At Proctor Ski & Board we see this every year. Dad comes to Proctor's in August and gets the newest and best ski or snowboard available.. A bit later Mom and Dad come in and get some skis or snowboards for the kids. Much later it is time for Mom and someone says she does not ski that well, not very aggressive what is your cheapest pair of skis or boots. Maybe, she even says this her self or agrees. This is sad.. Mom played sports, skied in high school and is in good shape. She wonders why her skis slide on hard snow and make it hard for control on anything above walking speed.
A biggest part of the problem is the cheap low end skis and boots she winds up with. The want to slide and skid. The boots do not keep her in balance and let her feet slide around. If her husband had to ski on these he would complain and complain. She will be much better keeping up and wanting to ski if we help her pick a more advanced pair of skis and boots. Yes, the skis maybe $500 with bindings and the boots $299 or more; but, Mon will be a much happier wanting to ski more in all conditions. Husbands and kids may ever struggle to keep up
Beginner equipment can hold anyone back. Our daughter Amy skied her whole life and when she wanted to snowboard we just gave her some basic snowboard gear. After all this was just a part time thing. After a season she was okay but not feeling very confident on hard snow. We bought her a Burton higher end snowboard with some advanced level Burton boots and right away she was a far better snowboarder.
Good skis that work well on New England's hard snow can become like beginner skis if you let the edges get dull. Skis need to be tuned at least once a year and more often if you ski often. Even one day hitting rocks in the snow can greatly reduce how well someone will ski on them.
ProctorSki.com knows women need good equipment too.!😊