I'm not sure how often you ski, but if its only a few days a year, I'd recomend renting. Alot has changed in the world of rentals the past few years. You no longer get the set of 5 year old rear entry boots with shot padding and beat-up sticks. The new rental standard is at the 'Demo' standard of old, where you get current equipment that is high quality and high performance. The last time I rented (2 years ago, couldn't get my equipment to the hill) I got a virgin set of Rossignal shaped skis, with Marker bindings).
If you're set on buying, all the major players make good products, and check out the review site listed above for a general idea. My current skis are Olin GS/All Mountain skis that I bought the season before the mega-shaped skis really hit the market, and now I feel that I'm stuck with them.
just my $.02
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