What should I do with these skis from the thrift shop?

[Triumph]

I am not a pro skier, I go two times a year, more if I can make it, but I thoroughly enjoy the sport and I am trying to get better each time I go skiing. That being said, I am still fine with just renting whatever skis are at the slopes because I don't know that I can really tell the difference yet.

Anyway, I found these skis at the thrift shop, and figured I would buy them because A: they're brand new, and B: they were 15 bucks. I am not finding a lot of information about these online, apparently they are race skis from 2000 to 2002 or thereabouts.

I took them to a local ski shop, and the guy wasn't too particularly helpful, but basically he said it might not be worth buying boots and poles for these. Also, he wouldn't set the bindings because of "insurance reasons." At first I thought he was BS'ing, but it appears that some bindings do go on a black list as time goes on, for whatever reason. He called these skis and bindings "obsolete." To me that's like saying a 2000 Honda Accord is "obsolete" simply because there's newer stuff out there. Well, guess what, that 2000 Accord drove perfectly fine from point A to point B in 2000, and it probably drives perfectly fine now! So I don't much care for that argument.

But mainly, does anyone know anything more about these skis, and should I even bother with them? I am not a "race" skier, I prefer carving at a moderate pace much more than going fast, and I don't want to strap myself onto some skis that may be beyond my skill level. On the other hand, these are 10-12 years old and I may not find anyone to buy them off of me who would appreciate them. Maybe hold onto them until my skiing skills improve? Is there anything inherently unsafe about these skis?

 

[Phoenix86]

Sell them to a thrift shop?

 

[jagec]

I have a very similar set of skis. While some of my friends have clowned on them and said that I need to pick up skis that aren't so old, they have worked just fine for me. I doubt that they'll be "beyond your skill level", particularly since they haven't gotten waxed in decades. As you improve as a skier, it will be more obvious if they are holding you back.

Just try 'em out and see what you think. If they feel weird or don't work for you, dump them on craigslist or donate.

 

[PowerEngineer]

I'm not sure why you're so skeptical of what the local ski shop is telling you.

As you have discovered, the advances in bindings/boots safety makes old equipment obsolete in a hurry (pretty much as bad as PC's! ). Ski shops will refuse to work on or set bindings that are too antiquated because their insurance won't cover them if they are sued by someone who was injured while using them. I'm pretty sure they'd be willing to mount new bindings on those skis for you.

But by the time you pay for the new bindings and then add new boots and poles, you're going to be spending lots of money. Might as well spend a little more for new skis that really fit your style of skiing? It probably makes better sense financially to just keep renting.

My two cents...

P.S. -- The standard 2000 Honda Accord did not come with side airbags.

 

[Triumph]

PE, sorry, you still haven't convinced me on the "safety" aspect! I have no problems renting, at $25 per rental it doesn't make sense to buy $500 in ski gear if I only go 2-3 times a year. so i may just dump them.

and I'm running an AMD Athlon 64 2.4ghz with 1 gig of ram and windows XP, by the way. the internet seems to work just fine, i don't believe in throwing things away just because there's something new out. hah!

 

[NetWareHead]

I'm not sure why you're so skeptical of what the local ski shop is telling you.

As you have discovered, the advances in bindings/boots safety makes old equipment obsolete in a hurry (pretty much as bad as PC's! ). Ski shops will refuse to work on or set bindings that are too antiquated because their insurance won't cover them if they are sued by someone who was injured while using them. I'm pretty sure they'd be willing to mount new bindings on those skis for you.

But by the time you pay for the new bindings and then add new boots and poles, you're going to be spending lots of money. Might as well spend a little more for new skis that really fit your style of skiing? It probably makes better sense financially to just keep renting.

My two cents...

P.S. -- The standard 2000 Honda Accord did not come with side airbags.

Great points.

Are they really "brand new"? Do you know how to look for wear and tear? I don't recognize those skis but someone back in 2000 who bought an expensive set of race skis was probably a dedicated enthusiast and drove the skis harder than others would. My buddies get a few years out of snowboards, but that's because they love to ride in the woods and do tree runs. As a result their boards develop deep gouges/scratches and other damage from running over roots, rocks etc... Also skis can only be tuned, sharpened and have their edges reground so many times. I'm starting on my 4th season with my groomer skis and I estimate I have maybe another season or two before they get retired. Like sharpening a knife, you remove metal from the ski when you tune.

 

[Codewiz]

Here is the problem. You don't know how to adjust the bindings. You aren't going to get a shop to do it for you. I have a set of skis even older(early 90s) than these that I still use. However, I know how to maintain my skis and bindings.

If you knew how to maintain and adjust them then I would argue you found a steal. Adjusting them without understanding what you are doing is just asking for a broken leg.

 

[Codewiz]

Great points.

Are they really "brand new"? Do you know how to look for wear and tear? I don't recognize those skis but someone back in 2000 who bought an expensive set of race skis was probably a dedicated enthusiast and drove the skis harder than others would. My buddies get a few years out of snowboards, but that's because they love to ride in the woods and do tree runs. As a result their boards develop deep gouges/scratches and other damage from running over roots, rocks etc... Also skis can only be tuned, sharpened and have their edges reground so many times. I'm starting on my 4th season with my groomer skis and I estimate I have maybe another season or two before they get retired. Like sharpening a knife, you remove metal from the ski when you tune.

You would be hard pressed to find used skis without nicks/marks on the top and bottom. It should be pretty dead simple to determine whether they are used or not.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Are they inherently unsafe? No. If you insist upon skiing them get the bindings professionally inspected, lubed and adjusted to your weight and skill level and they won't kill you.

Are they worth holding onto until your skiing improves? An even more resounding no. Skis have undergone a complete metamorphosis since that model came out. Shaped skis in much shorter lengths have completely replaced longer, flat-profile skis and even World Cup skiers are on shorter skis now than novices were skiing in the late 90s and early 00's.

The analogy to 2000 Accord is not even close to being accurate. The way skis have evolved in the last 10 years consider the brakes/suspension/steering on a 2000 Accord compared to a Model T. That is a FAR more accurate comparison. Those skis are a dinosaur and the longer they sit in your closet the more archaic and useless they become. Dump 'em on CL for $10, cut your losses and move on.

 

[NetWareHead]

You would be hard pressed to find used skis without nicks/marks on the top and bottom. It should be pretty dead simple to determine whether they are used or not.

Used is one thing, identifying when skis are worn out or needing to be retired is another. I've seen the most beat up skis sold at thrift shops and I mean bottom of the barrel that no self respecting rental shop would keep around. I don't know what the OP's expertise is with skis.

 

[PowerEngineer]

PE, sorry, you still haven't convinced me on the "safety" aspect! I have no problems renting, at $25 per rental it doesn't make sense to buy $500 in ski gear if I only go 2-3 times a year. so i may just dump them.

and I'm running an AMD Athlon 64 2.4ghz with 1 gig of ram and windows XP, by the way. the internet seems to work just fine, i don't believe in throwing things away just because there's something new out. hah!

I don't believe in throwing things away just because there's something new out there either (I still have a huge 35" CRT analog Sony TV ). On the other hand, I don't believe I have to keep things just because they haven't completely broken yet. This is especially true of things that are being improved rapidly.

I guess I can live with my failure to convince you of the safety aspects, as long as you're making the "right decision" because of the financial argument.

 

[DrPizza]

Triumph, I don't think the car analogy works that well. Here's one that might work a little better.

Let's say, last week a lot of people bought ground beef. Later, though they didn't do a recall, it was discovered that dozens upon dozens of people got sick from e-coli in the beef. You take the beef to a place that will grill your food for you. They say, "sorry, no can do. Our insurance company says they will kick our asses if we grill burger from that batch for you. You're more than welcome to go home, and if you know what you're doing, you can probably cook it and eat it safely, though, there is still a little risk.

This thread reminds me... there's a ski swap at one of the local ski resorts coming up. I think I'll see if I can't upgrade the skis that I bought many many years ago. I finally shattered parts of the boots that I had. For 20 years, I used a set of Elan skis that were a grade below rental quality from the 80s (I was clueless when I purchased them, and since then, since I had my own equipment that 'worked', it seemed silly to rent equipment. I even wore those skis through a downhill skiing course, and several years of season passes.

Hmmm, what's the winter outlook? Perhaps a season pass might be in the works as well.

 

[Itchrelief]

The problem, as someone already stated, is that unless you know how to adjust them yourself, you're not going to get any reputable shop that will work on these bindings because they are no longer indemnified by the binding manufacturer (assuming this is what the shop said).

There are no doubt people who understand this better than I, but my understanding is that if something happens to you due to the binding not releasing correctly, the manufacturer will not cover the shop for any damages you decide to sue for. You can see why the shop would not want to work on these bindings.

The reason the bindings are no longer indemnified may be due to a combination of safety reasons and financial reasons. I do not know.

If you really must use these skis, you could look for a newer set of bindings that are still indemnified (the problem is knowing which ones are and aren't) and have a shop unmount the current bindings and replace with the "new". This of course entails drilling extra holes in the ski, so you probably don't want to do this if it looks like the ski has already had more than one set of bindings on it already.

 

[JEDIYoda]

ROFL AT op...NO bargain there...you paid about what they were worth....rofl...

 

[Triumph]

ROFL AT op...NO bargain there...you paid about what they were worth....rofl...

Is it really that funny when I'm out the price of an average meal at Applebees?

 

[Soccerman06]

Just an fyi, if those are truly pro race skis, they are going to be ridiculously stiff and will be only for groomed sheets of snow/ice. Dont expect to be able to do anything with them in powder, the trick park, or go through the trees.

Old ski equipment becomes obsolete every few years. Like others have said, if their insurance doesnt cover a certain product, then they wont work on it.

 

[The_Dude8]

you can watch this thrift store song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK8mJJJvaes

 

[Gooberlx2]

Use 'em as Rock skis. That's about all they're good for.

 

[Savij]

Yeah, Atomic recalled all (practically) of their bindings that they put out around that time.

I want to tell you something to make you feel better about the purchase, but I can't.

Even if you could get new bindings installed for free and you have decades of experience on skis:
Like Soccerman said, these are only going to work on smooth, hard-packed snow or ice if they are real race skis. They are narrow enough that they will be a pain in the powder. They are long enough that beginners will be tripping over themselves. The edges will be too sharp to use in the park.

The skis you have will be a headache more than anything else.

If you want to get yourself some ski stuff, you should go boot shopping. Get the boot fitter to help you get good boots that fit you well. Then you can go out and look for shops that do demo rentals. The daily charge is a little higher, but you can try out good, newer skis that are well maintained. The good stores will even credit your rental fee towards a purchase if you decided you like what you tried out.

 

[Savij]

Use 'em as Rock skis. That's about all they're good for.

No, those binding are actually dangerous.

 

[Gooberlx2]

No, those binding are actually dangerous.

Well, I was being facetious.

Good info on the bindings though. Goes to show exactly why shops won't service outdated equipment.