Dude I'm the same age as you so I understand where you're coming from, parents wont give you the cash for you ski hardware and you don't have much cash, do what I do go direct to the manufacturer (make sure it's a small company, eg. 4FRNT) and ask them if they have any skis with cosmetic defects or are unsold models from past year and they will give you an awesome deal, around the 50% off mark