Discussion
Hi all, does anyone know what the shortest skis I could be comfortable on are? They are purely for quick turning (not speed) and I'm 5"11".
Thinking about 155-160 but worry these are too short?
Used to ski years ago but switched to snowboarding so I'm out of touch with these wider carving skis
Thinking about 155-160 but worry these are too short?
Used to ski years ago but switched to snowboarding so I'm out of touch with these wider carving skis
i'm 5' 11 and I used to ski on 150cms atomic SL10's in the past and they were awesome as long as you did not expect stability straight lining.
I used them for hooning on nice groomed early in morning ... then switched to 175's for allround for the afternoons.
You have to be careful not to get too much on the tails though as they will spit you out if you get too cocky ..
I used them for hooning on nice groomed early in morning ... then switched to 175's for allround for the afternoons.
You have to be careful not to get too much on the tails though as they will spit you out if you get too cocky ..
taaffy said:
You have to be careful not to get too much on the tails though as they will spit you out if you get too cocky ..
This. So this. If you're not used to carving skis I'd suggest getting something with an all mountain sidecut, then move to a GS sidecut, then to a slalom sidecut.
audi321 said:
taaffy said:
i'm 5' 11 and I used to ski on 150cms
Wow, cheers, I thought this would be far too short, but I might give them a go then. It's just for clowning around quick turns, not straight lining.I'd personally go for 165 to 175 at a minimum and get something with a nice carve on them that are stiff enough for you....if you are a 13 or 14 stone 5'11" I'd be surprised if 150 cm are stiff enough for you.
You don't need uber short skis to get very quick turning especially as you haven't been on skis for a while....they'll be very,very twitchy.
I'm a bit taller than you and ski on 185cm freeride skis....I tried some 165 cm piste skis for a laugh a couple of seasons ago and absolutely hated them. Just didn't suit my style at all.
Road2Ruin said:
Dont forget it's not all about height, but weight also. Generally though I would recommend between 160-170 (170cm is better). Also if you want quick turns look at the sidecut, a GS ski would probably be ideal.
Yes there are a combination of factors eg: height, weight, ability ..... if the ski is too stiff for your ability level then you'll struggle to load the tip and bend the ski.... GS skis will give you stability and longer turns whereas shorter slalom skis will offer tremendous turn shapes but less stability if you want to go faster ....
Best to try a few different skis in resort before committing to a purchase ....
Road2Ruin said:
taaffy said:
Best to try a few different skis in resort before committing to a purchase ....
2nd that. I did this a few years ago in France and the shop let me take out as many skis as I liked, it is the way they do things there.
audi321 said:
It's probably about 9 years since I last skied 'in anger'.
I took a mate that I play ice hockey with to Chamonix in feb..... he had never been on ski's before.I put him on snow blades on the morning of the 1st day then he had a private lesson in the afternoon on 170 cms skis.
On the 2nd day he was blasting around on groomed as if he'd been skiing for a few yrs.
You'll be just fine ...just use the edges and the sidecut will do the rest .....
New ski technology has made skiing so much easier for people to learn ....or return to.
audi321 said:
It's probably about 9 years since I last skied 'in anger'. I seem to recall been on 180s back then.
So I'm going to try some 155's I think and see how I get on. Hopefully it'll come flooding back to me!
I'm sure it will after a while.So I'm going to try some 155's I think and see how I get on. Hopefully it'll come flooding back to me!
One thing to be aware of is that older, longer skis were very stable in a straight line (and hard to turn), cheaper modern skis are very easy to turn, but they lack damping and can be unstable if you go fast (a bit like a bike can shake it's front wheel sometimes at speed).
More expensive skis have dampening in (often struts on the upper surface, like mini-shock absorbers) to prevent this.
Worth building your speed up in a straight line even if you were a speed merchant in the past!
M
Totally agree with marcosgt above.
A few years ago with friends we had an afternoon playing swapsies. We are all near enough the same boot size and the outer boot shell is in fact the same size so we all fitted each others bindings.
My skis are 177cm. (I'm about 5'11 as well) and are pretty stable in a straight line and fairly easy to control unless linking lots of very fast turns.
Next up was a pair of 165's which were infinitely easier to turn than mine - almost did it on their own - but at speed were flappier than a flappy thing.
Next was pair of 174's - the same as mine but the newer version - which were not that much different.
Finally I can't remember the size but a pair with the stability bars built in. At speed it was like being on two steel girders they were so planted and firm. Turning at sped was also good as they were heavy and you got plenty of edge, but not so good for quicker choppy changes or in powder.
As suggested above hire form a good shop so you can go back and change every day (or even lunchtime) until you can find what suits.
A few years ago with friends we had an afternoon playing swapsies. We are all near enough the same boot size and the outer boot shell is in fact the same size so we all fitted each others bindings.
My skis are 177cm. (I'm about 5'11 as well) and are pretty stable in a straight line and fairly easy to control unless linking lots of very fast turns.
Next up was a pair of 165's which were infinitely easier to turn than mine - almost did it on their own - but at speed were flappier than a flappy thing.
Next was pair of 174's - the same as mine but the newer version - which were not that much different.
Finally I can't remember the size but a pair with the stability bars built in. At speed it was like being on two steel girders they were so planted and firm. Turning at sped was also good as they were heavy and you got plenty of edge, but not so good for quicker choppy changes or in powder.
As suggested above hire form a good shop so you can go back and change every day (or even lunchtime) until you can find what suits.
crazy things!I'm 5 10 and I've got a couple of pairs of twin tips, Scott punishers and line chronic cryptonites, being 182 and 178 in their lengths, both have a good waist too, think about 94 under foot, great for a bit of powder. Just bought some new boots too, went for head mojos in black and white, comfiest boot I tried on and the cheapest too, can't wait till jan now to give them a proper thrashing
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