Skis too long?!?!

[climbingbetty]

On Saturday, a very knowledgeable ski friend of mine suggested that my skis are too long. For me at least.

I'm a new skier this year, been out 6 days this year, skiing at a level 5.
Anticipating a better winter (more like last year's!) I had hoped to get out a lot more this season and so with my husband's blessing decided it would be more cost effective to pick up my own pair of skis this year then have to rent all the time.

I got a pair of brand-new, but last season's K2 Sweet Luv, which is a beginner-intermediate ski that's cambered in the middle, with a bit of early-rise in the tip for "easy turn initiation." Admittedly, I didn't really know what I was doing when I bought them.

When I purchased them, they were out of stock of 160cm, which is the length I would have preferred, so I had to choose between 156 & 163cm. I know, I know, I should have looked for a different ski that was a better ski length for me, but like I said, I only half knew what I was doing! I talked to one of the 'experts' at the shop and asked what she thought, if I should go shorter because I was just learning, or if I should longer so that I didn't outgrow them too quickly. She suggested the later. Yes, I now realize this was probably a really dumb line of thinking.

Anyhow, so I have them, I've been skiing on them just fine (I don't know any different!) and I thought I was progressing pretty well. Then my friend commented this weekend that they may be too long for me and are preventing my from initiating my turns quickly & easily.

Any thoughts from you expert Divas? Any suggests for what to do now if they are indeed too long? I had really hoped to start with getting a great fitting pair of boots first (now realizing boots are too big too :-( ), then to replace the skis, now I'm worried my whole set-up is all wrong and I can't afford a whole new rig! But then again, I'm still a beginner, so how much is likely to be my gear and how is just poor technique on my part?

 

[marzNC]

Please remind us about your height and weight. Is your friend an instructor? Man or woman?

 

[climbingbetty]

Please remind us about your height and weight. Is your friend an instructor? Man or woman?

Opps! I'm just shy of 5'6", 144#. My friend is not an instructor, but is a long time skier himself, skied, Jackson Hole and in Chamonix, his daughter in on the race team at our local hill, etc. So no he doesn't have an instructor certification, but I feel like he certainly has much more of a clue then I do!

 

[pinto]

On Saturday, a very knowledgeable ski friend of mine suggested that my skis are too long. For me at least.

I'm a new skier this year, been out 6 days this year, skiing at a level 5.
Anticipating a better winter (more like last year's!) I had hoped to get out a lot more this season and so with my husband's blessing decided it would be more cost effective to pick up my own pair of skis this year then have to rent all the time.

I got a pair of brand-new, but last season's K2 Sweet Luv, which is a beginner-intermediate ski that's cambered in the middle, with a bit of early-rise in the tip for "easy turn initiation." Admittedly, I didn't really know what I was doing when I bought them.

When I purchased them, they were out of stock of 160cm, which is the length I would have preferred, so I had to choose between 156 & 163cm. I know, I know, I should have looked for a different ski that was a better ski length for me, but like I said, I only half knew what I was doing! I talked to one of the 'experts' at the shop and asked what she thought, if I should go shorter because I was just learning, or if I should longer so that I didn't outgrow them too quickly. She suggested the later. Yes, I now realize this was probably a really dumb line of thinking.

Anyhow, so I have them, I've been skiing on them just fine (I don't know any different!) and I thought I was progressing pretty well. Then my friend commented this weekend that they may be too long for me and are preventing my from initiating my turns quickly & easily.

Any thoughts from you expert Divas? Any suggests for what to do now if they are indeed too long? I had really hoped to start with getting a great fitting pair of boots first (now realizing boots are too big too :-( ), then to replace the skis, now I'm worried my whole set-up is all wrong and I can't afford a whole new rig! But then again, I'm still a beginner, so how much is likely to be my gear and how is just poor technique on my part?

With boots, more likely to be gear; with skis, more likely to be technique. You can most likely overcome the skis, harder to do with the boots. But this is something that can't be easily diagnosed via internet, of course.

THe skis are easy enough to check out ... rent some 155-ish boards just for the day, and see what you think. It might be worth it to spend a few days on shorter skis and see where it gets you, then transition back to your others. You certainly don't need to replace the others, but maybe a little more time on something shorter would do you good. Who knows.

And there is probably not one skier in the world who hasn't bought too-big boots at least once in their early ski lives... So welcome to the club. :-)

 

[altagirl]

That doesn't sound too long to me at all. FWIW. Boots too big are going to a bigger deal than 3 cm of ski.

 

[ski diva]

To be honest, unless it's a drastic difference -- say 156 to 166 -- I really don't sweat ski length too much. I don't know if it's stupidity on my part or just because I used to ski 170's when I was a kid.

I agree with Pinto, though. If you're worried about it, rent shorter skis and see what you think. You'll know if it makes a difference. But if you're skiing on your current skis just fine, then don't pay any attention to your friend and enjoy.

 

[2ski2moro]

Let's look at the reality of cm sizing.

61.4" = 156cm
64.2" = 163cm
66" = your height

Most beginners pick skis that come up to their chin. I'm guessing that yours come up to your eyes. Last year's K2s have rocker, so they will ski shorter because there is less base in contact with the snow.

My best guess is that your skis are fine for you.

However if you still think that it is the length that is giving you trouble, try to demo a shorter pair. If you like them better, sell your skis. You won't have problems selling new-looking beginner skis. Take a small hit on the $$$ and get what you like instead.

Life is too short to ski on wrong equipment.

That said, the most common problem that beginners make is getting their boots too big. When your foot slops around in the boot, you can't transfer the movements to your ski as well, and that can be the cause of many of your problems.

When are you coming up to Gore to ski with us?

 

[climbingbetty]

Let's look at the reality of cm sizing.

61.4" = 156cm
64.2" = 163cm
66" = your height

Most beginners pick skis that come up to their chin. I'm guessing that yours come up to your eyes. Last year's K2s have rocker, so they will ski shorter because there is less base in contact with the snow.

My best guess is that your skis are fine for you.

However if you still think that it is the length that is giving you trouble, try to demo a shorter pair. If you like them better, sell your skis. You won't have problems selling new-looking beginner skis. Take a small hit on the $$$ and get what you like instead.

Life is too short to ski on wrong equipment.

That said, the most common problem that beginners make is getting their boots too big. When your foot slops around in the boot, you can't transfer the movements to your ski as well, and that can be the cause of many of your problems.

When are you coming up to Gore to ski with us?

Are you coming to Ski Diva East at Whiteface??

Thank you soooooo much Divas! This is all what I told myself when buying them- they have rocker, so they ski shorter, so I can go a little longer and really if I was going to get a 160 cm, is 3 cm really going to be a deal breaker??? I guess I let me friend's "expertise" overshadow what I knew to be true and second guess myself. Now that I think about it, said friend is skiing a pair of old Blizzards that have been around longer then rocker has, so he may not know that rocker in a ski will shorten the effective edge length.

The more I read on this forum though, the more I realize that boot slop is the bigger issue! I wore some lighter layers on Saturday and was able to crank my boots down more without cutting off circulation to my calves (time for boot top layers I guess) and did notice less heel lift in my boots. Of course, with my heel sucked even further back into the heel cup, my toes felt like they were in a canyon, not a box. *sigh*

Looks like its time to save up for new boots and a session with a boot fitter! I'll ski my current skis until they die or until I get to the point that I know enough to demo and really discern the difference in skis. I did have my skis waxed and the edges touched up on Friday and I felt like I really noticed a difference in the way they skied on Saturday, so that's encouraging. Although the snow was the best I've been on all season- nice dry powder instead of ice, so then again, it might have been the conditions that felt better more so then the skis!

 

[2ski2moro]

CB - I hope to join the Divas at Whiteface, but there are too many variables in the mix at the moment to make a commitment. I should know more in the next few days.

 

[Pequenita]

I wore some lighter layers on Saturday and was able to crank my boots down more without cutting off circulation to my calves (time for boot top layers I guess) and did notice less heel lift in my boots. Of course, with my heel sucked even further back into the heel cup, my toes felt like they were in a canyon, not a box. *sigh*

Yeah, my boot fit is best when the only things in the boots are my sock and foot. Capri-length base layers are great for this.

FWIW, I'd give more weight to the comment that your skis were too long if the person who made the comment did so based on his observations of your skiing, rather than merely asking you what length your skis were. But, if you rent shorter skis and they feel more in control, there could be something there.

 

[vanhoskier]

I'll bet the biggest issue is with your boots, not your skis.

 

[birchrun]

I'm in the "it's your boots" camp. You shouldn't put anything but your socks in your boots. If you have regular length layers that won't comfortably push up above your boots, you can cut them up the side seam just a bit at the bottom so that they will or get layers that won't interfere with your boots. Not only will this improve the fit of the boots, you won't get bruises from the edge of the fabric on your shins, ankles, whatever.

If your boots are too big it may be worth it from an improvement standpoint and more especially from a fun standpoint to rent smaller boots. Skiing is so expensive that it is a shame to not take full advantage of the fun of it. In my opinion, good fitting boots are the most important piece of equipment you need to ski.

On the other hand, I've also bailed on a terribly cold day just a few runs into a day since I wasn't having fun. I figured it didn't make sense to suck it up and not enjoy myself because I had just spent $60 on a ticket when I can have spent the $60 and be enjoying myself somewhere else. : )

I guess my point is that though it may make sense to get your money's worth out of your ill-fitting boots, you need to balance that with the overall worth of it with regards to enjoyment and improvement. You are still spending a good bit of money on gas, food, and lift tickets and you may not be getting your moneys worth out of those expenses the way you could with good fitting boots.

 

[climbingbetty]

Yeah, my boot fit is best when the only things in the boots are my sock and foot. Capri-length base layers are great for this.

FWIW, I'd give more weight to the comment that your skis were too long if the person who made the comment did so based on his observations of your skiing, rather than merely asking you what length your skis were. But, if you rent shorter skis and they feel more in control, there could be something there.

yes , he shared this observation after watching me ski

 

[litterbug]

If you know you've got boot problems, I'd worry more about boots than skis. Yes, it's easier to demo skis than boots, and new boots plus fitting are more expensive than most skis, but you really don't know your skis' potential until you can drive them with good boots. And a lesson would also help you tell whether you can even initiate turns well with this gear setup, although they might teach you enough that you can compensate until your boots are just right.

That being said, I was allowed to demo boots at the Deep Powder House--not because they were being nice but because the boots had already been demoed before. So it's worth asking about.