Equipment: What you need as a beginner

What makes one piece of gear better from another? Well, this answer is not so easily answered. Their are pros and cons about any product, but remember this, all the top companies have a complete line of gear (ski, boots, poles and bindings) making your choices easy: pick a matched set. Just look at the competitors at the world cup level, they all ski for one company or another, and the racers are all competitive. It doesn't matter what company's product you buy. They are all good, but some are a little better than others. The big companies who have the lions share of the market like Rossignol and Salomon, are good choices because they have tested and proved their product by winning on the world cup.

For your needs as a beginner, try to stay with one company and buy all the gear together. The rationale goes like this: the gear of one company has been tested to work together, and you can count on one stop calling if you have any problems. You will need: skis, boots, bindings and poles.

How to pick the right length ski

The difference between the really expensive skis on the market and the middle of the road skis is so little only the expert could tell the difference. The biggest consideration when buying or renting, is to find a ski that is the right size and has the right flex for its application. You could refer to any sizing chart at any ski shop to find your desired length, but just remember these simple rules: the skis should be shoulder height if you are a beginner and one to two inches above the head if you are an intermediate to.

The more expensive the ski the stiffer it is. This is not to say that stiffer is better. Stiff skis are harder to turn. They demand that the skier is perfectly balanced all the time. The payoff to the experienced skier is that the ski feels zippier when turned correctly. If an inexperienced skier tries to turn a stiff ski while being off balance if only just a little, the ski will not initiate the turn and certainly make for a frustrating experience. It is best for the beginner and intermediate to accept their status and purchase a ski that is softer (any beginner or mid-line ski) and easy to ski. By the time you will be able to ski with strong balance, your learning skis will be worn out (two to three years).

Parabolics as a beginner ski?

A word here about the radical sidecut skis or Parabolics as they are called. They are great and should be used by the beginner and intermediate who wants to learn. Just remember, any ski can be made to perform like a high performance ski, if it is correctly sharpened and waxed (see the section of ski tuning).

How to pick the right length pole

Pole sizing is relatively easy. Just hold the pole upside down by gripping it just under the round basket while resting the handle on the floor by your feet. If your arm extends out at a 90 degree angle from your body with your elbow by your side, you have the right length pole. There are many brands and kinds of poles. Don't even think about it--poles break often get what you can afford to replace.

Alpine Skiing School section in english version of WWW.SKI.BG is based on
"A Guide To Becoming An Expert: From First Time To A Lifetime"
by John Mukavitz Copyright © 1998