HEAD Ski/boots 2011

[rocky boy]

Can buy HEAD skis and ski boots in HK next week, the X gxxx shop carry full stock!:clap1::clap1:

[Mike]

Can buy HEAD skis and ski boots in HK next week, the X gxxx shop carry full stock!:clap1::clap1:

Buying a pair of ski boots is not as simple as go into the shop and tell the sales person you want a size 35 ski boot. You need a fully trained experienced boot fitter to ensure perfect fit.

[小豬March]

For full set, i.e. skis, binding, pole & boots, how much is it (approx.) ?

[gurgar]

since i have no experience in buying ski equipment
if i really want to buy a ski set for my son at X gxxx
pl advise which special point should I be aware

[Mike]

since i have no experience in buying ski equipment
if i really want to buy a ski set for my son at X gxxx
pl advise which special point should I be aware

Need more info about your son before any advice can be given - his age, height, weight and how well can he ski?

You can refer to the following threads for reference:

http://www.hkssa.net/showthread.php?t=4893

http://www.hkssa.net/showthread.php?t=9518

http://www.hkssa.net/showthread.php?t=28640

http://www.hkssa.net/showthread.php?t=17662

[Mike]

For full set, i.e. skis, binding, pole & boots, how much is it (approx.) ?

How long is a piece of string?

Back to your question - for a decent pair of ski boots, one would expect to pay about HK$2,000 (buy in USA or UK). As for a decent pair of skis and bindings, I guess it costs around HK$4,000 (again not buying in HK). Then you have to pay the freight charges as well.

You really ought to buy the ski boots at or near the ski resort, so that the boots can be properly fitted (& adjusted) to your feet.

[gurgar]

thx Mike, I have gone thru the details as mentioned
may i know what kind of ski type should we use if we usually follow the ski slopes to ski

details of my son:
aged 14, 160cm height, 50kg, he can play red slopes in Japan

[Mike]

thx Mike, I have gone thru the details as mentioned
may i know what kind of ski type should we use if we usually follow the ski slopes to ski


If you are going to the shop mentioned previously by "rocky boy" see whether they have Head's Supershape or the Icon TT, nice pair of carving skis for progression - just my personal opinion.
http://www.head.com/ski/ski.php?region=us&tag=all_mountain_groomer&id=3036

Other skis worth considering are:
Volkl's Tigershark 8 foot ( http://www.volkl.com/ski/ski_TS_8ft.php )
Dynastar Contact 8 or 9 ( if they are still in current product line)
Atomic D2VF series ( http://www.atomicsnow.com/en/ProductFinder.aspx )

Ideally, you should let your son try those skis before buying.

[barry]

Gurgar,

Your son is growing fast at 14. Buying a pair of skis now may not be an economical option. However, that doesn't stop one from buying. There is no substitution to having and knowing your own equipment.

For someone of his physique, junior skis might be more suitable. Adult race carvers are great if he has the technique, weight, strength and stamina to ride them. Assuming the shop has experts (rather than salesmen) they should be able to advise fairly and correctly.

[Mike]

Gurgar,

Suggest you buy your son a pair of ski boots (properly fitted) first rather than a pair of skis.

[gurgar]

Thx Mike & Barry

Always struggling between having a full set of ski and ski rental in every year:confused:
i) a whole set = 3 yr x 5 days rental
ii) wasting time in ski rental shop, sometimes we have to return to change size
iii) my son will grow up each year and have a larger feet .........
iv) I must become a slave labour to carry the growing nos. of ski equipments. Just imagine when you go skiing arranged by yourself. You have to carry the luggage for 3 person and at the same time hurrying for public transport and your wife is caring the son. :grazy:

Honestly, I am sweating with satisfaction

btw may I know why ski package is not common as snowboard package at ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/Rossignol-Avenger-Jr-Skis-140cm-Binding-Scott-Poles-Pkg-/190471611861?pt=Skiing&hash=item2c58fe25d5

[Mike]

Thx Mike & Barry

Always struggling between having a full set of ski and ski rental in every year:confused:
i) a whole set = 3 yr x 5 days rental
ii) wasting time in ski rental shop, sometimes we have to return to change size
iii) my son will grow up each year and have a larger feet .........
iv) I must become a slave labour to carry the growing nos. of ski equipments. Just imagine when you go skiing arranged by yourself. You have to carry the luggage for 3 person and at the same time hurrying for public transport and your wife is caring the son. :grazy:

Honestly, I am sweating with satisfaction

btw may I know why ski package is not common as snowboard package at ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/Rossignol-Avenger-Jr-Skis-140cm-Binding-Scott-Poles-Pkg-/190471611861?pt=Skiing&hash=item2c58fe25d5

To address your dilemma:
1/. Yes, the cost does add up but do not forget - after you bought the skis, you have to service them on a regular basis.
2 & 3/ As your son is still growing, why not be patient with rental skis for few more years.
4/. We all do that, skis and ski boots are not light and their combined weight is close to the free baggage allowance. So you have to pack wisely and travel light.

So, if you are worry about 2, 3 & 4, you should stick with rental gear for few more years. The piece of equipment that you really ought to own is the ski boots, but make sure they are properly fitted by qualified boot fitter.

One of the reasons why package is not popular is because you do not know whether it is the right size for you. Buying ski boots on-line or without trying them on should be avoided.

[barry]

Gurgar,

Re 1: Saving rental money is not the reason for buying a pair of skis. Ski servicing is not exactly cheap although with the right tools and training one can DIY.
Re 2: Some rental shops are a bit slow and incompetent, while some are excellent. Pot luck.
Re 3: Your son's feet are growing at some rate. Buying simply does not make much sense if he is only using the boots a week or two in a year. Again, if money is no concern, I would recommending buying boots anytime. Boots are the best investment in tools that make the biggest difference to one's skiing.
Re 4: At 14, your son should be more than capable of looking after his luggage, and perhaps able to helping your wife as well. Yes, all those equipment are rather weighty.

I have not checked whether the skis advertised on ebay would ship to HK, but there are plenty of skis on ebay.

[eLeung]

I have not checked whether the skis advertised on ebay would ship to HK, but there are plenty of skis on ebay.

I placed an order on ebay.co.uk last year for a pair of skis. They shipped it to me at a reasonable cost :-)

Barry, long time no chat! It's snowing in UK. Are you ready to ski?

[barry]

I bought mine on ebay too, and the vendor shipped them from Italy to the UK. Before I did that, I contacted some vendors in the USA and they declined shipping internationally.

I am sure it is snowy and freezing in much of the UK, I am however in the middle east. As for skiing, I am going, ready or not!

[Mike]

I too have bought skis on the internet and have them shipped from France and USA to Hong Kong.
But skis boots are different, one should not buy ski boots without trying them on first. :icon_chair:

[eLeung]

I bought mine on ebay too, and the vendor shipped them from Italy to the UK. Before I did that, I contacted some vendors in the USA and they declined shipping internationally.


I have same experience before. As I know, some brands (e.g. K2) are not allowed to ship internationally due to their dealer agreement. So, I buy a service of a forwarder in USA to help me for collecting the skis and ship it to me.

I am sure it is snowy and freezing in much of the UK, I am however in the middle east. As for skiing, I am going, ready or not!

That's great :-) I think your heart is skiing now...haha!

[eLeung]

But skis boots are different, one should not buy ski boots without trying them on first. :icon_chair:

Agree without reservation :-)

[rocky boy]

Wow, I see many HEAD boots in different styles in the Central shop. All pre-heated fits, price ok wor, from $2500 to $4000.:icon_agree::icon_agree::icon_agree:

[lawrence]

Unfortunately, do not have my size.

[gurgar]

Dear Mike

May I have more information about when fitting a pair of boot
As u have mentioned above, it is better to be served by a trained experienced boot fitter
With our experience before in ski rental shop, we just told the staff the size of our feet then we will be allocated a pair of boot
If we can put it on without painful, then we go skiing with it for a few days
So what is the particular service may a trained experienced boot fitter be provided?
(besides trying a bigger or smaller pair)

[Mike]

Dear Mike

May I have more information about when fitting a pair of boot
As u have mentioned above, it is better to be served by a trained experienced boot fitter
With our experience before in ski rental shop, we just told the staff the size of our feet then we will be allocated a pair of boot
If we can put it on without painful, then we go skiing with it for a few days
So what is the particular service may a trained experienced boot fitter be provided?
(besides trying a bigger or smaller pair)

You can refer to the following threads:

http://www.hkssa.net/showthread.php?t=9518

http://www.hkssa.net/showthread.php?t=28640

http://www.hkssa.net/showthread.php?t=7947

http://www.hkssa.net/showthread.php?t=7948

http://www.hkssa.net/showthread.php?t=17516

It is easy for any saleman to give you any size you ask for, if it is tight, then they will give you a bigger size which ends up having a pair of boots that your feet can swim inside - that is NOT the way a trained boot fitter will do.

Trained boot fitter will be able to tell you which pair is suitable according to the size and shape of your feet, and refine the boots (punching out the pressure points etc.) accordingly.

In a ski rental shop, you will not find the attentiveness of a boot fitter, the rental boots are usually fairly worn out, you just grab a pair which feels OK and go. You don't care, they don't care. The rental boots are not yours, so they will not refine the boots specially for you.

[rocky boy]

Very nice...less then $9000 get a complete set of HEAD skis ICON TT 20.0, POWER 11 bindings, EDGE+9.5 boots, Multi S ski poles plus boots bag and single ski bag 190. Check the website compare to Europe for the 2011 HEAD, cheaper to buy in HK, why?:icon_agree::icon_agree::icon_agree:

[Mike]

Very nice...less then $9000 get a complete set of HEAD skis ICON TT 20.0, POWER 11 bindings, EDGE+9.5 boots, Multi S ski poles plus boots bag and single ski bag 190. Check the website compare to Europe for the 2011 HEAD, cheaper to buy in HK, why?:icon_agree::icon_agree::icon_agree:

http://www.snowtraxstore.co.uk/head-icon-tt-200-ski-rf-11-binding

http://www.nextag.com/head-edge-ski-boot/stores-html