Our jocular Editor doing field research at a sale
If you are a real skier, you suffer from a chronic condition caused by the Gottaski Virus. One of the only forms of relief available in the late summer is attendance at a well-stocked Labor Day ski sale. Which is where I’ll be for the next five days, ministering to those in the greater Reno area who are terminally ill with Gottaski.
Over the many decades that I have heeded the call to serve my fellow skiers over the Labor Day weekend, beginning at the Gart Brothers Sniagrab (Bargains backwards!) sale in 1978, I have observed countless examples of wayward behavior. Please, if you love them, help the skiers in your life avoid these classic Labor Day Sale sins and snafus.
Shopping for used boots
It’s hard enough to get an accurate, sustainable fit in a new boot using the latest fitting technologies; trying to create a livable environment inside a pounded-down, used adult boot isn’t worth the effort 95% of the time. The problem is made infinitely worse in that often you’ll be fitting yourself, as all the sane boot fitters will be elsewhere busily fitting new boots. Even if you find something that you imagine fits, if the boots have traversed the Northstar parking area 100 times the soles are most likely worn to non-standard nubs.
Over-sizing your kids
Outfitting the whole family for skiing is a drain on the domestic treasury no matter how you slice it, but avoid the temptation to put tots in gear that will still fit them when they’re applying for college. Kids’ boots have to be oversized just to make it through one season; if you size up hoping to get 3 seasons of use, your child will have no control at all in season one. Over-sizing skis isn’t overly helpful, either; combine them with oversized boots and the child is doomed.
Buying new skis when what you need are new boots
Skis are sexy; skis are fun. Boots are a nightmare. That’s why skiers cling to any boots that don’t cause permanent nerve damage, even if they bought them before Nixon resigned. Consider this: new skis most likely won’t make you a better skier; properly fit new boots almost always will.
Lest we appear overly critical and insufficiently supportive of Gottaski sufferers, here are a few positive steps you can take to get the most out of Labor Day sales.
Know what you’re looking for
If you go into a massive sale just “looking for a ski,” heaven help you. The more you know what you want, the better off you’ll be. It’s easy to become an educated shopper: visit realskiers.com for a crash course in ski gear, including the best skis and boots, not just for 2015, but for 2014, 2013, 2012…
Bring your boots
If you are serious about getting new skis, your boots aren’t just handy to have on hand to get the new rides mounted; they also reveal a lot about you that your ski sales person should know if he or she is going to provide the best counsel.
If you buy a used ski, tune it
Most skiers trying to move a used pair of skis have enough sense not to bring them to a swap with rusted edges, but neither are they likely to sell them in peak condition. Make the extra investment to get them tuned properly; it’s an extra expense, but one well worth making. This is especially true for kids’ skis, as their soft bases wear faster than the edges.
At mega-sales events, as in life in general, beware of deals that seem miraculous. Bindings with missing parts, mismatched skis and boots with two sizes have all been known to sell. Whatever is being offered at “70% off” never sold for MSRP in its natural lifetime, a period that may have expired in 2012. That’s why the best deals aren’t shots in the dark with discounts of mythic proportions, but well-targeted initiatives that deliver real value.
– Jackson Hogen
