Help Needed: Advice on First Pair of Skis

[Jilly]

Length also depends on the ski construction. @Susan L you say you've gone shorter, but that short ski might be stiffer.

Short soft skis are not stable at speed. I'm not talking downhill GS speeds either. I rented a pair of Head Joy's, I can't remember the model, they were way too soft for me and I was actually scared of the things.

 

[marzNC]

Perhaps common snow conditions are another factor to consider. Based on my experience demo'ing skis on firm manmade snow in the east, I was more comfortable with skis closer to my nose than my chin. Very different than skiing groomers out west. I like to check out greens/blues when I explore a new resort when in "tourist mode" even though I can enjoy much more advanced terrain these days.

The OP mentioned she skis in the northeast, mostly in NY.

 

[badger]

I am 5'1'' and am between 92 and 96 llbs. I ski different lengths depending on why I purchased a particular ski. My favorite ski is a 154 and 78 wide. I also have a couple of 149 and some at 156. Each of these skis are more for all mountain use that vary in stiffness, damping, and playfulness.

The Joy is a very easy to navigate ski. Take the offer!

 

[diymom]

Free skis and get to meet a fellow Diva at the same time? What's the question again?

 

[etherealsunflower]

I live in Brooklyn now and you are welcome to pick them up! I'm very happy to find a new home for them. They are still in great conditions.

For the length concern, they are very nimble skies and extremely easy to turn. The turning radius is very small 11.8m, which means you can turn quickly on them, and I think you will find that very helpful. They also have wider tips than average skis at this size (132 vs 125 of BP for example). I think that helps with turn initiation (disclaimer I'm not a ski expert this is just based on my user experience on these skis) and might make them feel like they ski even shorter. The wider tips also help them float better in powder, especially for your weight. Personally I don't think they will be too long for you. I've never found them hard to handle since day one. My only complaint for them is that they felt too short and unstable for me after I became a solid intermediate. For reference, I'm 5'4" and 120 lbs. If we extrapolate on our height difference, I suspect you on a 145cm ski will feel like how I feel on these skis and you might find the <150cm skis too short for you very quickly.

Thanks for the insight! I'd be down to give them a try. I'll send you a message )

 

[etherealsunflower]

Also thank you to all the Divas for your thoughts! It's really nice to see how willing to help and offer advice everyone is