I don't usually come down in such absolute terms. But in this particular case, I think your friendly and enthusiastic shop guy is quite wrong to keep giving you different skis when it's been rather clear by now you really ought to be learning the proper technique. And you'll do the learning a whole better when you're not fight a new ski that you're not familiar with.
As for length, I can ski on a 120cm ski down a black diamond (so could most of the diva's who posted in this thread), though I would need properly fitted boots.
Of course you can! Someone like you with solid skills can compensate for very short, very long, very soft, very stiff, or very whatever skis. However, I'm confident that your turns would be compromised on steep ice with 120cm skis, while an intermediate skier without turning skills that go beyond skidding would not be able to compensate. So the comparison really isn't fair.
Does anyone detect the contradiction right there?
It only works if the "driver" can really lay the ski up on their edges, which our intermediate OP hasn't mention she's particularly good at.
Besides, why the talk of more speed and high speed stability when her wish is to control speed (in narrow trails)???
Nobody's talking about having to ski faster, just that when she does she will feel more stable on a longer ski, that she'll find it easier to learn on it on moderate terrain, and with a lesson will find it easier to control her speed on steeps and narrow runs. And we all know there's no need to "lay skis on their edges" in order to turn, unless you're talking about FIS slalom skis. Turning requires edge control, which isn't necessarily carving. What is needed to turn your average recreational ski without skidding and twistsing is knowing where and how the edges engage, how to engage them gently (e.g. with a flatter ski) to control direction and speed, but not radically enough to take you for a wild ride.
What people
have been saying is that our OP would find it easier to feel confident and learn good foundational technique on a ski more appropriate to her height and weight, and that taking a lesson to learn how to make the most of them and improve her skills will help her get started.
Who knows, the Pyra could have a bunch of rocker that would make a 163 feel like a 153, or it could be one of those stiff hard-charging skis so many of us love. My general suggestion would be to try skis that are not too different than what she had in a 147, just to limit the number of things to adjust to. And if 163cm is just too much to consider, a 153 is still going to be far superior to a 147. It's all about progress, not perfection, and if Nic Nic would rather go back to 147s than ski 163s, but would try the 153s with instruction, I say go ahead with the 153s.
But whatever
@Nic Nic decides to rent, I do
very very strongly suggest not going out on her own if it will discourage her from thinking she can do anything more than she's already doing. Instead, I
very very strongly suggest scheduling a lesson, even a regular old group lesson, renting/demoing a ski that's like her 147s but longer, and letting someone help her figure out how not to get taking for a ride. I know all too well what it's like to feel unable to advance or learn just because I was on crazy skis for my ability or was thrown into advanced terrain with no instruction way before I was ready.
But honestly, I really don't want to be overly pushy, because I certainly could be wrong. Of course, we're a bunch of opinionated people, and the amount of information and emotion in these threads can be a bit much. I'm sure my long rambly posts don't help much, so I'll try to restrain myself a little. Besides, I just bought every thing I need to make those prosciutto-wrapped muffins on the paleo thread, and I can't wait to try them!
