Does size matter?

[ALLSKIING]

It seems to me from reading these post that I am skiing with to long of a ski. 188 K2 Axis..Since i'm 6'1 215 and was skiing 201 I thought they were short, but now I am not sure they are short enough. HMMM

 

[tekweezle]

go demo some shorter skis at the next demo day. go like 2 sizes lower than you think would be normal for you. then go rip some tight turns and have a blast. you might be surprised at how much fun you are having making tight turns and may even want to venture into a mogul field if you are comfortable.

if you find that you are "overpowering" the ski, go a size up and see if that suits you better. us bigger guys do need a ski with extra "heft".

 

[Lostone]

In the straight ski world, I started at 180, moved to 195 and 200.

Then I started with shapes at ~192, Liked them.

After doing some thinking and playing decided that I wasn't getting the full effect of the carve. If I just sat on the edge, by the time they would come around, I would be in the woods.

I now have 2 pair of Bandit XX at 177 one Vokl G4 at 177 and a Dynastar Intuitive 71 at 175. You guessed it (OK, maybe you didn't, but I'm going to tell you, so it doesn't really matter if you guessed it. :wink: ... but I digress :roll: ) I like the 175 best and am thinking I might try something a little shorter.

For the record, I'm 5'10" and 165 lbs.

I agree with those that say demo something in the size you're thinking of trying and a few sizes below.

To make the test valid, you should demo the same model, varying only the length. The difference between my 177 Bandits and my 177 G4s are gigantic.

 

[teachski]

That's what I thought too. I thought they would be too short. I say give them a try, and also listen to what you are being told by the person selling them if you are in a shop that has a good reputation. Some skis are meant to be skied short. I am 5'9" and a strong skier. I do not label myself an expert as I no longer do bumps due to knee issues. I am on 161cm Volkl 6*'s in other skis that I have recently tried it has gone as high as 177cm and as short as 155cm. It really depends on the ski...try it, you might like it. Get that thought that only beginners ski short skis out of your head...that is no longer true.

 

[deadheadskier]

I'm 5'8 - 185 and ski on a pair of Bandit X 184cm


They seem to treat me just fine, but they're the 2002 model, so not a very extreme sidecut.

I probably use my Rossi Axiom's more though, and they are 183, very wide and no sidecut - perfect for the trees.

 

[andyzee]

For the most part you guys are right about ski size, but keep in mind that designs are changing and the trend does appear to be going towards shorter skis. I was on an Atomic page that had sizing for the Metron line, damn if I could remember what page that was,and was suprised that the Atomic M:EX @165cm would be good for me at a weight of 225. I think it was actually good for a weight of upto 235 or 245

 

[DEVO]

I am 5'10" 180lbs advanced skier, and am on a 175 Volant Machete soul

I keep looking for a 170 or 168 ish ski to use in the trees and as a rock/Tuckerman ski. Something with at least a 70 waist, hopefully wider (70-80mm).

I started on 180's (1980's)
then 205's (early 1990's)
then 190's (mid 1990's)
then 180's (late 1990's)
now 175's!

 

[chocolateSkiBunny]

Are you talking shaped or unshaped skis?

I took my first lesson on 120s (a good motivational device in retrospect--the humiliation of being such an obvious beginner make me work that much harder). I seemed to do best on 185s (I'm 5' 6", 150 pounds), so that where's I stayed until the shaped ski revolution. I was advised to ask for 160-165 shaped skis when I rent. But I've grown to like them--the last pair I used held like a vise on the ice patches, and if they were any more forgiving, they could enter the priesthood!

 

[Brettski]

5' 11"....

1984 180's...peice of junk Rossies

Learned how to ski...kind of

1990 195 Kastle's good on Ice

1995 203 Vertical Assault Dynastar mogul ski's..love 'em, still have'em

1998 210 Dynastar GS..got them at a used sport store..mostly because the had the exact same bindings as the mogul skis...didn't know you could go that fast....bindings blew on the mogul skis...canabalized the GS...

2003 185 Pocket Rockets...the Mogul skis are a lot of fun...but these are the best ski's I've ever been on...and I demoed a bunch trying to figure out what shaped skis to get....

 

[tekweezle]

which seemed to make a mockery of all my efforts.

that's the part that most people have to "unlearn". I went as high as a 190 in straight skis and had a terrible day. the original convention was to equate ski length with skiing prowess. not so anymore. sure it takes a very strong person to use a pair of long skis but you don;t need them to tackle the terrain.

Skiing is exercise but it can be effortless too.

 

[skintowin]

Ahh, the days when proving your mettle meant taming a 200+cm pair of race-bred death sticks.
I'll always remember being 16, just having grown from 5'4" to 6'1" in a year, and going to buy my first pair of non-hand-me-down skis. I told the sales rep I was an advanced skier, you know, "type 3" with my bad self. He was like, "I think you could go ahead with the 205". And then I knew I had become a man.

 

[Brettski]

I remeber whe I got my first shaped skis...it was too easy...it almost wasn't fun anymore...just means you can do more sick stuff...


kick it!