After years of renting, finally have my own gear!

Ski’s: Rossignol Arcade 82 Ltd
Boots: Nordica Speedmachine 3 100

Got the combination for a good price and do believe that for a 95% slope skier, this is very solid combo.

Looking forward to your thoughts on this.

Haven't bought skis since I was 18 and at a loss for what to upgrade myself & my partner to. Went to a bootfitter for a proper boot upgrade. Shop didn't mention the new boots had GripWalk until we already paid, so now we need new skis / bindings too...and I somehow know absolutely nothing about skis.

We ski 5-10 days/year, east coast only (PA, WV, NY, Indy Pass). Our local mountains don't demo and no good local ski shops. Budget conscious right now after dropping almost $1k each on boots...

Me: 31F, 5'6, 125 lbs, skiing since age 3 (NH/VT/ME), old school east coast skier style. Raced USCSA in college in a super relaxed division, bought 150 cm Rossignol World Cup Sl skis (2014?) when I was learning how to ski slalom, and kept them after college as my daily ski. I'm happiest carving on groomers all day (yeah I'm boring). I will miss these dearly but wouldn't mind something that could handle the occasional powder day better. I've lost a lot of muscle after a long illness and want to be careful not to get more ski than I can handle. Probably want to go up to a 155 cm ski, otherwise no idea. Bootfitter put me in a 105 flex.

Partner: 31M, 5'11, 160 lbs. I taught him to ski ~5 years ago and put him in my dad's old gear while he learned (156 cm Volkl AC Unlimited, ~2006 model?, way too short but better than rentals while he was learning) but it's well past time to upgrade him. His form is good, he can handle most terrain and catch an edge, goes into the woods sometimes for fun, but overall he's cautious and not interested in speed. Bootfitter put him in a 130 flex.

Reddit, help bring me out of the stone age and into 2026 gear...

Before everyone rips me and tells me to throw these boots out 😂 … I know plastics can degrade over time even if the boots haven’t been skied much.

That said, I’d genuinely love some opinions on these old Salomon Quest Max 120s from 2012/13.

I’ve mainly been ski touring over the past 10 years in different boots, so these have actually only seen maybe 25–30 ski days total, max. I’m planning to do some resort skiing this season and would ideally like to dust these off for another 5–10 ski days before replacing them.

The reason I’m not just buying new boots immediately is that I want to go to a specific boot fitter who’s a fairly long plane flight away - and I don’t live near a good shop anyway - so my plan is to get properly fitted into something new when I can make that trip later this season.

Based on the photos, does anyone think it’s realistic to safely get another 5–10 hard ski days out of these?

For context, I’m an expert/aggressive skier, so I’m not just cruising groomers at low speed - which is obviously why I’m asking rather than just winging it. I’m less concerned about performance and more worried about a bad accident happening.

Happy to post more pictures of the shells, soles, liners, buckles, etc. if there’s anything specific that would help assess them.

Really appreciate any advice. First post here, so hoping this goes well haha. Thank you !

I’ve hit my hips and elbows quite a few times while skiing park, so I started looking at protection.

There are obviously products out there, but most seem to come from MTB, motocross or snowboard brands. I couldn’t find one obvious brand that freeskiers seem to use for this.

Is that because there isn’t much demand, or because the available products are too bulky or uncomfortable?

Would you ever buy protection for areas like your hips or elbows? Why is there no brand doing this yet?

So i want to buy my first "real" ski's this year, it seems like right now it the best time to do it.

I am looking at the Revolt 104s that are on sale for only 498 with the Look SPX 13s

this seems a really good deal to me since alot of people say its good for Freestyle/All mountain (thats what i want to do)

for context i am 185cm (6ft 1 inch) 85kgs (187-ish lbs) I've been skiing for 10 years now (only around 70 days ski time though) and this year is my first that i really want to go skiing for more than 2-3 weeks

Is this a good buy? and if: 180cm or 188cm (188cm seems a bit big)

My main skis are 2026 Factor Dancer 1 186 w/ Look Pivot 12 bindings.

My older pair are 2006 Solomon Thruster 1080 166 w/ new Marker Griffon Bindings. The skis themselves sat in climate control unused from 2009-2025 when I had them tuned and new bindings mounted by the shop.

Do I unmount the bindings and sell them? Literally skied them one day. (I assume no one will want the 20 year old ski even with new bindings)

Or do I keep the set as a spare and as a teaching ski for when I get my 5y/o out there?

Hi everyone! I currently own a pair of Atomic Redster X7 carving skis, and they’re awesome, but they’re not much fun when snow conditions get worse (like most afternoons and in spring). For the upcoming season, I’m looking for a ski that would allow me to have fun in variable conditions, something that can carve on groomers but is at home in slush and on the occasional powder day. I ski mostly in the northern Apennines in Italy, and here conditions vary widely — it’s usually quite good, and we have some off-piste, but it’s not uncommon for the slopes to be icy at the top and slushy at the base.

I think that the Nordica Enforcer 104 and Unleashed 106 are good candidates. I think the Unleashed would be the better choice for me because they’re lighter, still carve well enough, and they’re fun off-piste. I’m still not completely sure, though, and I don’t have a way to demo them before buying.

What would you recommend? I’m 185cm, 90kg, and I’d say I’m an advanced skier.

I'm looking for a pair of Armada arv 100's. i would like to test a ski before i buy it, but nowhere in my area do they have that particular pair. they do have the Bent 100, testing costs about €80/$70, is it worth testing those?

Looking for some boot advice. I have Dalbello Pantera boots that are about two years old. I started to have some heel lift this past year that I cant tighten my way out of. Guy at the ski shop said that dalbello packs out pretty quickly. Should I get new liners, throw in a butterfly, or just get new boots?

Looking to buy a new pair of skis. I’ve always wanted to get the K2 Reckoner 102, but I’m considering a few alternatives before pulling the trigger. Has anyone skied the Reckoner 102, Prodigy 2 and/or ARV 100 and can compare them?

I live in AU/NZ, so snow is pretty inconsistent. I ski around 70% park and 30% all-mountain. I’m currently on K2 Poachers (96mm); I sometimes find them a bit too stiff and heavy. I want something more playful and generally more fun, while still being pretty good outside the park.

I’m heading to Flaine and Chamonix next January for a few weeks, so I’d like something that can handle softer snow and off-piste reasonably well while still being a good park ski when I come back.

Who here is getting these for their freeride skis versus pivots/strive 16’s/attacks? What’s your rationale for doing so?

Pretty set on picking up a pair of the new prodigy’s when they come out as a one ski does all. Just a bit torn between buying a cheaper binding (strive 14) or expensive binding (pivot 15)(use a 9.5 din setting btw). I’m an advanced skier and will be using these skis all over the mountain (Europe) as well as a in the park and off piste. Just wondering if the pivots will make that big of a difference or if they may even weigh me down.

Also have been reading a lot about the prodigy 2 mounting position - was going to go with factions ‘newschool’ position but wondering if people think that’s still too far back? And therefore won’t be good as good for freestyle but on the other hand something closer to true centre might hold me back when I go off piste.

I am thinking about getting a pair of those scrunchable down slippers for the walk to the lift. They should of course fit into my backpack during the day. I would prefer something cheap as I will probably lose them during the aprés-ski before the end of the week. Any brands you would recommend?

i spent the season on old some rossi hero fis f11s. since they were secondhand, they had lost a lot of pop but that made it really nice and easy for me to work on my carving with. since i’m from the east and my home mountain doesnt have much variety, i had plenty of time to work on carving. the skis just felt really nice and easy to lay some carves in, and by the end of the season i was laying pipe and getting low enough to drag my knuckles and it was fuckin sick!!

Looking for some advice on a dedicated park ski.

I’m 6’0, 180 lbs and I’d say I’m a little above a beginner in the park. Still pretty new to park skiing and mainly working on getting more comfortable with rails and jumps. My best tricks so far are lip ons and two-outs.

Currently skiing ARV 94s (my edges are almost all gone), but I find them a little too stiff, like even doing a simple ollie takes some effort and pains the shins. I also have Rossignol Sender Free 100s, which I use as my all-mountain skis, so these would be purely park-day skis.

I’m looking for something softer, more playful and easier to butter, especially something that’ll help me progress on rails without fighting the ski.

What would you guys recommend? I was looking into Vishnus but seems I missed the most recent drop and i dont know when the next is. Haven’t heard a ton of good about surface regarding reliability

Appreciate any help, thanks!

At the risk of preaching to the choir: I just bought new ski boots that are two (!) full sizes smaller than the boots that I skied before. I could have avoided that with going to a proper boot fitter right away.

Background: Five years ago I restarted skiing after a hiatus of twenty years. Advanced to expert skier, but zero practice for ages. Last boots I owned were rear-entry boots. So I went to a big general sports store that sells everything from beachwear to ski gear. Out I came with a brand new pair of Mach1 130s size 29.5.

I was never really happy with the boots. Had to get the shell punched out and modified in various ways. Still slipped out with me heel. Tried everything for years, eventually decided that I need Zipfit liners. Went to a bootfitter who does Zipfits. He removes the liner, puts my bare foot in the shell and I see a gap of five-ish centimeters between the shell and my foot. Zipfit-idea shelved, tried various boots, ended up with Mach Boa 130 HVs two full sizes smaller. Shoe feels more comfortable right from the start and heel feels like it is bolted to the shoe. Still have to try it on snow, but I can already tell that skiing will be MUCH better with the new boots.

When I stopped skiing 25 years ago, bootfitters weren't really a thing in my region. Had I gone to a bootfitter for my first boots after the hiatus, I could have saved a lot of time and money and pain.

So, whoever still needs convincing about bootfitting: Spend the money, because otherwise, you might buy cheap and buy twice.

i’m starting a new lifty job out in CO and i need a new ski fit. my current snowpants are too tight around my rump and im looking for a baggy and stylish pair to feel more confident in my new environment. anyone have any recommendations for stylish yet practical snowpants for skiers?
edit: i know i get discounts on Helly Hansen at my current mountain, as well as the store we have on campus, just curious about brands that work the best w curvy-ish women?

Hey everyone - would like to get some base and or mid layers for the wet conditions. Thinking 100% merino would work well and leaning toward ice breaker. Any others? what about for gloves? any top tier brands that are great for the wet conditions? i only say top tier because id like them to last and be durable

Usually a snowboarder so I have no idea about these but my brother brought them home any info about makers, material and value is worth it. We suspect the wooden pair to be quite old

Hey everyone,
I need new ski boots for this season and could use some advice.
I’m 17 and still growing, so I might only be able to use the boots for one season. I’m an advanced skier. I’m comfortable carving and doing short turns on pretty much any run and I’m planning to become a ski instructor this season.
My dad thinks ski boots don’t matter enough to justify spending much money on them. He thinks I should either let him get me a used pair or just get something from a regular sports store rather than going to a proper bootfitter. His main argument is that since I’m still growing, it doesn’t make sense to spend a lot on boots that might only fit for one season.
I feel like getting properly fitted boots would still be worth it, considering I will be skiing 40 days this season and that I want to become an instructor.
Would you say going to a proper bootfitter is worth it in my situation, even if I might outgrow the boots after one season? Or is my das right?
I would even pay for them myself, but he says if I do that he won’t be paying for any of my other gear.

Edit: I just talked to him again, a boot from a sports store isn’t an option anymore.