Help Needed: Ski length for Volkl Kenjas

[iSkiTheEast]

Hello!
I am about to but the new 15/16 Volkl Kenjas and am trying to decide whether to get the 163s or 170s. I am an upper intermediate/advanced skier, I'm 5'8" and about 175lbs. I am a ski instructor in West Virginia, so I do most of my skiing there.

My old skis are older/ not as shaped and they are 173s. I like the speed I get from the length, but I'm considering getting the 163s because I feel like the shorter length will make me more comfortable on different terrain and advance my skiing. Also, being a ski instructor, a shorter ski would be easier to teach on. However. I'm concerned that I will get bored with the shorter length. Thoughts?

Also, any ideas on what bindings to get? I'm thinking Marker Griffons, but I'd like to hear what others think.

Thank you for any and all advice!

 

[marzNC]

Nice to "meet" you! Where are you teaching? My home mountain is Massanutten, but I've skied at Winterplace, Snowshoe, and Timberline. Always envious of how much snow falls in WV. But driving WV roads is that main reason I don't ski there more.

I'm petite so will let others advise you on length for the Kenja.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

You are a couple inches taller than me but we weigh about the same. I have last year's Kenja in 163cm and love it. Its a perfect mixed condition ski and even had it in a fair amount of fresh powder in vermont last season and it did spectacular. If I were to buy this year's Kenja I'd likely go for the 170 because its a little more powder oriented than my current Kenja. I also have an 80mm underfoot ski for the iciest/hard pack days so I'll likely only bring out the Kenja on a mixed condition or powder day. I think the 163 will be fine though too and more maneuverable as well. I think it boils down to personal preference for you since you can do either.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

I forgot to mention I have Attack 13s on my Kenja's. I didn't pick them as I bought my skis as demos from a Vermont ski shop and these were what they put on them. Having said that I love these bindings, easy in/out and not too heavy; great bindings. I'd put them on other skis of mine absolutely. I get compliments from the ski shop on the binding/ski set up from time to time when I drop them off for a tune up.

 

[mustski]

Hello!
I am about to but the new 15/16 Volkl Kenjas and am trying to decide whether to get the 163s or 170s. I am an upper intermediate/advanced skier, I'm 5'8" and about 175lbs. I am a ski instructor in West Virginia, so I do most of my skiing there.

My old skis are older/ not as shaped and they are 173s. I like the speed I get from the length, but I'm considering getting the 163s because I feel like the shorter length will make me more comfortable on different terrain and advance my skiing. Also, being a ski instructor, a shorter ski would be easier to teach on. However. I'm concerned that I will get bored with the shorter length. Thoughts?

Also, any ideas on what bindings to get? I'm thinking Marker Griffons, but I'd like to hear what others think.

Thank you for any and all advice!

Definitely get the 170's. These are rockered skis so the edge that contacts the snow is less than your current skis. That means that the Kenjas will ski "short" compared to what you have. I am 5'2" and 140 lbs and I ski the the 163 range in rockered ski.

Marker Griffons are very good bindings as long as your DIN setting is higher than 4. That is their bottom. Probably, you are higher than 4 so go for it.

 

[tinymoose]

Did they change the Kenjas for this year? They've always been cambered with just a slight tip rocker.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

This years have added a bit of tail rocker and are 90 underfoot. Someone explained to me they are more forgiving than Kenja's past and a little more powder oriented/black pearlish but still has that Kenja hard snow bite.

 

[artistinsuburbia]

i'm looking at the same equation. 5'5" and 138lbs. and not sure how the double tip rocker affects the effective edge length. really wish I could demo both. Was going to get the Black Pearls @ 166 so I'm thinking if I end up with the Kenja i'll go 170

 

[Fluffy Kitty]

Welcome to the community!

The Kenjas I demoed two seasons ago certainly loved to charge, and reviews suggest that this remains the case with the new models, so 163s might be better for teaching. You certainly won't be bored the rest of the time; they are fun, powerful skis that can do anything.

I have 2014 Temptation 88 170s (I'm 5'7"), which has a similar personality, and I have to fight them to go slow, such that I repeatedly get warned for going too fast in "learning zones". It's exhausting to do pizza wedges on them, and when I'm tired out the skis default to GS carves. I can't imagine teaching beginners or intermediates in these, and I assume the new Kenjas would be even more impatient.

In these reviews, they are all riding them on the shorter side, and don't find the skis lacking:

At the same time, if we focus on your personal needs, I could go either way, depending on what you mean by "advancing". If you mean you want to do more bumps and trees and steeps and other bits requiring maneuverability, 163s would be better. For bombing down steeps and carved GS turns, as well as conquering crud and slush, 170s would be better. I do love the stability, forgiveness, slicing ability, and float of longer skis.

The only advice I have about bindings is to make sure that your preferred DIN setting is somewhere in the middle of their range.

I hope this helps.

(Don't the resorts let instructors use their rentals for teaching? Has anyone tried using lower-quality wax on teaching days, to slow things down?)

 

[mustski]

(Don't the resorts let instructors use their rentals for teaching? Has anyone tried using lower-quality wax on teaching days, to slow things down?)

All the instructors I know have a dedicated pair of teaching skis, and they are usually shorter than they normally ski recreationally.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

I get free use of rentals as a perk from teaching but think I'll just use my Yumis. They are the shortest of my skis at 161 and I think they'll work fine. I justs don't want to have to swap out skis if I am released during the day. I will probably bring a backup pair and lock them up near the lift in the event its not a yumi day.