What size are your skis? (Does age matter?)
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Anonymous
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I’m now in my 60s and recently returned to skiing after a couple of decades. I’m an intermediate skier and I have no problem with east coast black diamonds.
For years I skied on 160s and more recently the rental shops have been giving me 143 and 148cm skis. I’d like to buy skis but I am uncertain if I should go with a shorter ski as I age. Intermediate skier Age 62+ 120 lbs, 5-2” Thoughts? |
Anonymous
| I don’t know how old your 160’s are but the new skis for 10+ years are shorter by design. They’re not supposed to go over your head like older skis did. They’re supposed to come almost around your shoulders I think. |
Anonymous
| I thought that skis should be at least chin length, but anywhere between your chin and top of your head. |
Anonymous
If they're shorter than chin length, the only thing you're giving up is speed. Longer skis are faster, but harder to turn. OP, see a professional. IME the folks at REI are fine. |
Anonymous
| I am 5’7 and ski on 162s. Modern skis are shorter. |
Anonymous
| I’m 5’4” and I think my skis are 156 or thereabouts. I known I had at least 160 back in the early 90s but skis are different and better now! I didn’t ski from age 19-40 and gear much improved over those years! |
Anonymous
| Thanks all! Sounds like the 143s are the way to go for me. |
Anonymous
| I'm 5'0" 110 and my skis are 143 with almost 100 underfoot. I'm able to handle East Coast icy conditions and Western powder. Shorter is the way to go these days. |
Anonymous
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If you can try to demo skis before you buy. Skis have changed a lot in the last decade.
Easier to demo out west as there are legit ski shops at the base do every mountain and they have a lot of skis to try. |
Anonymous
| I’m 5’6” and my skis are 156. My understanding is that they should be about chin to eye height. |
Anonymous
Agree with going west if time and money are not a concern. And demoing in the mid-Atlantic essentially doesn't exist. But the ski shops in NY and New England have plenty of inventory. |
Anonymous
Really depends on what you're looking to do. Groomers? Ungroomed? Trees? Moguls? East coast only? There's some good advice in this thread, and some bad advice. Talk to a good shop - there's no easy answer, particularly since a ski's rocker/camber profile will play into the best length for you. |
Anonymous
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It depends on the ski and what/where you are skiing. I have 172's and am 5'8' with 93 underfoot and moderate rockers. I like speed so need a little longer for stability, but also still do some bumps so don't want them too long. Not crazy speed - I don't usually get any faster than about 45 MPH. And much as I wish I was mostly doing powder skiing I'm not, so got the narrower sidecut.
You should demo a few types and lengths of skis. I found that I liked longer skis than the ski shop guys recommended as I got too much chatter in the shorter ones. |
Anonymous
| It's based on how experienced the skier is. As an experienced skier 5'1", 100 pounds I was given longer rental skis than my beginner-skier boyfriend who was 5'10" 160 pounds. We got them mixed up and that was very dangerous. |
Anonymous
Experience is only one factor. Weight, height, and intended usage is also important. And rental skis are just a different world. |