How do you pick a ski size?

skijay · Nov 23, 2004

I need skis. I have been blading for about 5 yrs and have each season have bought new Salomon SnowBlades, but this season I want to try skiing again.

I was an advanced skier, last skiing on 203CM straight skis. I have been out of the ski shopping scene for about 5yrs. I want to get a pair of shaped.

I will either buy a pair of demos or used. Leasing is out. All that I have found is entry level equipment. I have found some skis that I am interested in, but am not sure what size to go with.

How do you pick a ski size??? I ski on 100cm Salomon blades and I was told at the ski shop that for a pair of Salomon 1080 skis (this is what I am looking to buy) I could go with a 160cm.

I am 5'10 and weigh about 160lbs. 160cm sounds skind of short.

Thanks,

Tim

Starter Jackets Rule! · Nov 23, 2004

hummm. i am 6'1" @ 210 lbs and one of my skis mesure 160. cm.
Sj. What type of skiing do you mostly do?
I know that we all cant afford more than one pair of skis.
The skis i use go like this.
For all around Skiing i ski the Head 1100SW @177cm 16.6m TR.
For High speed A salomon "New raceing" team GS ski @187cm. 21m TR.
For powder days and skiing trees and bumps A Line FX7.3 Ti. @ 175 cm. Tr.?
for teaching and short raidous turns an Atomic SL-9 @ 160cm. TR.11m
The best way to figure out what to get is DEMO-DEMO-DEMO!
Find a shop that will let you put the cost of a demo toward the purchace of a new ski.
or check you local Mtn. and see when they are having an on snow demo.
One thing don't get a ski just because a "Friend" says it is the best.
That is just plain foolish. Get ouy and find out for your self.
and have fun demoing.
Paul.

riverc0il · Nov 23, 2004

you probably should demo a few different sizes, but i think you'll probably be looking around 170 +/-10 depending upon the ski and your preferences. i would recommend not buying used/demo skis but rather wait for season ending sales in late spring and summer in which you can score 50% or more off brand new top line skis. you can spend the summer demoing various models and sizes that way instead of antieing up for beat up gear that may not meet your needs without having tried it out first.

ChileMass · Nov 23, 2004

Tim - go for some demos, like rivercoil said. I am going out on 175cm skis this year for the first time since I was about 12. Gonna be interesting to see how shaped skis work - I've only tried them a couple times and hated them both times.

My suggestion is try a bunch and see how the new technology works with your technique. I also had a very detailed conversation with one of the senior instructors at Wawa a few weeks ago, and he had some definite ideas about the difference between skiing on old-fashioned straight skis and newfangled shaped ones. Maybe even invest in a lesson or two - ??

skijay · Nov 23, 2004

rivercOil....Great Advice, and that was my plan to purchase last Summer, but never did! I only want used or demo because I want to try skiing again. Part of me was wanting to attempt snowboarding also. I really do not want to spend $600+ on skis, only to have them sit in my basement while I find out I like blading and boarding better. I like Snowblades because you can pick them up year end for $200 to $250. I end up selling the previous season's ones for about $100 at the end of the season. I would rather have some skis with cosmetic damage for $300 that I can use for a season or two.

Bandit2941 · Nov 24, 2004

You can get brand new ski's for 300 at end of the season sales! Or on Ebay all the time. My friends Atomic C8's were had on ebay for 250. This year I could have gotten a brand new C9 at local swap for $299(both of these WITH bindings).

I just bought a brand new atomic R11 locally for $252 then got a binding from ebay for $135 - and that's a pretty high end ski.

I would recommend demoing and waiting around for the right deal. Don't spend $300 on used junk when you can have new for the same price.

hammer · Nov 24, 2004

Bandit2941 said:
My friends Atomic C8's were had on ebay for 250. This year I could have gotten a brand new C9 at local swap for $299(both of these WITH bindings).

How does your friend like the C8's? I bought a pair late last season from a local ski shop (unfortunately, not for $250) and I've only gone out 3 times since I bought them so I'm still not sure if I ended up with the right skis...

riverc0il · Nov 24, 2004

some dude is selling volkl p50 GS skis for under $100 on ebay :blink:

to think i thought i got a super deal with 50% on my p50s when they were only one season old!!!

seriously, check out 2-3 year old skis on ebay. there really isn't much difference in the last 3 years except with binding integration and systems.

First Tracks · Nov 24, 2004

riverc0il said:
there really isn't much difference in the last 3 years except with binding integration and systems.

Which I hate, personally. The "Shimanoization" of skiing is a disturbing trend, IMO. For example, last season I really, really wanted a pair of Salomon Scream 10 Hots, but that darned Pilot system ensures that I mount Salomon bindings on them. They would've made a marvelous AT ski, but I can't mount AT bindings on them.

To get back to the original poster, those Scream 10 Hots are 175 cm, as are a pair of Völkl Explosiv CMH Editions. Those two pair comprise my bread-and-butter quiver -- the Salomons for general use, and the Explosivs for pow. And I'm 145 lbs, 5'8", skiing aggressively.

riverc0il · Nov 25, 2004

agreed that binding system integration is a disturbing trend. i think each ski manufacturer could really go for one or two pairs of flagship skis with the binding integration and that's cool. but they keep rolling more and more integration out and reduces consumer choice (as marc experienced). also, it would be nice for the same skis to be available sans binding. then again, from an experience point of view, i love my volkl p50 motions... but i have nothing to compare them to so i don't know how much the binding system actually does or does not improve my ride.

teachski · Nov 25, 2004

I LOVE my integrated binding system. Of course, the bindings are made by a brand I know and trust and are the ones I probably would have chosen anyhow.

Skijay,
I have a pair of 177cm Elans (intermediate) from a couple seasons back that you are welcome to try. I also have a pair of 161cm Volkl 6*'s that you can try if your boots fit my binding without moving it.

There are a few places that have special demo days. You can also consider going to a shop that has high end rentals. There are some that do seasonal rentals and will work with you to do it so you can try several different skis through the season. They are harder to find, but if you look, they are there.

Also, Strands in Worcester, MA has a lot of used skis at various levels. They also have some of last years models at reasonable prices. The Strands guys are knowledgeable and will point you to the right length.

Sports Loft in West Boylston, MA has some great packages, including packages on last years models.

First Tracks · Nov 26, 2004

teachski said:
I LOVE my integrated binding system. Of course, the bindings are made by a brand I know and trust and are the ones I probably would have chosen anyhow.

Agreed, inasmuch as I've been skiing Salomon's alpine bindings exclusively for the past two decades. However, if you want to get away from alpine -- i.e., telemark or, in my case, AT (randonnée) -- you don't have any choice: you have to mount those skis alpine because they'll only take the Salomon alpine bindings.

I picked up a pair of Garmont Adrenalin alpine/AT hybrid boots this year, and the shells are 7mm shorter than my Langes. I therefore had to remount the bindings on the Scream 10 Hots to fit the new boots, and kudos to the integrated system for that only meant backing out 4 screws on each toepiece and repositioning them. I'll confess that was wonderful. However, I tend to agree with riverc0il on this one -- if you're going to make the binding system integrated, offer the ski without the integration system for those who want to do something else with the ski.

Those Völkl 6-Stars you've got are one of the best darned cruising skis I've ever ridden. I found them to be dead as a doornail until you really pushed them above 30 or 35 mph, then all of a sudden they were a completely different ski -- rock stable, but lively as heck at the same time. However, I found them next to useless in loose stuff in the woods or in bumps. If you spend most of your time on groomed cruisers at warp speed, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better ski.

skijay · Nov 26, 2004

teachski....

Did I swap with someone my snowblades for skis that day at Butternut???
I remember doing it once, but can not remember where...

teachski · Nov 26, 2004

You took poles, but I'm not sure about skis. I know you didn't change with Jeff, he has small feet. I don't believe you tried mine, but maybe. No, actually, probably not. I was overly protective of my 6*'s last year.

Bandit2941 · Nov 29, 2004

hammer said:
How does your friend like the C8's? I bought a pair late last season from a local ski shop (unfortunately, not for $250) and I've only gone out 3 times since I bought them so I'm still not sure if I ended up with the right skis...

I put about 65 days on my C8s in a year and a half. They're a good ski for a lightweight intermediate(they were my first pair of ski's). They're good to get one started into carving. I'm a heavy guy (225#) and I'm much more at home on my new R11's (although I only have a few runs on them - afraid to run them too much in early conditions for fear of scratching them right away). I never realized how much the C8's flexed when I leaned on them until skiing the R11. Its like I have something to really stand on when I get into a turn.

For an intermediate lighter-weight skiier who's looking to get into carving, I'd say they're great. If you're heavier, the C:9 would probably be the better choice.

Jamie

hammer · Nov 29, 2004

Thanks for the info. The C8's are my first pair of skis, and I'm not quite as heavy (180 - 185) so I think that I'll have a few years to "grow" in them.

Bandit2941 · Nov 29, 2004

hammer said:
Thanks for the info. The C8's are my first pair of skis, and I'm not quite as heavy (180 - 185) so I think that I'll have a few years to "grow" in them.

I'm sure you'll like them. Where are you in Mass? Where do you ski?

I'm in NY and I ski Belleayre Hunter and Windham. Looking to check out Jiminy Peak this year.

Jamie

DBarnes727 · Nov 29, 2004

Salomon 1080 sizing

Skijay,

I have the original 1080's (yellow and black) in size 177. I am 6' 170lbs. Although they are fairly easy to spin I find them unstable at high speed. I just ordered this year's model (silver with the red wings) in size 181, hopefully they'll be a bit more stabilized.

Hope this helps.

-Derrick

PS - Hello everyone, newbie here! Just found this forum

I've lived in New Hampshire all my life and have been skiing since I could walk. (I'm 25 years old now)

beswift · Dec 1, 2004

Buying Shaped Skiis

After getting out of the Ski Industry, I skied with the same 205 racing ski for years when skiing downhill. I was very reluctant to go to a short shaped ski, but took the plunge last year with a 165 Vokl. It's been a lot of fun. When I went back to my old race ski, it was a lot more work. I'm 6 ft.and 220 lbs.

beswift · Dec 1, 2004

Correction

Sorry, I just checked my Vokl's, they are 170's. By the way, I've demo'ld over a hundred pairs of skiis. I demo'ld my Race Ski (Hart SLX, the '88 Olympic Ski) and before that owned some of the best skiis in that decade), but I bought the Vokl off the shelf (a close out). I wanted a good tree skiing pair of boards. The ski was heavily discounted, and the salesman told me it was a woman's ski i.e. not for me. He tried to sell me up to a much more expensive pair. There's a lot of hype in ski sales. Although there are noticeable differences in skiis, a good skier can adapt to any pair. I found that I didn't want a stiff race ski. I had a lot of fun last spring with my new Vokls. If you want to go for speed, find a straight race ski IMHO.

How do you pick a ski size?

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