How do you know when/if you need to change your ski length?

[NewEnglandSkier]

Being as I'm a relatively new skier, I have been renting skis and usually ski on 140s. How do you know when or if you should move up in length? I'm at the point where I ski blue and green terrain but still can't seem to carve my turns--I seem stuck on skidding. I would think it would be easier to master carving on a shorter ski, but was thinking that next year I may want to buy skis. Whatever I buy, I want to be able to keep for a couple years, so don't want to buy too short. I'm just wondering at what point would one think I should buy a longer ski. I'm 5'4", 110lbs and doubt I will ever be an aggressive skier (my long term goal at the moment is to be able to go ski any blue run on any mountain in North America well)--but I know 140 is considered pretty short. Do I wait until I can successfully carve to buy skis? My boots seemed to have packed out and may be too big, which may be contributing to my inability to carve. So if I did end up buying skis, what length would you consider? I guess my concern is that I'll get so used to skiing really short skis, that when the time comes to get something else, I'll be too used to the short length.

 

[SnowGlider]

You're ready now!

In my humble opinion, as an intermediate skier, your skis are way too short for you and are preventing you from taking your skiing to the next level.

Ditto for your boots, which are too loose for the control you need for carving on edge.

You sound ready to graduate to a longer ski and tighter fit in your boots. Short skis are good for short turns. To get up on your edges and start carving longer turns, you need a longer ski and closer-fitting boot.

At your height and weight, you could consider a ski length of 152 or 158 (exact length varies by manufacturer). I was told by a long-time shop owner (Peak Performance in Killington) that the cutoff height for 152 cm is 5'2" to 5'3". But you're on the light side, so the shorter ski might work for you. You would need to demo both lengths.

Don't worry about transitioning to the longer skis. I remember adapting quickly from my 140 rental learning skis to my first pair of purchased skis, which I believe were 154 cm. By the end of the day they felt right.

You can easily find skis at 50% off right now. And you'll find a lot of great information on skis in this forum. Several of us have gone for the Fischer Vision 70, around $280 end of season price.

 

[Jilly]

Length isn't the only thing. How stiff are the skis? Because of your light weight and ability you should look at women specific skis. The Fischer's that snowglider suggests might be a good fit. If you check any of the "what ski do I need type of threads" you'll see that we all recommend demo'ing. Its a lot of money to fork out for skis and they need to be the right ones. Read the mag's next fall (with a grain of salt - advertising $$= rating in some), demo, ask others, take a ladies class that involves demo's, what ever you need to do. Try the longer skis at a demo and see how they work. I know that this winter I demo'd the same ski in 2 different lenghts and they were 2 different skis.

 

[lil mountain girl]

Jilly you're absolutely right!

I'd just like to add a few thoughts in regards to length:

There are LOTS of factors to consider when buying skis . . . LOTS

in general the more sidecut a ski has (ie: big difference in the width of the ends and middle of the ski), the shorter you can go in length.
for example, I know a very aggresive male skier who is 5'10" and about 180lbs and he skis on very shaped (lots of sidecut) skis at a 158 cm length, just to give you an idea.
so you may want to ski this type of ski in a 140-150 cm range

with less sidecut (ie: the "straighter" the ski), you generally want go a bit longer for stability.
you may want to ski this type of ski in a 155-165 cm range

also, "fatter" skies can usually be skied shorter that their "skinnier" counterparts

I also recomend a women's specific ski as they are a really good learning ski geared toward lighter skiers and can be a little more forgiving.

Ask ski techs at your local ski shops for their opinion on skis to suit your needs and ability and do lots of reading.
Also, ask your ski instructor(s) as they may be able to recomend something based on your ability.

GOOD LUCK!!! :D

 

[volklgirl]

Don't worry about the skis yet.

BOOTS, BOOTS, BOOTS, BOOTS, BOOTS!!!!
Get professionally fitted and be firm about your abilities and goals. Ask around for the best bootfitter in your area, then make an appointment with him/her.

When you have boots that fit like a glove and are appropriate for your ability, go demo some skis. Buy whatever you fall amdly in love with. You'll absolutely know when you have "the right" ski for you.

 

[abc]

Second volklgirl on the boots part.

Repeat: don't worry about skis yet. Get fitted for boots first.

Then, and only then, you can go demo some skis and see what you like best.

Yes, at your weight, you should go to 150+/-5. I'm at exactly your height and weight, and I find 152-156 just about right, though I'm a bit more advanced in skill. So you should probably try demoing anything in the range of 146-156. 140 is too short for you, no matter how one looks at it.

 

[volklgirl]

amdly in love with.

Hmmmm....
OK, that was supposed to be madly in love with. :o

 

[persee]

Here's my experience - brief as it might be.

I definitely echo the boot sentiment, but then I'm a strange beast who bought boots before she ever set foot on the slopes

For reference I'm 5'3.5", 125-130lbs. Currently I'm probably a level 7 skiier (low level 7 perhaps). However I started out December 2004 with absolutely no experience.

I signed up for 3 consecutive days of lessons to get into skiing. My first lesson day the rental shop (after being disturbed that I had my own boots) gave me 146's. I took these for my first day and second day. At the end of the second day I was feeling pretty confident and thinking I wanted to try something longer - partially because I was afraid of being limitted to kids skis if I couldn't use something longer. So I went back and they gave me some really beat up 154's which I used for my final lesson day. These skis were very beat up and soft but I found I could manage on them. However unlike the 146s if I got sloppy it was much easier to cross my tips with the longer skis. However I felt good enough that I went out and bought a pair of skis in 153. After that first season I felt pretty confident that I couldn't and wouldn't want to go with anything shorter.

I think you'll find that you're happy around 153 length. I've recently purchased a second set of skis in 156 (the other choice was 149 which I felt was too short) and I'm still waiting to try them out but I'm not too worried about the length. I think getting your own skis (after the boots) will help you improve rapidly as you'll get a consistent feel. Then you'll be going faster, etc and you'll really appreciate the added stability, etc that you get from skis that aren't too short.

 

[NewEnglandSkier]

Thanks for all the replies! When the time comes for me to seriously consider buying skis, I'll definitely demo first. I'm so annoyed with myself right now for ending up in boots that are now too big. They fit snugly when I bought them, but now I can feel my foot moving around, as the liner has compressed. That will be the first thing I address next fall; I'd love to solve the problem now, but I think I'll likley only get to ski once more this season so am probably better off waiting.

 

[Pequenita]

When you demo, don't be wedded to a particular length and also note that the surface area of the ski makes an impact, too. There are threads on this site that discuss varying lengths across ski manufacturers, so one company's 150 may be longer or shorter than another's.

 

[volklgirl]

Still a good time

Start shopping now while you're not in a rush to get to the hill and the store isn't being mobbed by tons of fanatical skiers who want everything right now. While the selection of models and sizes may be sparse, now is when your fitter may have lots of extra time to spend with you. Plus, you may have one of those feet that actually fits into one of the left over sizes....and the prices are fantastic right now. Just be careful not to jump into a pair because 'the price is right' only to find out the fit isn't.

 

[volklgirl]

When you demo, don't be wedded to a particular length and also note that the surface area of the ski makes an impact, too. There are threads on this site that discuss varying lengths across ski manufacturers, so one company's 150 may be longer or shorter than another's.

As well as not going into a demo with preconceived notions on length, be open to trying skis from all the manufacturers and ski type categories. I have to say I was both pleasantly surprised and disappointed in surprising ways during my demo day:
https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/showthread.php?t=554

 

[SnowHot]

I echo all that is being said about boots, ski length and ability disclosure when you shop.

Also, listen to the demo guy when he talks about ski "type", I know this seems like information over load, but you need to be happy with the skis you buy.
Don't let him/her talk you into a ski below or above your level of skiing.

I hate it when a ski tech says, "thats way too much ski for you"
I tend to say, "come ski with me and see if you change your mind"

I also had a demo guy give me a 72 waist ski when I asked for a midfat.

He knows what a mid fat really is now:D

 

[SnowGlider]

I would buy now, for the reasons cited by Volklgirl

I found stores bending over backwards to serve me for both boots and skis. I bought both at half price or less. I even got a large additional discount off the sale price for the skis---I simply quoted the cheapest price I found on the Internet. They want to get rid of those boots and skis right now. Salespeople are a little bored and will gladly spend hours with you.

Don't be too hard on yourself about your loose boots. First, beginners don't need as tight a fit as other folks, so maybe they were right for you at the time. Second, buying large boots is a very common mistake (I did it 3 times this year). And third, it really takes quite a bit of skiing experience and boot-buying experience to understand what a performance fit is.

The thing I found most difficult was convincing myself to walk out of the store with boots that felt a whole size too small. I'm very glad I did.

 

[volklgirl]

The thing I found most difficult was convincing myself to walk out of the store with boots that felt a whole size too small. I'm very glad I did.

For the first time ever, I think I finally got boots that fit correctly! My new Langes were so tight on my toes I was almost in tears when I put them on. After 1 1/2 hours of bumping, stretching, and grinding the toe box, I could at least wear them in the house for an hour. After 4 days of skiing I found 1 other spot that needed work. A quick trip back to my fitter and I could wear them all day. A great boot fit is a beautiful thing!!!! :D