Ski size help (Beginner)

[rosemarie]

Hi, i'm new here. I am seeking advice on purchasing skis. I am 5'1, 125lbs and still consider myself a beginner, this is my third season. I can get down greens/blues at Breck but still working on staying parallel and linking turns.

Options i'm considering: Volkl Blaze 82 146cm, Elan Wildcat 76 144cm and Rossignol Experience 76 144cm
Any thoughts on what would be best for me? I've demoed all three and also a Volkl Yumi in 147cm which felt somewhat hard to control and i'm not sure if it was because of the length or snow conditions (powder).

 

[Jilly]

The Ski Diva Mantra is BOOTS FIRST!! Skis are bling. You need good fitting boots first,. Spend your money on those.

 

[rosemarie]

The Ski Diva Mantra is BOOTS FIRST!! Skis are bling. You need good fitting boots first,. Spend your money on those.

I failed to mention I have boots already.

 

[Jilly]

Good!!

I think you're running a little short on the skis. All mountain skis should come up to your nose or forehead. At 61" - 155cm, another couple of inches might not be a bad idea. But you did say that you demo'd. So which one made you smile the most??

 

[rosemarie]

I really liked the blaze but wasn't sure on the length, everything I have read made me think they were maybe too long but I couldn't find anything shorter to try besides the other two options and those felt fine too.

 

[mustski]

I’m 5’2” - 130lbs and I ski 160-169. I’m not suggesting you go that length; I’m just pointing out that a range of lengths generally work for most skiers because of the construction differences between skis.

the Blazes at 146 are not too long for you. They are a great ski and will be good for growing into. Grab them if you like them.

 

[tinymoose]

FWIW, I’m her height and all of those would likely at least hit my nose except maybe the 144 length. Basing this on past skis I remember owning more recently. But maybe I just have a long face. lol

To OP, I’m your height and about a 100 lbs and skied similar lengths until just a couple years ago so I don’t think any of those are going to be too long. I’d avoid going much shorter than 145 or nose height if you can. I had a pair of 142s for two years and they were so short and squirrely it was hard to feel confident enough on them to pick up any speed. I didn’t keep them very long because of that. You’ll probably find you outgrow those lengths once you get more parallel and get more speed.

 

[Christy]

I know people generally like shorter skis for beginners, but my first skis (I learned as an adult in the early 2000s) were 146s and I fell a lot. They were just too short once I progressed onto blues. I'm 5'5" and ~118 lbs; they say skis care a lot more about your weight than height. As soon as I got on longer skis I stopped falling. It wasn't even clear to me or my instructors that that's why I fell all the time, but it was. So I just want to throw that caution out there. If you are comfortable at that length right now, any chance you can do a season long rental then wait to buy when you feel okay about going in the 150s? My happy place is 156-8. OTOH you can always sell if you outgrow them.

 

[marzNC]

Hi, i'm new here. I am seeking advice on purchasing skis. I am 5'1, 125lbs and still consider myself a beginner, this is my third season. I can get down greens/blues at Breck but still working on staying parallel and linking turns.

Options i'm considering: Volkl Blaze 82 146cm, Elan Wildcat 76 144cm and Rossignol Experience 76 144cm
Any thoughts on what would be best for me? I've demoed all three and also a Volkl Yumi in 147cm which felt somewhat hard to control and i'm not sure if it was because of the length or snow conditions (powder).

Welcome!

How did you get started on skis? Are you mostly going to ski in Colorado?

I'm in your size category but probably much older. I haven't been demo'ing narrow skis (75-80mm) for a while. As an adventurous intermediate who learned as a teen but didn't ski much until I got my daughter on skis about twenty years ago, the first skis I bought as a "one ski quiver" were 75 underfoot, with a wide tip and tail that made skiing a few inches of fresh snow on top of groomers relatively easy. I'm a bit shorter and 15 pounds lighter. Even so, my skis as an intermediate were 150-155cm long. While shorter skis are easier to turn, they are less stable on snow that isn't perfectly groomed when going a bit faster.

I've demoed all three and also a Volkl Yumi in 147cm which felt somewhat hard to control and i'm not sure if it was because of the length or snow conditions (powder).

I have the Yumi @147 but only use them in the east. I would not be happy with them in powder conditions out west. At this point, I'm a solid advanced skier and my all-mountain skis are 12cm longer and 85mm underfoot. I started taking lessons more regularly about a dozen years ago (after age 50) and that made a big difference after a while.

 

[tinymoose]

I know people generally like shorter skis for beginners, but my first skis (I learned as an adult in the early 2000s) were 146s and I fell a lot. They were just too short once I progressed onto blues. I'm 5'5" and ~118 lbs; they say skis care a lot more about your weight than height. As soon as I got on longer skis I stopped falling. It wasn't even clear to me or my instructors that that's why I fell all the time, but it was. So I just want to throw that caution out there. If you are comfortable at that length right now, any chance you can do a season long rental then wait to buy when you feel okay about going in the 150s? My happy place is 156-8. OTOH you can always sell if you outgrow them.

I'd be curious if anyone ever figures out how true this actually is. I'd wager it's some combo of height and weight. I'm both short and very lightweight at 5'1" and 100ish lbs. I've always skied 146/147 up to 150 until a couple years ago until I got into softer, shorter boots I can flex better, and now I'm hanging around 154 or so as far as all-mountain ski length, which is basically equal to my height.

You and OP are closer in weight, and I'm closer in height to her, so what is the answer? Is it height? Weight? Somewhere in the middle (where I lean)? Sorry if this is derailing this a bit, but it's something I've always wondered about, maybe b/c I trend towards shorter skis than most women here.

 

[santacruz skier]

I might add strength to the mix of height and weight..... I started skiing in the mid 70's the GLM (graduated length method) on 150's. Over the years my longest skis were 183 Salomon's and now I'm back in the 150's.... I basically have 3 pairs of skis I use and they are 156 and 157's.

 

[rosemarie]

How did you get started on skis? Are you mostly going to ski in Colorado?

Hi, I took a class through the college I work at that included lessons at Loveland. Yes, I live in Colorado so will be skiing here. I have an Epic and Monarch pass.

 

[rosemarie]

I'd be curious if anyone ever figures out how true this actually is. I'd wager it's some combo of height and weight. I'm both short and very lightweight at 5'1" and 100ish lbs. I've always skied 146/147 up to 150 until a couple years ago until I got into softer, shorter boots I can flex better, and now I'm hanging around 154 or so as far as all-mountain ski length, which is basically equal to my height.

You and OP are closer in weight, and I'm closer in height to her, so what is the answer? Is it height? Weight? Somewhere in the middle (where I lean)? Sorry if this is derailing this a bit, but it's something I've always wondered about, maybe b/c I trend towards shorter skis than most women here.

Not derailing at all, this is a good question and why i've been so confused! haha

 

[tinymoose]

I might add strength to the mix of height and weight..... I started skiing in the mid 70's the GLM (graduated length method) on 150's. Over the years my longest skis were 183 Salomon's and now I'm back in the 150's.... I basically have 3 pairs of skis I use and they are 156 and 157's.

I don't feel like I'm not strong? I do gymnastics so I'm strong enough to move my bodyweight around (which is admittedly not a lot). I can do a pullover on bars, although upper body strength doesn't really factor into skiing. lol

 

[marzNC]

You and OP are closer in weight, and I'm closer in height to her, so what is the answer? Is it height? Weight? Somewhere in the middle (where I lean)? Sorry if this is derailing this a bit, but it's something I've always wondered about, maybe b/c I trend towards shorter skis than most women here.

I might add strength to the mix of height and weight..... I started skiing in the mid 70's the GLM (graduated length method) on 150's. Over the years my longest skis were 183 Salomon's and now I'm back in the 150's.... I basically have 3 pairs of skis I use and they are 156 and 157's.

I would add technique and the type of snow conditions as well. That's why demo'ing is the best way to decide if a given model at a given length is fun or not. Even an intermediate can usually tell the difference, even if they don't know how a pair of skis differs from another when the width underfoot and length are about the same.

When I demo skis, I learn more when I don't like skis than when skis seem fun. I've been able to demo the same model in more than one length a few times. That was really helpful to understand what happens with skis that are too short or too long.

By the way, long skis have never intimidated me because I learned to ski on straight skis long ago. For that design, skis were supposed to be way over your head.

As someone said, nose height is generally good for an intermediate. When my daughter was growing up, I would buy skis (used) at her forehead knowing that she would grow into them. For a tween who started at ski school at age 4, adjusting to slightly long skis usually took about two runs during the first day of the season. That way, we got two seasons out of the skis. We were only skiing 10-15 days per season.

 

[santacruz skier]

I don't feel like I'm not strong? I do gymnastics so I'm strong enough to move my bodyweight around (which is admittedly not a lot). I can do a pullover on bars, although upper body strength doesn't really factor into skiing. lol

Sorry wasn't implying you weren't strong. I know you are ! I guess we ski on what works for us....

 

[santacruz skier]

would add technique and the type of snow conditions as well

Agree with that as well. I work with a trainer once a week and have for years. I'm not that strong and not that young. So there's that.

 

[tinymoose]

Sorry wasn't implying you weren't strong. I know you are ! I guess we ski on what works for us....

I mean I'm obviously not strong in some ways. I'm currently in a 70 flex low cuff jr race boot which most women on here would find laughably soft. lol But I can throw a front tuck and back handspring, weirdly enough. Different muscles and mechanics and what not, I guess? Sorry if I'm getting bent out of shape.

Anyhow @rosemarie out of curiosity what have you been skiing lengthwise before demoing and how did you feel about it? If you liked the Blaze at 146 that's certainly not a too long length for you, if that is what you were concerned about, and if anything, you'll need to upgrade in a few years.

 

[santacruz skier]

Sorry if I'm getting bent out of shape.

No worries... I've heard you're a really good skier....With all my years skiing, I should be a lot better than I am. I'm not as aggressive or willing to ski stuff I used to.... That's for sure. Mostly my age, fear of getting hurt, and bone density issues.....

 

[rosemarie]

I mean I'm obviously not strong in some ways. I'm currently in a 70 flex low cuff jr race boot which most women on here would find laughably soft. lol But I can throw a front tuck and back handspring, weirdly enough. Different muscles and mechanics and what not, I guess? Sorry if I'm getting bent out of shape.

Anyhow @rosemarie out of curiosity what have you been skiing lengthwise before demoing and how did you feel about it? If you liked the Blaze at 146 that's certainly not a too long length for you, if that is what you were concerned about, and if anything, you'll need to upgrade in a few years.

I was on a season rental from Loveland's rental shop. I don't remember the exact ski model but it was a Head at 75 waist width and 140cm in length. It was pretty terrible whenever I gained any speed.