Somebody gave me some free skis - can I make them work for me?

Hi,
I got a gift of some used Dynastar Supra Omega skis. They appear to be
195 in length if I'm reading them right. The edges appear to be fine.
The bottoms have no gouges. Salomon Driver 797 bindings are in
excellent condition. The boots are by Lange and seem to be a good fit.

I'm 6'0" tall and an intermediate skier.

I took these skis out for a test run for a few hours and while I was
getting down the mountain okay, I was a bit unstable and fell a couple
of times also. I can't blame the skis altogether since I'm out of
practice and the snow conditions were poor - uneven spring conditions.
Very sloppy.

So what I'm asking is, from people who really know equipment: I can
see these are not "shaped" skis. Are these skis entirely obsolete?
When were they made? And am I doing myself a disservice by using them?
What type of skier are these particular skis designed for? What are
the strengths of this ski and what are the weaknesses?

Money is tight but I will buy a different used ski if I feel it will
make a big difference.

I have a big 3-day ski trip coming up at Whistler and I want to have a
good time, not have white knuckles the whole way down or falling and
unstable. I really don't have a good understanding of how a type of
ski can affect the ski experience (although like most people I've
found a good shaped ski, even rented, to be very easy to handle).

The fact that they are 195s makes me a bit concerned because I've been
told that longer skis are harder to control, but on the other hand,
I'm sure that length is a relative measurement and depends what sort
of ski you are using and straighter skis tend to be longer.

I'm a casual skier (probably because I don't have my own skis!) and
until now have rented skis whenever I needed them. Nevertheless I have
become proficient and can maneuver down black diamonds without
breaking my neck. Obviously rentals are not ideal and I'd like to
settle in with one particular set of skis so I can improve and not
always spend half the day adjusting to different skis.

Any advice, comments or suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks.

wrote:

I got a gift of some used Dynastar Supra Omega skis. They appear to be
195 in length if I'm reading them right.... I can
see these are not "shaped" skis. Are these skis entirely obsolete?

Yes.

When were they made?

No idea.

And am I doing myself a disservice by using them?

Probably. If you enjoy skiing on them, go for it, but you would probably
enjoy it a lot more if you got something more modern. i.e. shorter and
with more shape. It makes turning easier, both in the sense that you
don't need as much talent/ability and in the sense that you don't expend
as much energy.

Any advice, comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

First, think boots. If your boots are sloppy, no ski will work worth a
damn. You shouldn't be able to move your foot inside your boot at all
other than wiggling your toes a little. If your heel lifts inside the
boot or you can twist your foot relative to the shell your boots are too
big, and until you get that taken care of worrying about skis is a waste
of time. Once you've got your boot situation under control, then think
about buying skis.

//Walt

Walt wrote:
wrote:

I got a gift of some used Dynastar Supra Omega skis. They appear to be
195 in length if I'm reading them right.... I can
see these are not "shaped" skis. Are these skis entirely obsolete?

Yes.

When were they made?

No idea.

And am I doing myself a disservice by using them?

Probably. If you enjoy skiing on them, go for it, but you would probably
enjoy it a lot more if you got something more modern. i.e. shorter and
with more shape. It makes turning easier, both in the sense that you
don't need as much talent/ability and in the sense that you don't expend
as much energy.

Any advice, comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

First, think boots. If your boots are sloppy, no ski will work worth a
damn. You shouldn't be able to move your foot inside your boot at all
other than wiggling your toes a little. If your heel lifts inside the
boot or you can twist your foot relative to the shell your boots are too
big, and until you get that taken care of worrying about skis is a waste
of time. Once you've got your boot situation under control, then think
about buying skis.

What he said about boots....

Then, if you are only a casual skier think about the cost of renting
each time you go, add this up and determine what percent of the cost
of skis and bindings this results in.

Often, It will take three years or more for rental charges to get
to the price of skis/bindings.

For us gear geeks, three years is a LONG time to be stuck with
one pair of skis. Think about it.

Buy new/used/demo boots that have been fitted for YOU!!
The last part of this statement is the most important. If
you buy used, take them to a good bootfitter or even a shop
which specializes in fitting (Surefoot comes to mind) and
have the expert do a shell fitting and then recommend to
you whether or not he feel the boots can be made to work
correctly AND comfortably.

Lug these around, rent wherever you go without the need to lug
skis too. Sometimes when I go west (Tahoe), I'll rent just
ordinary run of the mill rentals downtown S.Lake and am very
happy.

If you ski the east, you'll probably want "performance rentals"
which are slightly more expensive than "ordinary" or maybe
a day or two on "demo skis" which are high end and kept by the
shop for the purpose of letting customers try before they buy.

VtSkier wrote:

Often, It will take three years or more for rental charges to get
to the price of skis/bindings.

That's true if you're comparing rental charges to the cost of *new*
skis. But for the casual skier, used skis are a viable option. The
local Play It Again Sports has decent intermediate boards w/bindings
starting at around $150/pr. At that price, it only takes three or four
days to break even.

That's probably the best approach for this guy, once he gets his boot
situation straightened out.

//Walt

Walt wrote in news:12urjrdtipbbmc4
@corp.supernews.com:

VtSkier wrote:

Often, It will take three years or more for rental charges to get
to the price of skis/bindings.

That's true if you're comparing rental charges to the cost of *new*
skis. But for the casual skier, used skis are a viable option. The
local Play It Again Sports has decent intermediate boards w/bindings
starting at around $150/pr. At that price, it only takes three or four
days to break even.

That's probably the best approach for this guy, once he gets his boot
situation straightened out.

Yeah, but he's the second person in just a few days who is in danger of
biting on a "great deal" that probably isn't. Folks, it's late in the
season, there's a lot of gear out there, and some of it's pretty current
and in pretty good shape. Just because someone offers a pair of skis
for only thirty or forty bucks doesn't make it a good buy.

Walt wrote:
VtSkier wrote:

Often, It will take three years or more for rental charges to get
to the price of skis/bindings.

That's true if you're comparing rental charges to the cost of *new*
skis. But for the casual skier, used skis are a viable option. The
local Play It Again Sports has decent intermediate boards w/bindings
starting at around $150/pr. At that price, it only takes three or four
days to break even.

That's probably the best approach for this guy, once he gets his boot
situation straightened out.

I'd agree fully if he was skiing at his local hill most of the
time, but if he's traveling to ski, I'd stick with renting.
Did I miss something in his original request?

Mary Malmros wrote:

Yeah, but he's the second person in just a few days who is in danger of
biting on a "great deal" that probably isn't. Folks, it's late in the
season, there's a lot of gear out there, and some of it's pretty current
and in pretty good shape. Just because someone offers a pair of skis
for only thirty or forty bucks doesn't make it a good buy.

Well, if you read the original post, these skis were free.

But your point stands. Even free skis aren't necessarily a good deal.


//Walt

VtSkier wrote:
Walt wrote:
VtSkier wrote:

for the casual skier, used skis are a viable option.

I'd agree fully if he was skiing at his local hill most of the
time, but if he's traveling to ski, I'd stick with renting.
Did I miss something in his original request?

Hmmmm. He said that he took them out for a test ride, presumably at his
local hill, and that he's got a 3-day weekend coming up at Whistler.

Sounds like a bit of both. If he had his own gear he might get out to
the local hill more often.

//Walt

Walt wrote:
VtSkier wrote:
Walt wrote:
VtSkier wrote:

for the casual skier, used skis are a viable option.

I'd agree fully if he was skiing at his local hill most of the
time, but if he's traveling to ski, I'd stick with renting.
Did I miss something in his original request?

Hmmmm. He said that he took them out for a test ride, presumably at his
local hill, and that he's got a 3-day weekend coming up at Whistler.

Sounds like a bit of both. If he had his own gear he might get out to
the local hill more often.

Good Point.

Mary Malmros wrote:
Walt wrote in news:12urjrdtipbbmc4
@corp.supernews.com:

VtSkier wrote:

Often, It will take three years or more for rental charges to get
to the price of skis/bindings.
That's true if you're comparing rental charges to the cost of *new*
skis. But for the casual skier, used skis are a viable option. The
local Play It Again Sports has decent intermediate boards w/bindings
starting at around $150/pr. At that price, it only takes three or four
days to break even.

That's probably the best approach for this guy, once he gets his boot
situation straightened out.

Yeah, but he's the second person in just a few days who is in danger of
biting on a "great deal" that probably isn't. Folks, it's late in the
season, there's a lot of gear out there, and some of it's pretty current
and in pretty good shape. Just because someone offers a pair of skis
for only thirty or forty bucks doesn't make it a good buy.

Amen.