 Poster: A snowHead
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I am always getting asked "How long should my skis be" and pretty much everyone relates ski length to how tall they are. All the advice you see online or in books refers to the ski should be between chin and top of head height.
I recon a pair of skis could care less about how tall you are and really only care about how heavy you are..
What do you use to decide how long your planks should be?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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skimottaret, 203 for slalom, 207 for GS?
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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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under a new name, how fat are you? 
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A good question.
I'm only 1.76m tall yet 97kg so I often get handed something around 165 to play with.
Innuendo aside, luckily I prefer something a little on the short side as long as its stiff.
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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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I haven't really chosen my skis intentionally (renting, rather new to it all) but on all 3 trips have been given 178 Dynastar Outlands. I'm about 193cm and 95kg.
Maybe the rental store doesn't have anything else for my height? (same store each time)
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It's a combination of height and weight imho. Height as it affects the center of gravity and so the levering forces on the ski. Weight... well, that's obvious.
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skimottaret,
I'm about your height but a lot heavier. I'm an old bug and like skiing on longer planks - initially I would choose to try the longest available size of any particular ski. I have 2 new(ish) sets; 175s to ski on piste with the kids and 184's for the days I can escape them. I feel a whole lot happier on the longer ones, and would love to have my previous 196s back 
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Weight and ability to load them....I am 1.67 and 86kg and ski on 179 line prophets...fantastic all over the mountian.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Quote: |
Height as it affects the center of gravity and so the levering forces on the ski.
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does you ski in balance through the centre of the ski or do you turn by "levering" the skis ?
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Center of ski neutral, weight to toes to engage the edges going in to a turn and heels to roll out of the turn.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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you don't have to actively lever your skis for a levering force to be present. Even just by putting pressure on the front of your boot, there's going to be a force that, in extreme circumstances, will lift the tail and press the tip into the snow. I'm taking about forces within the system, not a technique for skiing.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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SPILLY67, FEEF agreed... I am being a bit anal now but I dont think that height matters much in ski length, the lever force you mention comes from pressing the front or back of the boot and leg length doesnt make much odds imo, most people dont hang on the front of back of boots and if you put too much "leverage" on you will pop out of the bindings so a bit moot...
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This being snowHeads (and full of "Woodentops"  ), it's not allowed to be a simple choice of either weight or height (and it's definitely not height anyway cos a ski can't see how tall you are and I don't buy that COG argument either). It's basically all about the amount of pressure experienced by the ski which would be a complex combination of a whole host of factors including weight, speed, turn radius, degree of dynamism from the pilot, steepness, type of snow, temperature, boot stiffness, gender, yada yada yada. Can someone please come up with an equation. Or, alternatively, grab any old pair of skis that are roughly right and go skiing.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Pedantica, That's because you find plane seat surprisingly spacious.
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Poster: A snowHead
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How about length for height and stiffness for weight!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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tiffin, no, I just said there was more leg room than usual, which there was.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| tiffin wrote: |
| luckily I prefer something a little on the short side as long as its stiff. |
I prefer something longer and with a lot of girth and would say weight and the leg strength are more important than height. I'm 165cm tall and weigh 56kg... am skiing on 178s with 110mm waist.
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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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Zero-G, you is hench!
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I'm with jbob
i've found ski stiffness far more relevant - probably cos i'm quite heavy (90kg, used to be 120kg  ) I like approx 180-185cm skis for general cruising about & touring but have a couple of 190+ for bigger adventures. THey're all pretty/very stiff though
If you're 5'11 and 75kg, an 180cm softish ski may suit you fine, but if you're 5'11 and 120kgs, i pretty much guarantee you'll hate a 200cm softish ski
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surely zero G is weightless? 
whenever I got rental skis in Italy, they always gave me retail versions of GS skis, saying I need something like that because of my weight and height (6ft3, 100kg). Maybe this is off the scale for Italians, who tend towards the shorter end of the height spectrum compared to Brits and Dutch?
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| Frosty the Snowman wrote: |
| Zero-G, you is hench! |
I wish I was, then I wouldn't get so danged cold on the chairlifts!
My skis have tip and tail rocker, so effective length on piste is probably more like 150cm but 178cm in powder. I don't know, I'm all the gear with no idea...
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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The length vs height method was invented by the ski industry, without it they would struggle to sell/rent you a pair of skis, can you imagine the average punter going into a shop and saying to the retailer "what length do I need" and the retailer/rental guy shrugging his shoulders and saying..."no idea, up to you!"
The weight/technique vs stiffness vs the type of skiing you do method is not a practical option for retailers.
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skimottaret, I still need to try on snow what I did on the infamous ski-threadmill... 130 on 1 foot, 160 of the exact same ski type on the other... Remarkable little difference. Next time I visit Central Sport Wengen perhaps
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