Stöckli Nela 80s - what size?!

[JessicaF82]

Looking for some advice from all you smart folks… I’m 166cm, 53kg, intermediate to advanced skier (comfortable on blacks, fast and aggressive on reds, working on powder and bigger/steeper bumps). I tried Nela 80s yesterday in 157 and 165 and omigod the Stöckli hype is real. The smoothest, grippiest, most playful yet reliable ski I have ever tried. Beautiful. But… the sizing is doing my head in.

Stöckli customer service insist you should size down 10cm from your height at all levels other than expert, (which should be your height). But when I tried the 157 it felt like I was going to go over the handlebars as soon as I picked up speed, and these things like to go fast. E.g. they were a joy in short turns and made moguls feel easy, but if I hit a bit of unexpected crud or bumpiness at speed, I just didn’t feel like the stability was there.

So I tried the 165s, which felt much more stable, still light and responsive but ploughed through everything with not a judder. But I’m worried they’re going to feel mega long in a short turn and/or big bumps situation. I’ve got 45 and 60 degree inverted knees so ski with Ski Mojos to help with the pressure and stability, but it does make short turns more challenging than for someone with no inward rotation. I don’t have many more chances this season to try each of them.

Super grateful for people’s thoughts on whether these Nela 80s ski long/short, views on any and all of the above.

Cheers!

 

[MissySki]

Are you able to demo the 165 again and take them into some bumps to try out? Did you try some short turns with the 165 when you were on them?

Everything you are saying sounds like the 165 is the way to go, outside of the concern in bumps. I would go based on your actual experience with the skis versus worrying about what the size chart specifies about height and levels.

 

[JessicaF82]

Thanks so much for the reply. I did try the short turns on the 165s on some cruisey blues (all good) but the afternoon I had them we weren't anywhere with tougher runs to really get a sense of how I could handle them when really challenged. I'd love to go try them again but it's really hard to get hold of them as rentals here ans we're headed home soon. If I can, I definitely will. I suspect that's probably the only way to tell. It's just knowing Stockli are the pro's at this ans they're saying something different that's killing my confidence a bit...

 

[RJ*]

I am 169 cm tall and I ski the 157 cm. I love it and never felt like I hit their speed limit on the groomers.
I ski a lot of bumps, though, and I will prioritize that type of terrain over groomers when looking for a ski anyway. I find the Nela to be the perfect bump ski.
I don’t know if you can go wrong with them in either length, but I think it does depend on what kind of skiing you prioritize.

 

[MissySki]

I tried a pair in the 150s (I guess it must have been the 157), and felt your same sensation of going over the handlebars when wanting to pick up speed. So your feelings are definitely valid. Unfortunately they didn’t have the next size up for me to try. I still felt it was a solid ski, but I did hit a speed limit and felt like I "wanted more" length. I am 163cm and 57Kg for reference. Most of my skis are in the 160s for length, often the mid 160s.

On the other hand, I have the Stockli Stormrider 85 in a 161 (I believe this is the predecessor of the current Nela 88) and don't feel this way about them at all. I have yet to hit a speed limit or feel like I wanted more ski on them, and I did try the longer 168 and thought they would be too cumbersome in bumps even though I loved the additional zoomy speed they had.

I would always go by how you feel over their size chart though.

 

[Snowpawz]

I’m 160cm and demoed the 149s a few days ago at Deer Valley on hardpack. I thought they would be too short but we’re actually the right size for me. I also understand all the hype. I had some trouble with turn initiation if I was stopped on a steep and would slide a bit into a wedge before starting to ski again because they felt a bit long for me but also that my poor technique more than the skis fault.

 

[Amie H]

I'm 5'2" and bought the 149 length this season. I have a different issue than you, though.. In my case, I feel they ski more than 3 cm longer than my other two pairs at 146.

A few possible resons: the binding mounting is further back than my other skis (even though mounted at same shop) and shovel has less rocker.

It has taken me a good amount of trial & error to get comfortable with them in all conditions. There is a thread here where I discuss those issues.

Good luck finding your sweet spot!