Noob to park skiing- help me out?

I forgot to mention I ski pretty fast and would like to continue that on new skis, if that's a factor.

I've been riding on the Joystick "These" skis this season and they're a really nice ski. Traditional camber and only comes in one size, 175, which would work fine for you (I'm 5'9 for reference). They're only $200 and they're definitely a really fun ski and good for any level of skiing. They're not very durable but that's what you get for a $200 ski. They're really light for their width, very soft, and have a relatively low swing weight. That's my .02, and honestly any park ski will be fine for just starting out. Just thought I'd recommend since the price is low

How much do you weigh OP? Weight is an important factor to take into account when deciding on a ski length.

Here are a few things to look out for in a new ski:

Sintered bases. DO NOT go with extruded. They don't hold wax and are slower than sintered. Extruded bases are found on cheaper skis.

Sidewall (or capwall) construction. Sidewall contruction is more durable and more torsionally rigid (albeit heavier) than a cap construction. Capwall is a combination of both and combines the reduced weight of cap in the tips in tails with sidewall underfoot. Like extruded bases, cap construction is generally found on cheaper skis.

Width. It seems like you plan on skiing mainly park. I wouldn't recommend anything over 100mm underfoot if you plan on riding mainly in the park.

Lastly, rocker vs camber. Here is an article that explains both: http://www.evo.com/rocker-guide-what-is-rocker-and-why-does-it-matter.aspx. Many park skis these days have a combination of both, which is great. Fully cambered skis are less fun to ski, in my opinion, but are more stable at high speed (this is why you see the competition guys generally riding on them). Fully rockered skis are a no-no in the park and will feel like snowblades because so little edge is in contact with the snow on hardpack.

You are going to see a billion different sugguestions on here about what skis to buy. Truth is, you'll probably be happy with any park ski being made these days with a sintered base and capwall/sidewall construction.

Whew, that was a long post, but I hope it helped you out.

thank you for the reply! that helped out with some of my questions. as for my weight, I weigh around 145lbs.

I had this exact same situation last year! Just getting into park, and I was the same exact height and weight as you are! I went with line masterminds and to this day I am pleased with that decision. In my opinion, there is not a better ski out there for skiers starting park. They are so forgiving and pretty light so you can learn spins with ease. Additionally, they are directional so you can take them out of the park just fine (I ski with them all the time in Colorado and they work great.) Great ski for learning new tricks, will take abuse, light, just the perfect beginner ski... I hope you find this recommendation helpful.

I'll look into them, they seem like pretty sick skis. it seems a lot of these skis are extruded instead of sintered, does it make that much of a difference?

Extruded bases are slow and dont hold wax. The mastermind has them because they're cheaper than sintered. A ski like the infamous would be a great choice for you. Its relatively cheap and has a sintered base.

Believe me, you dont want to be that one guy in the park who cant clear the junps because his bases are too slow.

okay I see, that makes sense. I definitely want to be clearing jumps lol. I'll check out the infamous.

Any binding will work on any ski. Brakes should be a little wider than your base width, although the arms can be bent a bit if the brake is a little too narrow.

Check out the binding sticky for recommendations

awesome thank you :)

one more question, in looking up information on sintered and extruded bases, it seems that extruded bases are more durable for jibbing rails and other features than sintered bases. is this true? because I do plan on jibbing and such.

Extruded bases are slightly more durable than sintered however if you keep your sintered bases waxed you should have no problems with durability.

exactly what I was looking for, thank you. I think I'll pick up some skis with sintered bases to start and later maybe pick up some joysticks or TCs/Afterbangs to jib and shred in the park.

aside from the infamous, what are some other good skis with sintered bases that you'd recommend?