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Miris

Diva in Training
Hi ladies,
I'm currently struggling to figure out what size skis to get. The skis I want are intended for beginners like myself. The only issue is they're 155 cm. I'm 5'5" and my weight varies from 130-135lb. I went skiing last year but can't remember what size the rentals were and I honestly don't know if 155cm would be too long. I've read online that's it's easier to use skis that measure up to your chin-eyes when you're a beginner to help with turns. Any advice, suggestions for a beginner? And should I just wait until I find a smaller length pair of skis? Is it better to get wood or composite skis? Rocker type suggestions?

Thanks !

(Small FYI: I'm going on a ski trip to Colorado in March and it would be more convenient to just buy a pair of skis than to rent them. And I plan on using the same skis for the next 5+ years)
 

snoWYmonkey

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Your best bet is to look at the recommended length from the factory for your model ski. Often based on weight. Not always. If you need it to last you 5+ years and you plan on improving, you may have to suffer a little with a "long" ski for the first few weeks. I worry that any shorter, and you will outgrow it fast. That being said, it all depends on the type of ski that it is. A begginner ski may be too soft as well in a few years. 155 can be either way to short or just right depending on the type of ski that it is. Rank begginers are often skis that reach to the bottom of their collar bones. I have skis that reach my chin, and yes, they are easier to turn on groomers, but not as stable, and skis a foot taller than I stand!

Any chance of you waiting until you get to your ski trip destination and tring a few pairs? Or maybe get a gently used pair of begginer, short skis, and then upgrade as soon as you outgrow them. I would probably not get a ski with too much rocker for your first ski.
 

bounceswoosh

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
The only issue is they're 155 cm. I'm 5'5" and my weight varies from 130-135lb.

They are 4" shorter than you. For an advanced skier, they'd be short. For a beginner? I'd say it's in the right range. And remember that "beginner" doesn't last long. Soon you'll be an intermediate skier.

snoWYmonkey is right that effective length varies, but to me this seems about right. What ski is it?
 
I would see what the manufacturer's recommendation is but would likely go a bit longer. I also think 5 years is a long time for a beginner ski, you'll likely grow out of them way faster than that. I am 5'6" and my starter ski length was 148cm and after a couple years on this length they started to feel squirely and I knew it was time to go longer.
 

santacruz skier

Angel Diva
Most likely you'll grow out of a beginner ski in one season....A ski for intermediates would be a better bet to purchase... I'm sure divas here can suggest some.....
 

mustski

Angel Diva
That sounds like the perfect length for starting out. Yes, you will want to change skis down the road and may outgrow that ski sooner rather than later. It depends on how often you ski in a season. As long as it is a good deal, don't worry about that now. Most of us buy new skis for no good reason; we just want to. If it's not a good deal, you might want to look for a used beginner ski. Very good deals usually abound. Just look closely at the bases of the skis (or pics of the bases) to make sure that they are in good shape. Either way :welcome: to the forum!
 

2ski2moro

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Another consideration is if the ski has rocker, you need it to be longer.

What ski are you considering?

Where is you home mountain when you don't ski in Colorado?
 

va_deb

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Hi @Miris, and welcome! Do you already have boots, and did you work with a boot fitter? Boots are more important as a foundational element than skis (the saying is "marry your boots, date your skis") -- and rental boots are usually pretty bad. There are some great threads on boot fitting and boot fitters on the sticky threads at the top.

If you have boots already I echo what @snoWYmonkey and others have said about going a bit longer than you're ready for and not ruling out intermediate skis if you want to keep them for 5ish years. Most of us outgrew our first skis much faster than we thought. I've had great luck with levelnine.com; here is a link -- you may find a few good options from that list...Potion 76 might be a good option in 156. Also, keep in mind that it's easy to sell skis. Good luck and don't hesitate to reply and seek more input from the divas once you have it narrowed down to a few. This is a wonderful group and folks are happy to chime in and help.
 

bounceswoosh

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Oh, I missed the part about 5 years. That's not realistic for a ski that will serve you well as a beginner. But we really need to know what the ski is to have an idea of whether it's appropriate for you and how long you can ski it without it holding you back.
 

tinymoose

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Rather than buying a beginner ski, I'd recommend a good intermediate ski. It will last you a lot longer and you should still be able to ski it as a beginner. I bought super soft, super short beginner skis my first year and I literally only used them one year.

As far as the length, I'll leave that to the others. I'm 5'1" and all of my skis are 147 so I'm about 3 inches taller than all of my skis and I'm a low advanced skier, but then I'm also a lightweight.
 

Serafina

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I think there's a problem with the whole one-ski-five-years plan, and I'm not keen on this proposed solution of buying skis that you're going to grow into either. I think that you'd be much better served by getting an inexpensive pair of skis that you can control now that are designed for skill-improvement (learning how to turn properly, skiing in control) and expecting that when your skills do improve, you'll need to buy another pair of skis then. If you were an intermediate looking to boost your game, it would be one thing, but beginners need a ski they can control relatively easily, or there isn't going to be any skill progression.

It's one thing to buy kids a pair of pants that's too long, with the expectation that they're going to grow into them. Pants are easy to cuff. It's another thing to buy them a pair of shoes that is too big. Be tripping over their own toes, and developing some very strange walking habits to keep those shoes from falling off, or having to wear extra socks or something. Strikes me that buying skis is more like buying the shoes than it is like buying the pants.

You can get inexpensive skis from evo.com or other online outlets, including last years' skis, which would make it less painful to know that you're going to replace them soon-ish.

And yeah, if you're going to invest in gear, get the boots first. Just that makes a ton of difference, right there.
 

Miris

Diva in Training
Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I have my boots already, they're the Hawk 2.0 80 boots by Atomic. They fit like a glove and really comfortable!

The skis I've been eyeing are also by Atomic, the 2015 Cool Minx.
 

tinymoose

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
OMG... those were my first skis... the Cool Minx. Those are very soft skis... cheap, but soft.
 

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