Hope for Aspiring Pro's Who are Tall

Samckoy

Samckoy

Member
Most professional skiers and especially park skiers seem to be an around the average male height or only a little above or below the average height. This leads us to believe they are better suited for the sport and maybe they are, but this doesn't mean that tall skiers can't make it big.http://www.theskichannel.com/news/s...iers-give-hope-to-fellow-giants-of-the-slopes
This is especially good news to me considering I'm 6'4'' and often find I'm overly tall for skiing. My hopes are back up.
 
Probably because most people are around the average height.
There are so many factors that are more important than height in skiing. I don't think its biased one way or another.
If there is a bias toward smaller pros, it's probably because big guys are more likely to spend their high school time playing basketball or football (sports where they do have a big advantage) as apposed to skiing.
 
It helps when charging, but in freestyle I think it's a bit harder.

I'm 6"5 myself, so...But seriously...we're still talking a total of 70-80 inches here. Being a WHOPPING 5 INCHES taller isn't going to make or break whether you can be pro or not...seriously... In the beginning (when I started my 'freestyle-career') I also thought it was harder or something, but seriously, it's just a mindset.

Is there a cult for tall people (6"3 and up?) yet...

In the Netherlands you're considered very short as a guy if you're under 6" anyway...haha!
 
there are definitely a lot of little guys in skiing,I wouldn't say they're "better suited" for the sport,but they have a lower center of gravity, and are generally lighter.Then again, there are a lot of tall skiers who are great at what they do.
When it comes down to it, people will always tell you why you can't do what you wanna do, so just figure out a way to do it anyways.
 
according to physics being small should help your ability to spin but it does not mean you cannot compete being tall...this is very unlike diving or many other gymnastic events where once you get past about 5'11 you struggle to compete...
 
Check out the Freeskier buyers guide from this year. Most the guys who participated in the park test were 6'0+.
 
and you're a fucking idiot that just got called out for spewing a bunch of bullshit trying to sound like you know something about the history of park skiing.
 
Thanks. Forgot to make it a clickable link.
And yes, the reason most skiers are shorter might be due to average height and the fact that taller people would rather play sports where height is an advantage.But like a lot of people mentioned, physics factor in a lot.

(+)Taller people are generally heavier and have greater momentum and speed.(-)Greater momentum and weight means that big drops are going to be harder on the legs because you're less likely to bounce out of it (i.e. Sean Petit).(-)Taller people have longer limbs so when your in that sit down skiing position your body mass is further away from the point of pivot (knees) and this requires more force.
So there are some disadvantages to being tall. What I was pointing out with this thread is that they can be overcome when you're skiing at a professional and there are some pro skiers listed as an example of that
 
It really doesn't matter. Ofcourse Sammy is a midget and Bobby might be a giant, but still, it's not more than 15-20% of the whole body length...

It's all about courage, athlticism (irrespective of length) and attitude/ambition.
 
if dumont hits a 20ft jump it looks like chads gapif spriggs hits a 20ft jump it looks like a kicker in for a rail....

now there's the problem !
parkshapers should start shaping bigger feature for bigger skiers!
 
Anyone claiming that they've plateaued or maxed out their skiing potential due to their height is making excuses and is more likely a pussy, lazy, or just not all that athletically gifted...apart from their height entirely.
Anyone claiming that being small and compact is not something of a natural advantage in efforts to get really good at spinny flippys of any kind—with or without skis attached to your feet—is just wrong and is ignoring both the existence of physics and asians.
Think about buildings....or fucking Jenga. The taller you are, any/all instances of being out of position (say front or backseat for example) are going to be exaggerated relative to a smaller person (center of gravity). Is there a significant enough difference between a guy who's 5'9" and a guy who's 6'2" for that to be a contributing factor to any disparity in their respective abilities? I sincerely doubt it. Now, if one guy is 5'6" and the other is 6'5"....probably. The true test is that if you were set on becoming a pro flippyspin skier....which frame would you rather start with?
All that aside, I can think of a dozen or so notable pros who are not just tall, but rather exceptionally-ish tall. Liam, Spriggs, Martini, Hatveit, Delorme, Collins, and Dumont all come to mind immediately.
 
what a great article. I am 6'6" and am lanky as fuck just like the guy in that article. I grew really fast too so for a couple of years there I was just not comfortable in my body and felt so awkward in the air. Its getting better but its still a hinderence I feel.
The other shitty thing is finding gear that fits right. Fuck I hate when my belt would be riding just below my jacket it looked so bad. Thank god for SAGA!!!!!
 
do you have google alerts set up for 'pghjibber'?

i swear you only come on here to hate, it's pretty funny

and i also agree, the ski channel is pretty wack bc its run by a tennis player - hence why i quit, for a much better gig in the ski industry

however i still think the article is funny, and im glad i could give fellow lanky giants a laugh, god forbid
 
I don't think height is a big factor...It is how strong your core is....your core guides your flips,spins,etc. why do you think gymnasts do core training?

unfortunately, tall people are usually very lanky and not bulky and strong...when I look at spriggs he looks very tall and skinny but guys like martini are big overalll
 
I'm 6'5. I only started skiing at 20 years old, because ALL my time beforehand was playing football seriously. Bigger guys don't go for snowboarding/skiing typically, but college sports that can scholarship them somewhere.
It makes sense.
 
yeah but think about henrik with his swith 16...i dont think he would be able to do it if he was 6'3

im 5'5 and i know everything is easier to do than my friend 6'2...and its easier to find tall t and hoodies hehe
 
I think people are just so used to knowing that it helps basketball or football players to be tall, so it must help skiers to be short since Simon Dumont is short and he's a really good skier. Not that there aren't minimal advantages to being smaller in a sport that involves a lot of hard impact landings and hucked rotations, but the "short advantage" is GREATLY eclipsed by athletic ability, hard work, and ballsiness.
 
Sorry man I have to disagree, I've seen Dumont in person. He is short (well average ish but definitely not 6' or beyond)
 
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