Where can I find information about the types and characteristics of skis and bindings?

Right here on Quora! Ask us anything! Level 1 will have completely different preferences from level 3, and level 3 will have completely different preferences from backcountry. Here are my preferences for each level and why; Level 1; floppy (forgiving) shaped skis with almost any cheaper binding and the most comfortable soft (90 flex or under) boots you can find. Get carbon fiber poles, they will last you until you are in the backcountry. You need floppy skis to help absorb unseen bumps and to keep you on the mountain throughout your turn, you will not likely be off-piste or off-groomed runs, so no need for skis that can handle bumps or crud. Get shorter skis than your body height, like 6 inches shorter. You could also use very stiff skis if you plan on staying completely on groomers. Any binding will do if you stay out of bumps as don't get airborne. Soft boots allow you to really develop your turning skills, and comfort allows you to stay out longer. Level 2; carving skis like racing skis, ~100 flex boots, nicer bindings. You will probably still be carving groomers, you can get skis a little more stiff and a little longer (3-4 inches less your height). Keep in mind that stiff skis are not very fun in the terrain park or moguls, but do pretty well in crud snow. The nicer bindings will keep you safe and keep you from ejecting every time you sneeze (like the loose ones in level 1), or you could just tighten up your level 1 bindings, you don't really need special bindings yet. Level 3; congratulations! The mountain is yours (in-bounds). By this time you might want to race all the time, so you get super stiff skis and boots. Or you love being airborne, so you get bouncy skis and softer boots. Or you love moguls, so you get narrow floppy skis and somewhat stiff boots. Or you still want to play in the backcountry, so you get stiff boots with a walking setting and all-mountain fatter skis (but not so fat you can't cruise on them, and still with some hourglass shape to them). Your bindings can now be upgraded to nicer models, you might crank the DIN setting higher than you need it to stomp the big airs, you might even get a binding that converts from Alpine Touring to Alpine Downhill at the flip of a switch. Backcountry; you want the fatty skis with rocker and not too much sidecut. You probably want skis with a wood core for bounce. you want Alpine Touring bindings that can still handle big impacts. You want extremely comfortable boots, so comfortable you could live in them (sometimes you will have to), but stiff enough you can transfer loads of power through your turns into your skis. You will need skins for the bottom of your skis to climb uphill. You might want to replace your poles now with telescoping poles for touring and climbing. Get a beacon, probe, shovel, and educate yourself on avalanche safety. If you start getting really serious, you will need an avalung and an avalanche airbag. Never travel the backcountry alone, never travel with someone unprepared, always have a plan, always check the weather, and have fun.

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