 Poster: A snowHead
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| Jonpim wrote: |
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Great chart.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I've noticed a tendency towards shorter skis in general, though I've not experienced it to the extent many have here in any resort I've hired from and still tend to have to ask for something shorter. I'm 179cm, ~80kg, like to carve on piste and usually pick one of the black/higher (but not super-premium) hire options, which leads hire shops' standard calculations to suggest something ~167-172cm, so I'm surprised 173s are distinctly bigger than most around. Though most hire shops seem to give relatively generic skis unless you ask for something else, probably as it's what most people want?
To be honest I've never got the point of longer skis for non-race piste skiing as I don't get what they do better than a shorter ski (say 160-165cm): I've never hit a max speed decent slalom skis won't carve at, length and turn radius make little difference if you want to go edge to edge down the fall line as fast as possible, and the natural turn radius of short/slalom skis is about as big as you can safely carve on public pistes. I get the use of longer skis for off-piste, and for big curves racing down empty pistes, but for the majority who ski on public pistes at whatever I wonder what I'm missing? I rarely see people skiing faster than short skis can handle (I'm sadly not the lightest person and find 160cm skis grip solidly at over 100kph - my legs would give in well before the skis would!) or carving super-G-style turns; is there something else longer skis do better on piste? If not, or if only for very advanced skiers, then I'm not surprised hire shops keep cutting the length of skis they give out. I know I found learning to ski much easier when I was given shorter skis, as it was less effort to turn, and over the years as I've improved I've not found going longer gives any benefit (though I have gone much firmer). I appreciate I'm not an expert so may well have missed something, though if not could it be that hire shops are doing the right thing by nudging people to use smaller skis, whether purposefully or for some commercial/cost reason?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Hard to disagree with that ^. It's amazing how small and light someone can be and still have people recommending that they get the longest in the range for whatever model they're considering. If a general piste ski was supposed to be head-height anyone 6'2"+ wouldn't have many choices.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@BobinCH,
I think we are talking about firm pistes not iced race course here.
I'm not challenging the idea that a wider ski can suit someone better than a narrow ski. I am challenging the idea that a wide ski is as good as a narrow ski on piste which is what @Markymark29, seemed to be saying
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They work for me on piste just as well as short skis seem to do for others
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If you can't ski better on piste with a piste focused ski then you are doing something wrong!
That is not to say you can't ski well on piste with a fat ski.
I like fat skis I just don't subscribe to the view that the are brilliant at everything which is what some people like to suggest.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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By the way, to answer the OP's original point I think skis have on average STOPPED getting shorter. That's because more and more skis now have some rocker. It may well be true that running length is still getting shorter but that is a bit different.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@jedster, not you, @Primoz. I « think » I tried an R108 in Cham and it was pretty traditional, straight feeling which would not be my gig on piste. It’s not just width bit sidecut and construction. I’m on a DPS Lotus 124 A - you would not believe how good this ski is on piste. Prefer it to Faction 9’s and Dyna CR74’s (bought 2nd hand to keep boy in check on gates course) which while dialing in, are so heavy, quickly get to light speed and struggle once the pistes start chopping/softening up. Just advocating personal preference plays a role in ski selection and enjoyment - it isn’t one size fits all.
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