New petite skier, how to choose skis?

[xxs_skier]

147 would be fine, I would think. I had a couple different pairs of 147 Yumis over the years.

Yes, with more rocker a ski can go longer as it has less running length, I'd just be careful about going too long since you're coming from much shorter skis, you're pretty short and lightweight, and relatively new to skiing. Ski length is such a personal thing. I tend to go a little shorter than some people here as a preference. My skis now are 150 and 154 and I'm about 154 in height, but in the past most of my skis have been in the 145-149 range, and I liked that for their maneuverability.

I've seen the following mentioned as a recommendation re: ski length and skill level:
Beginner - Chin height
Intermediate - Nose height
Advanced - Forehead

I don't think that really applies to everyone across the board and probably trends too short in its recommendation, especially with chin height, but maybe try to keep it between nose and forehead? That's where the bulk of my skis have fallen over the years. Obviously, I'll let other people like instructors weigh in, as I'm not one and just going off my experience learning.

I love that this forum is just a wealth of information. Thanks for helping me with my many many questions.

 

[ceestan]

How tall are you btw? Speed isn't an issue for me, sometimes I end up catching too much and have to try slowing myself down.

I am 5'1", so these were right about eyebrow height for me.

 

[xxs_skier]

I did end up picking up the Yumi 84s. I couldn't resist the sale price. Just need to get them mounted and test them out! They feel sooo much longer than my 130s so I feel like I may have to relearn how to ski with these. Last time I was out skiing, I actually felt pretty confident (just not confident enough to try a blue!) and skied the rollers and a teeny tiny park feature that my 6 year old does.

So happy to finally be in a place where I actually enjoyed being on the hill. I guess the next step once I feel more comfortable skiing is to buy poles and learn how to use them.

 

[Knitjenious]

Congrats on your new skis! I hope they will be a love match for you and that the added length will turn out to be a big confidence booster!

 

[SquidWeaselYay]

Yay! I hope they are perfect for you! Going to a longer ski can feel more stable and give you more confidence. It can help you trust your edges more to "hold" you.

 

[scandium]

Congratulations! It may be worth getting a lesson on the new skis as well - they will be very different from the old skis!

 

[SquidWeaselYay]

Congratulations! It may be worth getting a lesson on the new skis as well - they will be very different from the old skis!

This is great advice. It can make a world of difference!

 

[xxs_skier]

Congratulations! It may be worth getting a lesson on the new skis as well - they will be very different from the old skis!

I do have a lesson already lined up as I'm trying to improve before my trip to Whistler. Curious how lessons would help on new skis. Would technique be different?

 

[scandium]

I do have a lesson already lined up as I'm trying to improve before my trip to Whistler. Curious how lessons would help on new skis. Would technique be different?

The fundamentals of technique no, but the fore-aft balance and the amount of pressure required to turn and edge a longer, stiffer, and wider ski compared to what you are used to is likely to be different. The amount of "tipping" required to get them on edge will be different, for example, and they are likely to be more floaty on slush and more "pivoty" as they have a wider tip and tail. They also have a variable turn radius which means if you give your new ski the same input as your old ski, the turn size and shape that occurs is likely to be different. A lesson can really help dial that in!

 

[kiki]

New skis always take some time to get used to and a lesson will help you gain confidence with them and start the « relationship « right.

 

[Elena_Ski]

How tall are you? I was thinking 152cm or under. So I went skiing today and I think I have officially outgrown this ski. It felt like I was driving on a road that needed MAJOR work done. I'm guessing this is chatter? It was verrrry bumpy and wasn't too pleasant.

Hello to another BC person!

I'm 5'5". In California now but for sure miss BC! Was it bumpy because of the snow conditions or you think it's the skis or both?

 

[Elena_Ski]

I did end up picking up the Yumi 84s. I couldn't resist the sale price. Just need to get them mounted and test them out! They feel sooo much longer than my 130s so I feel like I may have to relearn how to ski with these. Last time I was out skiing, I actually felt pretty confident (just not confident enough to try a blue!) and skied the rollers and a teeny tiny park feature that my 6 year old does.

So happy to finally be in a place where I actually enjoyed being on the hill. I guess the next step once I feel more comfortable skiing is to buy poles and learn how to use them.

Congrats! Let us know how you like your new skis. A local ski shop has them available for demos here, so I've been thinking of demoeing them some time this winter.

 

[xxs_skier]

I'm 5'5". In California now but for sure miss BC! Was it bumpy because of the snow conditions or you think it's the skis or both?

My husband lived in Cali for a year for work and he still misses it.

The snow was pretty good, although a little choppy but I think it was mostly the skis. I'll be trying my new skis this weekend, but it's such a drastic change that it might feel like I'm at square one again.

Will let you know how it goes once I get comfy on them.

 

[tinymoose]

My husband lived in Cali for a year for work and he still misses it.

The snow was pretty good, although a little choppy but I think it was mostly the skis. I'll be trying my new skis this weekend, but it's such a drastic change that it might feel like I'm at square one again.

Will let you know how it goes once I get comfy on them.

I'm excited to see what you think of your new skis!

I think the only things that might take a bit of adjusting too are the extra length and extra width. Otherwise the Yumi is a very forgiving ski. I've got a friend that just started skiing this year, although she's taller than us, and she's on a pair of Yumis.

 

[xxs_skier]

I'm excited to see what you think of your new skis!

I think the only things that might take a bit of adjusting too are the extra length and extra width. Otherwise the Yumi is a very forgiving ski. I've got a friend that just started skiing this year, although she's taller than us, and she's on a pair of Yumis.

That's good to know! It was a hard choice to wait and demo the BP 88 or get the Yumi that was on sale and only had 1 available in my size. Looks like the yumi is favoured by many petite peeps where the BP seemed to be more of a love 'em or hate 'em kind of deal.

 

[Cantabrigienne]

I do have a lesson already lined up as I'm trying to improve before my trip to Whistler. Curious how lessons would help on new skis. Would technique be different?

I think lessons give you a more structured way to get used to your new skis.

Otherwise you might end up create weird & unhelpful new habits that are harder to shake down the road - Warren Smith, who is a prominent British coach based out of Verbier, talks about "scar tissue" that develops when people rush into skiing above their skill level & why they still are wedging/stemming at the start of what they think are parallel turns. (I definitely have this problem with my left turn, despite or because of skiing for 20 years - I lived in Hong Kong until 5 years ago so only skied 1 week a year prior to that & it's hard to make much progress when you're doing a lot of survival skiing! Better to take lessons while you can.)

Around the 2:05 mark in this video

 

[xxs_skier]

Ski update: the conditions today weren't really comparable to what I'm usually skiing on. We got 32 cm of snow the day before so it was a combo of tracked out and ungroomed snow.

The skis are definitely heavier than my jr skis and the length was actually not too bad. A few times the tips hit together, but never managed to cross. When the snow was choppy it handled it much better than my old skis and didn't feel super bumpy.

I'm pretty lightweight and I was still able to bend the ski. It felt like it was more grabby in the icy conditions, but I'm sure other skis would probably be better than the Yumi if I had to ski icy conditions all the time.

I still need to build up more confidence to do the same things that I did with my old skis, but thankfully it doesn't feel like I'm starting from scratch so I suspect maybe another day or two before I'm at the same comfort level.

 

[twirlygirl]

I just saw and read through this whole thread with great interest. We've had a similar path, though we are different physically (I'm 5'4", currently ~150lbs). I'm in my 3rd season. I acquired a pair of 146cm skis for free (deal at a fairly local mountain: buy and attend 4 lessons, get a free pair of skis) and tried to make peace with them on ~15 days of skiing before giving up and using kids' 135cm skis. Then one day, I was able to rent a pair of 143cm Absolut Joys and they were wonderful, all day long... Now considering buying a pair in a late-season sale.

I look forward to more of your musings! All best!

 

[xxs_skier]

I just saw and read through this whole thread with great interest. We've had a similar path, though we are different physically (I'm 5'4", currently ~150lbs). I'm in my 3rd season. I acquired a pair of 146cm skis for free (deal at a fairly local mountain: buy and attend 4 lessons, get a free pair of skis) and tried to make peace with them on ~15 days of skiing before giving up and using kids' 135cm skis. Then one day, I was able to rent a pair of 143cm Absolut Joys and they were wonderful, all day long... Now considering buying a pair in a late-season sale.

I look forward to more of your musings! All best!

Hope you find them on sale, I've noticed a few places that have them on sale. Even though I have my Yumis, I still would love to demo the Absolut Joys.

 

[xxs_skier]

Got to meet ski diva @Cantabrigienne! Probably the best part of our trip as we got a well seasoned guide on our runs. Thank you so much, you made our first trip amazing!