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First skis - sizing advice

hanqi4

Diva in Training
How did you choose the boots? Getting well fitted boots usually makes more of a difference than the choice of skis.

Yep, kids learn much faster because they have no fear. Good for you for spending the time to work on fundamentals. Ultimately, quite possible your husband is likely end up using more muscle power than is needed to make skis turn on steeper terrain.

I have a friend (originally from China) who started the same day as her kids, who were 4 (daughter) and 6 (son). I took them to my home mountain in northern VA. Took her a few seasons to become a blue skier, while her son was well past that by his second season. She took a lesson every ski trip, which meant two long weekends each season initially. Meant she was able to ski blue terrain at Alta after a group lesson during a spring break trip.

Might get some ideas about speed control from these threads from the Ski Tips section.

https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/index.php?threads/diagnose-my-control-issues.22475/

https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/index.php?threads/speed-control-for-beginners-intemediate.20533/

An expert at Sport basement helped me choose the boots. I went home then watched some youtube videos and found out that my boots are actually too big and too comfortable,:-p. I exchanged a size down which feels snug but not tight. They are not stiff boots (70 stiffness I think). For a beginner, they are good enough.

Yeah, a month ago I skied with my 7 yo alone, she was looking for bumps to jump from while I was avoiding them. That's about it. Hehe.

Thank you for the links. The videos are super helpful too!
 

hanqi4

Diva in Training
Welcome to the forum and to the addiction we call skiing! I am very close to your stats - 5'2" and 135 lbs - intermediate/advanced skier. I'm going to be a bit of a voice of dissension here and say - yes -for a starter ski 146 will be good. Particularly since you are skiing with smallish kids. I don't think it's a problem if you outgrow them in a couple of years. To outgrow a length in skis, generally means that you are wanting to ski faster and need more stability at speed. With small children, that won't happen that quickly for you. At some point, as you improve, you will outgrow a beginner ski anyway. Don't worry about that. Get what works for now. Look for a gently used pair on eBay or in end of season sales. Personally, I like skiessentials.com!



Bumpy and shaky in powder can happen once it starts to get cut up by tons of skiers creating uneven surface. Don't worry about that. It's not the ski or you - it just takes some time to learn how to ski it.

If the ski did not feel shaky at speed on groomed slopes (chattering) then don't worry. As for slowing down, think big giant C's and reverse C's (when you go left!) - just keep turning until you slow down. The more your turn, the slower you can go. It's actually harder to ski slowly than to ski fast because of gravity works! However, skiing slowly is important to technique, so practice.

You seem to have lived the same experience skiing with kids. I think they have more control of their skis than me, to be honest. I think too 146 is the right choice right now so I can be less nervous. LOL. Building confidence is more important now.

I totally agree with you that being able to ski slowly is a crucial technique to master. Around Christmas, I was able to ski with my upper body stable and legs swinging left and right below the waist. Then the first ski in February I totally forgot how to do that move. Then found it again the next day. I hope I will find it sooner next time.

Thank you for the great pieces of advice!
 

hanqi4

Diva in Training
My guess is that the skis you were on were too short and required you to find a smaller balance point.



Finishing your turns, execute more turns, and take another lesson if you don't know how to finish the turns. :smile:

Thank you! I do find making smaller turns actually slowed me down, that's not my first instinct of course. LOL.
 

brownelb

Diva in Training
Welcome! As others have said, 154 makes more sense. I'm a little shorter than you are and a few pounds lighter. I was a solid intermediate when I bought my first pair of good skis. I went with a mid-150 length and that worked out well.

Have you skied in NH at all yet? Since trail ratings are only relatively to terrain at a given mountain, I think you'll find that a JH green can be like some New England blues in terms of steepness, especially at smaller ski areas.

How many days have you skied at JH?

I've skied one day in NH. Think it was 2015 or so. Went to Sunapee for the day and then to Gunstock for night skiing with my bf and his dad -- both are advanced skiers and encouraged me to go down blues and a black at Gunstock. That was kinda scary with all the ice and my poor night vision (lol). I agree that JH levels feel different than east coast.

I skied 3 or 4 half-days at JH. Have also spent some time at Winter Park.

I'm beyond the pizza-skiing (can do parallel turns etc) but I haven't figured out carving. I'm not very good at stopping on a dime or managing on ice either.
I anticipate that the ice here in NH/VT will be a big challenge for me!
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I'm beyond the pizza-skiing (can do parallel turns etc) but I haven't figured out carving. I'm not very good at stopping on a dime or managing on ice either.
I anticipate that the ice here in NH/VT will be a big challenge for me!
Keep in mind that carving is just one end of a continuum when it comes to making turns. For some snow conditions and terrain, actually better to be doing the opposite of carving.

I'm an older skier who has become a solid advanced skier in recent years. I ski mostly out west or in the mid-Atlantic. My reaction to northeast ice . . . is to find other trails to ski that have less pitch and therefore less ice. The past week I've been skiing mostly in NH because. Spent most of the time on blue groomers because it was too much work on any black terrain once the corduroy was skied off after mid-morning.

I'm a beginner skier -- I guess an example of my level is that I can make it down Jackson Hole blues with stops on the steep parts but that's my limit. Jackson Hole greens are no trouble and I haven't had much experience on the east coast. I recently moved to New Hampshire and really want to improve my skiing while I live here, so would like a ski that I can grow into a bit. I'm 26, 5'2", 115lbs.

The Experience 76 CI comes in a 146, 154, and 162 and has a tip rocker. Was originally thinking the 146 would be good, but now I'm worried it will be too short. What do you guys think?
What is the reason you asked about the Experience 76?
 

brownelb

Diva in Training
Keep in mind that carving is just one end of a continuum when it comes to making turns. For some snow conditions and terrain, actually better to be doing the opposite of carving.

I'm an older skier who has become a solid advanced skier in recent years. I ski mostly out west or in the mid-Atlantic. My reaction to northeast ice . . . is to find other trails to ski that have less pitch and therefore less ice. The past week I've been skiing mostly in NH because. Spent most of the time on blue groomers because it was too much work on any black terrain once the corduroy was skied off after mid-morning.


What is the reason you asked about the Experience 76?

Oh ok! I wasn't aware of that. :smile:

The Experience 76 CI women's ski just seemed like a solid ski to learn on. I'm sure there are a bunch of similar options -- this one was on sale and looked like it would fit the bill! I'm open to other skis though -- haven't ordered them just yet.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
The Experience 76 CI women's ski just seemed like a solid ski to learn on. I'm sure there are a bunch of similar options -- this one was on sale and looked like it would fit the bill! I'm open to other skis though -- haven't ordered them just yet.
Looking at the description, you are correct that the Rossi Experience 76 ci is a good choice as a beginner ski for the northeast. However, if budget is any sort of issue I also see other options that are cheaper. For instance, one place is selling the Experience 76 at $450 and the Atomic Vantage X74 W at $320. I haven't skied either one, but happen to like Rossi skis in general and rented the Vantage 85W at Jiminy Peak one day.

What do you plan to do for ski boots? A good first pair of boots should last you for several seasons and is worth investing research effort and money. Given that you have already skied blues in the northeast and out west, you should like the beginner phase won't last long at all once you have a few lessons.

My first pair of skis when I started skiing more regularly (about 15 years ago) were former rental skis that only cost $100. Easily worth the money over renting while I was mainly skiing with my daughter as she learned (ages 4-5). Gave me time to figure out what it meant to "demo" skis as an intermediate.

Paging @diymom , a friend and northeast Diva who knows the prices of used skis well.
 

diymom

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Here in the greater Boston area you can certainly get a good used beginner - intermediate level ski for under $200, usually less. The newer beginner- intermediate skis also tend to have system bindings on them that will adjust easily to any boot size without a remount. (That also helps with reselling them later when you decide it is time to upgrade.) Also, if you get a good recent model used ski, you can likely ski it a season or two and resell for close to what you bought it for. Especially beginner skis. Where abouts in NH are you?
 

MilkyWookiee

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Hi, I'm new here and have the same question for the same skis. I only skied about 7 days the last 2 seasons and maybe 3 or 4 days of cross-country. I'm not sportive at all and have weak knees. Last time I used a rental ski size 140. I'm 5'3 and 130lb. I can go down green almost parallel but found myself a little bit too fast sometimes. My problem with rental skis is that I feel they are quite heavy and I want more maneuverability, not speed.

In my case do you think 146 is a good fit? And honestly, I'm not sure what you mean by "outgrow" a pair of ski. Is there any disadvantage of choosing shorter skis?

I will disagree with most and say the 146 may be a better fit. You have to think honestly with yourself about the skiing you see yourself doing over the next several years. If you see yourself craving speed and skiing aggressively, absolutely go longer. But if you see yourself skiing 5 or so days a season and enjoy taking things slow, you probably won't be progressing so quickly that outgrowing your skis becomes a concern. In that case I would pick the shorter ski because that's what will give you the most joy now and for several reasons to come.
 

brownelb

Diva in Training
Thanks guys! @marzNC @diymom !!

I'm in the Hanover, NH area. I plan on going to a boot fitter this weekend to check out boots that work for my high arches/small ankle/wide toe situation. I've always had a huge problem with rental boots -- feet going numb on the first run of the day and gets worse from there. Tried sizing up, down, etc, but it really keeps me from enjoying a full day of skiing so boots are honestly more important to me than the exact skis I get. I'm open to used skis, just haven't seen anything good on local craigslist etc. Don't really want to make a trek to Boston for skis but guess I could for the right pair. I found the Rossignols I posted above for $303 online with a coupon, which is a decent deal imo for new skis.
 

MaineSkiLady

Angel Diva
"Go with your gut!"
You'll be fine for now. When/if the time comes that you are "overskiing" the skis.....you'll be the first to know. Meanwhile, just get out there and enjoy. :smile:

ETA: boots are the most important part, though - as most have said. Get that straightened out. Skis are skis. Portable, saleable, disposable (sort of). Boots have to be part of your doggone body!
 

hanqi4

Diva in Training
I will disagree with most and say the 146 may be a better fit. You have to think honestly with yourself about the skiing you see yourself doing over the next several years. If you see yourself craving speed and skiing aggressively, absolutely go longer. But if you see yourself skiing 5 or so days a season and enjoy taking things slow, you probably won't be progressing so quickly that outgrowing your skis becomes a concern. In that case I would pick the shorter ski because that's what will give you the most joy now and for several reasons to come.

Thank you for the advice. I agree with you. I definitely wouldn't consider myself an aggressive skier. I'm just enjoying ski a few days a year as a family adventure. I think 146 is what I feel comfortable for right now. And I just got a pair on sale.
 

SnowHot

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Not knowing the resorts at Tahoe, I'm not sure if this will help, but we have a SkiDiva named @SnowHot that works in a ski shop. Now if I could just remember the name of the shop....
Hi, Thanks for the callout. I'm around Truckee for a while but will be gone the first week of April for a trip to Park City. If you want me to see if I can help, I'd be happy to do what I can.
 

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