How to "get into" ski racing

jon olson

I'm totally not into racing, but where would someone get a good pair of race skis? Like what are the on3ps of the race world

buy one of those condom snow suits.

XtRemE11I have no idea where to start. Any thoughts?

I'd say try to ask around your local mountain if there's any sort of beer league racing going on and try to join a team

shin-bangI'm totally not into racing, but where would someone get a good pair of race skis? Like what are the on3ps of the race world

A race ski is a race ski. If you don't really know what you're doing, you won't know the difference between brands. Atomic, Head, Volkl, Fischer all make good ones. If you're just going to be using it recreationally, just get whatever's cheapest.

How does the length work for race skis? I understand it will be downhill, super G, then slalom as far as longest to shortest but how do you gauge based on height?

BogsI'd say try to ask around your local mountain if there's any sort of beer league racing going on and try to join a team



A race ski is a race ski. If you don't really know what you're doing, you won't know the difference between brands. Atomic, Head, Volkl, Fischer all make good ones. If you're just going to be using it recreationally, just get whatever's cheapest.

Yea I just wasn't sure, and no I won't ever ever be buying legit race skis or any type of race skis

shin-bangI'm totally not into racing, but where would someone get a good pair of race skis? Like what are the on3ps of the race world

I ski race for my HS and I race with full tilt boots and USSA kids always laugh at me but I'm 9th in the state so i don't give a shit. Anyway I would have to say atomics and heads are definitely the way to go, the only thing is that race equipment is expensive asfuckkkkkk. With new race skis and bindings that will easily set you back $1500 brand new. then you have to get hard eared helmets for racing. you need different skis for GS and Slalom and for slalom you need a chin bar when you hit gates, plus you need pole guards for hitting and the gates and then you need shin guards.... Thats just for slalom. Then you need a race suit

Aharrelson358How does the length work for race skis? I understand it will be downhill, super G, then slalom as far as longest to shortest but how do you gauge based on height?

Slalom skis somewhere between chin to nose height, GS ski probably forehead/as tall as you, Super G/Downhill...there's no reason to ever buy a ski like that unless you race those events.

1. Look on ebay
2. decide racing isn't for you and stick to park lol

_ALPHASQUAD_I ski race for my HS and I race with full tilt boots and USSA kids always laugh at me but I'm 9th in the state so i don't give a shit. Anyway I would have to say atomics and heads are definitely the way to go, the only thing is that race equipment is expensive asfuckkkkkk. With new race skis and bindings that will easily set you back $1500 brand new. then you have to get hard eared helmets for racing. you need different skis for GS and Slalom and for slalom you need a chin bar when you hit gates, plus you need pole guards for hitting and the gates and then you need shin guards.... Thats just for slalom. Then you need a race suit

Sweet! This is more the response I was looking for. k+

How come atomic and head? Just the qualty? Like turn radius and such? Waist width? Also, what bindings? And why on earth would they be so expensive? Why not like fks/pivots or something.

shin-bangSweet! This is more the response I was looking for. k+

How come atomic and head? Just the qualty? Like turn radius and such? Waist width? Also, what bindings? And why on earth would they be so expensive? Why not like fks/pivots or something.

I've never ski raced myself but from what I've seen, race bindings are seriously minimalist to reduce weight and they are smaller for less drag (see pic). The dins go high as fuck so they dont pop off at 80mph, but they also have advanced tech so people's legs don't rip off at the knee during a fall.

I'm going to guess he recommends Head and Atomic just because he's used them and can vouch for them. From what I've seen, most racers (at least around me) use Fischer over other brands. Last year I forgot to pick up my Surfaces after I had them tuned, and demoed some really nice Fischers at the mountain. It's really amazing the difference between a decent quality park ski and a really nice race ski at least on groomers and ice. I could come close to booting out and be completely fine. Surprisingly fun.

shin-bangSweet! This is more the response I was looking for. k+

How come atomic and head? Just the qualty? Like turn radius and such? Waist width? Also, what bindings? And why on earth would they be so expensive? Why not like fks/pivots or something.

Yea mainly the quality. A good slalom ski would definitely be fischers only because thats what most High schoolers use. You want a smaller ski for slalom because of quicker turns. For GS you definitely want a ski your height if not a little bigger so you can control it. As far as bindings go if you get head skis for example, then head will probably set you up with head bindings specifically made for that race ski and same goes for Atomics. GS skis are definitely a lot skinnier because you want less ski surface on the snow to go faster. A lot of racers have a pair of skis called slip skis to inspect the course with so you don't ruin the wax on your race skis before the race. I use my al dentes to slip(inspect) the course with. Going from that park ski to a top of the line head race ski, you definitely feel the difference in speed and turning radius. They are so expensive because since they are top of the line race skis and a lot of pros use them. Thats why I think they are so expensive. Plus, fks/pivot bindings are more park specific plus the din setting on race ski bindings goes a lot higher and has a wider range of settings. Hope this helps

DeforestationI've never ski raced myself but from what I've seen, race bindings are seriously minimalist to reduce weight and they are smaller for less drag (see pic). The dins go high as fuck so they dont pop off at 80mph, but they also have advanced tech so people's legs don't rip off at the knee during a fall.

I'm going to guess he recommends Head and Atomic just because he's used them and can vouch for them. From what I've seen, most racers (at least around me) use Fischer over other brands. Last year I forgot to pick up my Surfaces after I had them tuned, and demoed some really nice Fischers at the mountain. It's really amazing the difference between a decent quality park ski and a really nice race ski at least on groomers and ice. I could come close to booting out and be completely fine. Surprisingly fun.

thats just not a race binding at all lol. maybe from the 1900's

_ALPHASQUAD_thats just not a race binding at all lol. maybe from the 1900's

It's just a bad quality photo and last year's model. Here it is for this year:
http://www.dynafit.com/us/low-tech-race-2-0-automatic-binding.html

would you really pay $800 for a sketchy binding. haven't seen any pros or amateurs use em

_ALPHASQUAD_I ski race for my HS and I race with full tilt boots and USSA kids always laugh at me but I'm 9th in the state so i don't give a shit. Anyway I would have to say atomics and heads are definitely the way to go, the only thing is that race equipment is expensive asfuckkkkkk. With new race skis and bindings that will easily set you back $1500 brand new. then you have to get hard eared helmets for racing. you need different skis for GS and Slalom and for slalom you need a chin bar when you hit gates, plus you need pole guards for hitting and the gates and then you need shin guards.... Thats just for slalom. Then you need a race suit

If you look hard enough you can get great quality equipment for really cheap. I got all the essentials for under $700.

DeforestationIt's just a bad quality photo and last year's model. Here it is for this year:
http://www.dynafit.com/us/low-tech-race-2-0-automatic-binding.html

No one races in pin tech boots. race bindings are usually just rail- mounted low profile normal binding.

Definitely ask your local mountain who the race coach/an advanced instructor is. They can make a MASSIVE difference on your overall skiing, and will make the segway into it much smoother. Totally worth it. Also consider looking into free nastar racing and practice, always fun to play around in.

shin-bangHow come atomic and head? Just the qualty? Like turn radius and such? Waist width? Also, what bindings? And why on earth would they be so expensive? Why not like fks/pivots or something.

It's all just personal preference. Atomic and Head aren't any better than Volkl or Fischer or Salomon objectively, just how you like the feel of the ski on snow. Like all skis, each brand makes their race ski slightly differently, and it's these little differences that help serious racers choose one brand over another. Turn radius on all slalom skis will be similar, and same with GS, SG, and Downhill. Each category has a specific range the turn radius has to be within to meet FIS standards. Same thing with shape. Race skis tend to stay narrow because a narrower ski is quicker edge to edge than a fatter ski, and when you're trying to ski as fast as you can, a small amount of extra quickness on each turn can add up a lot throughout the whole of a race.

Most racers use race specific plate bindings on the ski in order to increase stack height which lets a racer get more angulation during a turn.

DeforestationIt's just a bad quality photo and last year's model. Here it is for this year:
http://www.dynafit.com/us/low-tech-race-2-0-automatic-binding.html

Good troll, good troll.

DeforestationI've never ski raced myself but from what I've seen, race bindings are seriously minimalist to reduce weight and they are smaller for less drag (see pic). The dins go high as fuck so they dont pop off at 80mph, but they also have advanced tech so people's legs don't rip off at the knee during a fall.

I'm going to guess he recommends Head and Atomic just because he's used them and can vouch for them. From what I've seen, most racers (at least around me) use Fischer over other brands. Last year I forgot to pick up my Surfaces after I had them tuned, and demoed some really nice Fischers at the mountain. It's really amazing the difference between a decent quality park ski and a really nice race ski at least on groomers and ice. I could come close to booting out and be completely fine. Surprisingly fun.

THose bindings are for like randonee racing which is a completely different thing. Those are like cross country ski bindings you can lock your heel down in

So, being an ex-racer of 21 years, I have a bit of expertise here.

Let us start with leagues:

You will find yourself with two types of leagues, depending where you are.

You will have your local beer league which is much more relaxed and consists of all walks of ski life, including ex-racers, park skiers, mogul skiers, etc., as it is much more of a social scene than an actual race league. It is team-based normally, not individual based. Obviously you have some competitiveness, as there is usually a prize for the winning team, but it is much more about camaraderie, skiing on a week night, and just having fun.

Then you have your masters leagues. This is where racing is about the individual results, where spandex rules, wax matters, and people take it super seriously. I am not 100% sure about how training or anything works, but it is worth looking into at your local mountain. It generally involves traveling on weekends to other mountains and dedicating more time and energy than beer league. That being said, it is apparently very fun and a good time so long as you temper your expectations of results. But you will find ex-NCAA racers, FIS-level athletes, and USSA-level athletes who do take it super seriously.

Gear-wise, beer league requires almost nothing beyond what you ski on normally. Helmets are normally required, but that is it.

For Masters, I believe you are required to have skis that fit under the criteria. Here is a PDF from the USSA website detailing everything in regards to rules and regulations.


http://alpine.usskiteam.com/sites/default/files/documents/athletics/compservices/2014-15/documents/2015_mas_comp_guide.pdf



I imagine you will be required to have SL skis that are 165cm, and GS that are 180cm or larger. Boots are usually more relaxed, but if you win, they will almost certainly look to make sure you are within regulations.

Those red bindings are race touring bindings. Randonee races when you race UP the hill just to turn around and go down.

For slalom you will use 165cms skis. GS will be around a 185/190cm. Downhill and super g will be longer still. If youre gonna get into a weeknight racr club or beer league racing usually its always GS and maybe sometimes slalom.

Dimensions and FIS regulations change every few seasons allowing you to score some great used deals. When you do a beer league ski race, you can usually use whatever type skis you want. Most will use a GS ski.