Alpine skiing is a great total body workout that burns anywhere from 300 to 600 calories an hour. It is a physically demanding sport, exercising your core, glutes, thighs and hamstrings. It also provides an effective upper body workout through the use of your poles. It is a great way to get outside and stay in shape through the winter. Once you have experimented with different types of rental and demo gear for a few months, it is time to seriously consider buying your own equipment.
What to Look for
The most important variables in a pair of skis are length, width, side cut and flex or camber. All these variables will affect the maneuverability of your skis. It is important to consider what kind of terrain you will ski most as you shop. Long, wide skis provide float over powder snow but are more difficult to turn and maneuver and are not as effective in icy, hard pack conditions. Skis with a high degree of flex, or camber, provide a lot of spring and movement and are great for skiing in terrain parks because they provide a lot of cushion for landing off of big jumps or rails. However skis with a high degree of camber are not as useful in big mountain skiing.
Skis with a big side cut are great for carving hard turns into icy, groomed runs or race courses but do not function as efficiently in the park or while big mountain skiing. As skiers become more elite they usually prefer to own several pairs of skis: one set for powder days, one set for the park and one set for all mountain use. If you plan on ski racing, you should invest in a specialized pair for that as well. If you are not sure what kind of skiing you want to specialize in, or if you are just starting out, you should purchase a pair of all mountain skis. These will be of average length for your height, and average width, camber and side cut. They are designed to perform soundly on all areas of the mountain. All major ski brands make a few models of all mountain skis; demo some brands to see what you like best.
Common Pitfalls
Don't buy skis that are too short. If you are just starting out in the sport, demo and rent skis until you start to feel more comfortable with the length recommended for your height. Many people buy short skis because they are easier to learn on, but they make it hard to progress to intermediate and advanced levels of skiing.
Member Comments