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They do a version with no hood, jacket instead of hoody.
I have the hoody version from 8/9 years ago. Still going strong. Its just great kit.
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8 plus minutes of cringe.
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If you want to look dope, go for some gaffer tape with a bit of seam sealer to help it stay on.
If you want something more sympathetic, some gore-tex patches should work. https://ebay.us/78Aw6w
Its a good idea do something. I had a nick on the inside ankle area and it would just fill with snow during the day, leaving me with a kind of snowball turnup at the end of the day which was really hard to dry out.
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Also, totally agree you can ski powder on much narrower skis - they did so for decades - but it takes a lot of skill, and it doesn't look like the todays pros.
Ski design has moved on so much that skiing powder is so much easier now. I remember the first time I tried some K2 Hellbents - 125mm waist or something, enormous double rocker. They were amazing. It was harder to fall over than not. Also, you could still carve a turn on piste. If it was icy it was a flapping version of hell, but anything softer than that and they were still more than ok.
Everyone should try silly skis one day.
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I think that's the key - ski lots of skis and rental is only way you can do that.
I was very lucky on my seasons. I had my own powder skis - as you don't want to be faffing on powder day- and then just rotated my way through the rental shop's selection of piste/race/all mountain skis. The shop liked me, as I'd bring 60 - 100 guests in each week, so I'd get my pick of the nice stuff each week.
If you can ski well you will get a lot out of just mixing it up. Proper race skis are something else, the whip at the end of the turn particularly can put you on your arse if you're not on it, meaning you have to keep your weight forward and legs strong. It will improve all your skiing just trying to stay on top of them.
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I'd say most places are much of a muchness in general. How a shop is as much dependent on their manager of the day rather than any overall chain dynamic. Most are franchises I think.
I used to be a rep - my main tips would be really nice to the people working in the shop - and try and go when its not busy - which can be difficult. Below are my tips on renting skis.
To get maximum enjoyment out of skis (and the skiing on your holiday) and if you want to feel the difference, go for their top end rental level as this where the "proper" skis are generally found. Cheaper rental packages have skis that were purpose made for rental shops (super hard/heavy/slow bases and reinforced edges for maximum abuse by punters), whereas the most expensive package should have the actual skis you could buy from a shop. Also, ask if you can change once of even twice during the week.
When i'm renting, I pick my ski based on the conditions in resort and what I'll be doing. I'll often rent for a day or two even when I've got my own skis with me - if my skis aren't ideal for the conditions or I just fancy a change - I only get to go every so often, so an extra few quid on a days ski rental can be worth it.
If there is some powder about and you want to get in it, get something with around 100mm or more waist - it will make a huge difference. The free float provided by the ski can make up for a lack of technique.
An "all mountain ski" should have 90mm plus, but anything around the 90mm mark will still lack that effortless float, and you'll need better technique to counter that.
If there is no powder about, and you know you'll be sticking to the piste - experiment a bit. There is nothing quite like a day haring round the slopes on some 165cm slalom skis, but after a day of that your thighs will probably be done.
My general piste cruiser of choice would be about 80mm underfoot with a circa 20 meter turn radius. Great for hammering about in nice controlled arcs with tons of sidewall grip.
If you want to dick about jumping off stuff at the side of slopes and in the park, get some centrally mounted twintips. They will be softer in the nose and tail and loads lighter. This will help pop and the central mounting will help if you want to go backwards.
A nice shop might let you take out all of these on different days. A bit like bikes - there is a different ski for every different condition/slope/general persuasion. Trying to find the "one ski quiver" is the same as the unicorn of the "one bike to do it all".
I'm not going skiing this year and I think it shows in the length of my reply and my yearning for some snow:(
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Nice to have gone from having no openers to three to choose from. Looking like a proper test team for the first time in a long time.
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Is it deffo Macclesfield? Got friends I need to see in Sheffield, so wondering if I can two birds one stone a trip to The North.
Edit - I'd do my own train booking as I'd likely be Friday- Sunday
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Yep, Montgenevre is great. I did a season there about 10 years ago, fantastic! Ski area is huge, but the Montgenevre part is probably the best in terms of snow and if you're into a bit of backcountry/sidecountry stuff.
The village is nice too. It's an old village which feels more than just a ski resort which gives it more of a genuine feel than lots of places.
That is a bullshit excuse. It's a distinctive vehicle and there is no way another identical car could have appeared there considering the road layout. I wonder if they would have said the same if it was a green Lamborghini?