• Discover Which Type of Skis You Need

• Choose Your Downhill Skis and Poles

• Select Cross Country Skis and Poles

• Get Ski Boots, Apparel, & Accessories

• Find Skis on eBay Australia

• Buy Skis & Skiing Equipment with Confidence

• Need More Help?

• Legal Disclaimer

Discover Which Type of Skis You Need

Discover Which Type of Skis You Need

In order to buy skis you need to match your skills, ability and the type of terrain you will be skiing to the type of ski. Manufacturers design skis for two major types of skiing: alpine skiing (also called downhill skiing) and cross country skiing.

• Downhill skis: Feel the exhilaration as you travel at high speeds down a mountain with your downhill, or alpine, skis. Popular brands include K2, Rossignol, Atomic and Salomon.

• Cross country skis: Explore the countryside with specially designed cross country skis.

Buy ski gear specifically designed for women

Women’s skis differ slightly from skis designed for men. Women's skis are more flexible, weigh less and adjust to a woman’s centre of gravity by having the mounting points further forward. Women’s ski boots also differ from men’s in that they end lower on the leg, are often made of softer materials, regularly including a fleece material for extra insulation.

Outfit the kids with junior skis

Primarily designed for downhill skiing, juniors skis come in shorter lengths than adult skis. Rather than expecting children to grow into a larger boot or ski, make sure you by them the right size. Remember that poles can interfere with young children learning proper balance.

Choose Your Downhill Skis and Poles

Choose Your Downhill Skis and Poles

Downhill skis have a more shapely, shorter design than ever before. While downhill "carving" skis come in lengths between 160 cm and 200 cm, conventional straight skis are available in 5 cm increments, from 175 cm to 210 cm.

Select the right length for your downhill skis

The length of your ski should reflect your body mass, skiing expertise and the skiing conditions. It's easier for a tall or heavy skier to make turns with a long ski than for a shorter, lighter skier to do the same. Aggressive or experienced skiers looking to ski in various conditions at high speeds may want longer skis as they are ideal on fresh powder.

Shorter downhill skis are a good choice for beginners or more cautious skiers because the lightweight, shorter ski makes it easier to change direction and carve at slow speeds.

The following chart can give you an idea of the right ski length for your weight.

Your height should also be a factor when choosing the length of your skis. A good indication of the correct length is that the ski reaches between your chin and forehead when placed on end. When barefoot, measure the height between the floor and your nose, add 2.5 cm to your results to compensate for the height of your ski boots.

Measure downhill ski width

In general the width of a downhill ski is measured in three areas: the tip, the waist, and the tail (for example, 122/90/115 mm). These measurements correlate to a particular use for the ski.

• Downhill skis for beginners: Novice skiers should choose skis with a wide waist (around 70 mm) and a narrow tail (around 80 mm).

• Downhill skis for quick turns: If you are choosing a ski based on the desire for quick turns choose a responsive ski with a narrow waist (around 60 mm).

• Downhill skis for powder skiing: For powder skiing, ideally choose a ski with a wider waist (around 80 mm).

The inward curve between the front and tail end of the ski is referred to as the sidecut. While a ski with a shallow sidecut is ideal for wider turns, a ski with a deep sidecut allows for quick turning and is therefore favoured by more advanced skiers.

Evaluate ski construction

The construction of the ski will effect the overall quality; these include:

• Cap downhill skis: Cap downhill skis traditionally have a wood or foam core, completely covered in fibreglass.

• Laminate downhill skis: Laminate downhill skis are made of strips of fibreglass sandwiching a core of another material. These do not have the durability of cap skis but do provide a very smooth ride.

• Monocoque downhill skis: Monocoque downhill skis all made wholly of fibreglass and offer the most durability of the three traditional ski types.

The material a ski is made of will strongly affect the price.

Choose downhill ski poles

For novice skiers the best option is the more durable and cost-effective aluminum ski poles. Poles made from graphite or other lightweight material weigh less than aluminum ski poles, but also break more easily.

Select Cross Country Skis and Poles

Select Cross Country Skis and Poles

Cross country skiing requires skis and poles designed specifically for cross country conditions.

Types of cross country skis

Your choice of cross country skis depends on where you expect to trek.

• Traditional in-track touring skis: These types of skis can also be used on firm ungroomed snow. Use a kick-and-glide motion or diagonal stride.

• Skating skis: Skate skiing is for those who have developed a skating style stride technique (similar to ice skating or inline skating) on groomed trails. Skating skis are different to classical skis both in length and design. They are shorter in length, have a shorter upturn in the ski tip, are lighter and stiffer.

• Off-track skis: These types of skis tend to be wider and can have a metal edge for more control. Use these to navigate ungroomed and more remote tracks.

• Backcountry skis: Backcountry skis are as wide as downhill skis to aid in movement over a range of snow conditions and have metal edges for better ski control.

Examine cross country ski features

Once you have decided which type of cross country ski you need take into account the dimensions, sidecut, waxing and camber.

• Cross country ski dimensions: As with downhill skis, measure the width of a ski at three places- the tip, the waist, and the tail.

• Cross country ski sidecut: Again, the sidecut is the inward curve of the ski between tip and tail. A ski with a shallow sidecut turns more slowly than a ski with a deep sidecut.

• Cross country ski camber: The camber is the curve built into the main body of a ski to allow an even distribution of the skier's mass over the whole ski in contact with the snow. Cross country skis require stiffer or harder camber for the kick-and-glide motion.

• Waxed vs. waxless cross country skis: It’s easier to take care of non-wax skis as, in most circumstances, it needs no grip wax to enable forward or uphill movement. All skis are sold without wax, yet all benefit from having wax applied frequently. Experts prefer waxable skis because, when cared for correctly, they outperform non-wax skis. Keep in mind that waxing skis in highly variable temperatures or at near freezing is difficult.

Select cross country ski poles

An important part of your equipment, ski poles give you more control on the slopes. Poles come in a variety of materials including fibreglass, graphite, aluminum or a combination of these.

• In-track ski poles: Poles should reach from the ground to your armpits or marginally higher. Pole baskets can be small because you ski is in packed snow.

• Off-track ski poles: Pole baskets should be slightly larger than in-track ski pole baskets. You could also purchase telescoping poles, which allow you to vary the length depending on the slope.

Get Ski Boots, Apparel, & Accessories

Get Ski Boots, Apparel, & Accessories

You will also need ski boots, bindings and other essential ski accessories before you hit the slopes.

Fit ski boots correctly

Besides your skis themselves, your ski boots (and therefore your feet) will spend the most time in direct contact with the snow. Ski Boot size is usually measured in European Mondo point sizes. The following chart will help convert your shoe size into mondo size:

Select downhill boots and bindings

Downhill ski boots have a stiff outer shell and soft, usually foam, interior. The interior of the boot will mold to the shape of your foot so choose the smallest size that’s comfortable. The more advanced you become, the stiffer your boot should be for more aggressive skiing.

Modern bindings release quickly when you fall. The rating, or DIN, indicates how easily they release. Make sure you buy boots with the correct DIN:

Any boot can be used with any downhill binding. Women’s bindings are usually mounted slightly forward of centre because of the different centre of gravity. More expensive bindings tend to perform better.

Wear appropriate ski apparel and accessories

Consider the climate before purchasing your skiing outfit and accessories. The Australian skiing climate dictates that lightweight, breathable materials should generally be worn. If skiing overseas or the weather conditions are particularly adverse wear layers and materials graded for colder weather.

• Ski jackets: A waterproof jacket or shell protects you from all of the elements. A breathable material is recommended.

• Ski suits:Stay dry from top to to in a ski suit.

• Ski pants and bibs: Choose waterproof ski pants that will fit over your ski boots or a ski bib, which are held up by waterproof suspenders.

• Socks for skiing: Wear thick, warm, stretchable fabric socks. If you can find them ski or thermal socks are best.

• Ski gloves or mittens: Wear waterproof gloves or mittens to keep your hands warm and relatively dry. Look for gloves or mittens with a liner that you can remove if the weather heats up.

• Ski helmets: More and more skiers are wearing helmets to reduce the chance of head trauma during a fall. Wear a ski helmet when skiing in rocky, rough or wooded terrain.

• Sunglasses or ski goggles: Protect your eyes from the snow and wind chill with a pair of goggles. For sunnier days purchase a pair of sport sunglasses that offer 100% UV protection.

• Headwear : Headwear while skiing will keep your ears covered and warm.

Find Skis on eBay Australia

Find Skis on eBay Australia

Once you know what type of skis you want, go to the Sporting Goods portal, click Skiing & Snowboarding, then Skiing Equipment and start searching for items on eBay Australia.

• Categories: The Categories list on the left side of each page will help you narrow down your listings by item type. You'll find links for Binding, Boots, Poles, Skis and Other Skiing Equipment.

• Keyword search: Search eBay Australia listing titles for specific words. For example, if you want to find Rossignol skis, type "rossignol ski" (without quotation marks) into the Search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. Visit eBay Australia's Search Tips page for more tips on searching with keywords.

If you can't find exactly what you want, try shopping eBay Stores, tell the eBay Australia Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay and eBay Australia will email you when a match becomes available

Buy Skis & Skiing Equipment with Confidence

Buy Skis & Skiing Equipment with Confidence

Before making your purchase, make sure you know exactly what you're buying, research your seller, and understand how eBay Australia and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Carefully read the details in item listings.

• Figure delivery costs into your final price. If you spend a lot of money, make sure the seller will insure the item when it ships.

• If you want more information, ask by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link under the seller's profile.

• Always make sure to complete your transaction on eBay Australia (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay Australia are not covered by eBay Australia protection programs.

• Never pay for your eBay Australia item using instant cash wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.

Know your seller

Research your seller so you feel positive and secure about every transaction.

• What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have?

• What do buyers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

• Most top eBay Australia sellers operate like retail stores and have return policies. Do they offer a money-back guarantee? What are the terms and conditions?

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event that a problem arises during your transaction, eBay Australia and PayPal are there for you.

• Pay safely with PayPal: PayPal  enables you to pay without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. In fact, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorised payments from their accounts. Plus, with PayPal Buyer Protection, your purchase can be covered up to $1,500.

• eBay Security & Resolution Centre: Visit the Security & Resolution Centre to learn how to protect your account and use eBay's quick and efficient resolution tools.

Need More Help?

Need More Help?

Visit our help pages or start a thread on one of our Community Discussion Boards - If you have a quick question that needs answering, try posting it on our community Answer Centre - there's bound to be a seasoned eBay Australia veteran with just the information you're looking for!                      

Legal Disclaimer

Legal Disclaimer

Buying Guides are intended merely as a guide or review for members when considering what products or services they may be interested in bidding on or purchasing. eBay does not make, and nothing in these Buying Guides is intended to constitute, any warranties, guarantees, representations or assurances about the accuracy of the information or content contained in these Buying Guides. Furthermore, eBay does not make, and nothing in these Buying Guides is intended to constitute, any warranties, guarantees, representations or assurances about the nature or performance of the products or services appearing in the Buying Guides. Content, trademarks and brands referred to and contained in the third-party links provided are the property of their respective owners, and eBay has no control over and accepts no responsibility for their content. eBay is not affiliated with nor does it endorse the use of any particular product or service.