, points out six of the most common issues to look out for when buying used ski gear. These are issues Moise and his wife, Esther, have seen firsthand after selling nearly 1,000 used skis over the past four years.
1. Twin-tip skiDesigned for skiing applications such as half-pipes, terrain parks and rails, twin-tip skis are designed for trick use, backward, and on and over objects. When used on rails, the metal edges on the skis can get destroyed, especially right underneath the skier's feet where they land.
"The funny thing is this is actually kind of hard to notice because the rest of the ski could still be in good condition, but the edges, just under the feet, where you need edges the most, are compressed and cracked," Moise said.
Before purchasing a nice-looking pair of twin-tip skis, be sure to check those metal edges right underneath where your feet would go to see if they are in as good of condition as the rest of the skis appear to be.
2. Race ski
Since racers want to go as fast as possible, the metal edges on true race skis start off thin. This is because the less edge you have, the more base waxed material you also have, allowing you to gain speed. Racers require the precision of a sharp edge, and therefore are continuously resharpening the already thin edges.
If you happen to see a pair of race skis that look like new, be mindful that there might be almost no edge left if they have been raced on frequently.
3. Proper binding
Most of the liability in skiing lies with the bindings. The bindings have to be adjusted to properly release the ski boot. This adjustment should be carried out in a ski shop by a ski technician who is trained either by the manufacturer or by another certifying body such as Vermont Ski Safety.
All binding manufactures keep a list of bindings that they support and ones that are older and no longer support. These are known as “Indemnified” and “Non-Indemnified” bindings. Most ski shops have a copy of the indemnification list.
If you purchase a used ski and the bindings in “Non-Indemnified,” most shops will simply refuse to touch it, and instead try to sell you a new binding. This means the inexpensive used ski you just bought may not be so cheap after you buy $100+ bindings.
4. Proper mounting
According to the ski and bindings manufacturers policy, a ski can be mounted no more than three times. Each new mount means you are drilling more holes in the ski.
Eventually the ski will be weakened and break. Although it's rare to see a ski break because it’s been mounted too many times, you will run into two problems with a ski with excessive mounts.
• Most ski shops stay away from mounting skis that have been mounted several times before for liability purposes. You are then stuck either trying to figure out how to mount it yourself, throwing the ski away or using it to make art (bench made from skis, anyone?).
• If you do take the risk to remount skis over and over you may have a problem with the new screws. Previous mounts could have left holes nearby, preventing you from being able to mount the skis again or forcing you to shift the mount forward or backward from where you would like it.
5. A good ski with a bad tune
Several years ago, Moise purchased used and popular high-performance skis before heading to a Professional Ski Instructors of America event. When he got there, he realized the skis weren't allowing him to ski to his full potential.
"I felt like I couldn't ski. When I left that day, feeling totally defeated and embarrassed, I was ready to sell them and never have to look at them again," Moise said.
Before selling the skis, Moise decided to tune them up. Once they were tuned, a fellow skier was interested in purchasing the skis and took them on a test run. He came back to Moise, saying he loved the skis. Moise didn't believe him, so he tested them himself. Sure enough, they were near perfect.
"This ski was supposedly tuned up when I bought them. The problem was there was a micro-bur on the ski edge — very common but easy to fix," Moise said.
Even the best of skis can be a nightmare to ski if they haven’t been tuned or have a bad tune job. A bad tune up can be much worse than no tune, so be careful of where you take your skis to be tuned.
As the ski season starts in Utah, don't be dooped by purchasing used skis without first looking them over for the things mentioned here. Remember to be safe enjoy the best mother nature has to offer.
