Ski Size question answering time (figured I should)

Ok, help me out here...

I'm guy whose 5'7" and 102lb (yes i'm very skinny, no muscle... very sad). I'm a good skier on the mountain but I can't do anything in the park. Hoping to change that this season. Right now I'm probably going to buy the 05 K2 PE's. Should I go for the 159 or 169 skis? 159's would probably be better for this season, but the 169's would let me grow more into them and use them next year.

Advice from you more knowlegeable skiers?
 
What are you talkiong about? someone who is like 5'6 and 150 should not be on a ski that is 160. Weight, height and ability are all equally as important.
 
Ok so I weight 155, and I'm a type 3. I've been skiing all my life (18yrs) and just about two years ago I got into freeskiing. I just bought some 169cm Fujatives and when I got them back after the bindings had been mounted they seem way too short. There is not enough tip, what size should I be looking at, and does anyone want to buy brand new Fujatives, w/ brand new Look P12 bindings? $375.00.
 
all this sizing is relative to the ski. i 210 pounds and have skied skis anywhere from 167 to 184. it all depends on the ski. race skis are getting shorter every day but still performing the same if not better. thats the same with all types of skis. its all about the construction.
 
one thing not mention was different skis. Your usually going to want longer pow skis than park skis.(forgive me if this has been metioned)
 
k everyone seeams to me arguing about weight vs. size they come hand and hand if your tall you need more hight if your heavy you need more stiffness in your ski your not going to put guy who is 5"'6 220 and a biginner on a bigginer ski that is 180-185 thats retarded what you should sugest is going to a higher end ski thus it has more stiffness then you can come down in length of the ski cause if you put him on thos 180cm beginners its going to seam like he is riding fuji's when he is skiing at high speeds and thats not going to make skiing fun for him he is just going to want to pack it in for the day and head down to the bar because he has no control over his skis
 
im 5 9 and weigh 110 pounds. i heard the line invaders would be a good choice. comments on the invaders or what you think i should get?
 
I'm 182lbs and 182cm tall!

I've just bought AR5s @ 176cm!

Am I a fool in not buying 181s?

I like, ski fast... like! innit?
 
I think so. 182 pounds is quite a lot, you should get the biggest size you can, being 181's with the ar5's. I am 6', 160 lbs and I would probably get the 181's for myself.
 
Ok total newb question, but what are the dissadvantages of skiing skis that are a little too short?

Everyone seems to advocate go longer, but I've also been told if you're not sure, go down.

Also, in the thread discussing how tall your ski's are in relation to you (I know, I know, it's all weight, not height), tons of people said that their skis are up to their eyes.

I'm 5'11-6'0'' and weigh about 163 lbs. Just bought a pair of 171's. By the standard set in this discussion the skis are too short.

So primarily, A) what are the disadvantages of skiing somewhat short skis and B) how strongly would you advocate taking em back and moving up?

I've skied for like 12 years, but mostly carving. Just getting into rotations/jibbing, so I didnt think having em a little shorter would be that bad. Advise. thx
 
Basiclly having a longer ski, is going to be more stable espcially when hitting jumps/landings, and more stable at high speeds.

There gonna be less squirelly, and your not going to be in most cases less likely to overpower them.

If you already have your 171 mounted it gonna be kinda hard to return them. It's not like they won't work, but when your riping at mach 10, hitting 45 footers, or trying to boost as high as you can in the pipe, skiing on something longer will probably work *better*.
 
I'm thinking about getting the Armada ARW. I'm 5'8 and about 130. Do you think I should go with the 160 or 170? I ski the park, but I also ski a lot of all mtn.
 
yeah... but this guy at the ski shop, the ski dude told me that would be way too long, that i should definately go for the 160.
 
i agree wid the original post weight and ability are the key issues when buying a ski but the ski should never be shorter than a the height o your nose. but thats just my opinion. short sksi jut dont hack it
 
I'd like to add one more thing. being that I'm from Minnesota and there are never good conditions here, size of a ski has a lot to do with what a person is comfortable with. yes there are some soft skis and some stiff skis, some fat and some narrow, but typically the longer a ski is the harder to control. So in crappy ass conditions like ice and rutts and slop shorter may be the way to go. Then there is the shape of the ski and what you're using it for. A good side cut allows a person to go with a smaller ski based on how it performs, but a ski like a 1260 that doesn't have much of a side cut may push you to go a little longer than usuall but in that case you're probably not going to buy a 1260 as an all mountain ski. So even though I do agree with the weight stuff thats been said I think more of a factor is what you're going to use your skis for.
 
I'm new to the park, so just wondering...

Everyone seems to be saying if you're not sure, go longer.

Isn't there anything to be said for shorter skis, at least in the park?

Lighter, easier to spin, arguably easier to balance on rails?

Or are those benefits drastically outweighed by the added stability on landings, and better performance outside the park, that you get from longer skis.
 
Now people are centre mounting skis so having a slightly shorter ski wont make spinning ect that much easier but it look a lot better. Short skis just look stupid and long ones have more stability and easier landings. Bottom line, go long.
 
I want to be able to carve, spin, and hit rails though...

Althought centre mounting would make the spinning and rails easier, it would not be good for the carving.

I've skied for many years, but I'm just a newb in the park...bottom line is I just cant give up the carving capability for the advantages of centre mounting.

So it seemed that the solution was to go shorter...although (and maybe it's just me) having short skis mounted at recommended seems to make riding switch a lot more difficult.

I think that at least while I'm learning in the park it's a good solution...

my next skis will be longer.
 
now this is nerdy as hell, but being an engineering major I can tell you that having long skis will make it harder to spin because of the extra weight away from the center of rotation regardless whether or not they're center mounted. Now being that I sell skis at a ski shop, I can say that smaller skis will most definately help a beginner in the park. And you are very right about center mounting hurting your carving ability. You also have to worry about what skis you have. Not all skis can be center mounted, you'd have to look into that. Hope that helped.
 
^This guy has an excellent point.

I work in a shop, and if we used the length system outlined in this thread for everyone we'd have a lot of pissed off customers.

The guidelines in this thread are great for experienced skiers looking to get a good carving ski. It's not so good for park skiers. Things like swing weight, ability level and flex are important factors. A beginner to intermediate park skier is going to have trouble with a longer ski.

I think its stupid how people on this site relate ski size and manliness. Grow up and learn a thing or two about skis. People see pros riding huge skis and they all want to, when they forget they are not pro skiers. I just shake my head when I see a 5'6 120 lb kid riding 180 cms. Ski what you want, I guess.
 
I'm enjoying my 171's for park skiing as I'm just starting out (I'm 5'11"-6'0" and 160-165 lbs).

Again it really raises the issue of whether it's really possible to have a one ski quiver.

I'm looking to pick up a pair of Atomic tweaks for riding the rest of the mountain. Wicked tortional stiffness, a little bit longer, but still twin tips for switch and a little BC (the VERY little that is around here).

I have come to the conclusion that a one ski quiver just isnt possible, unless you split the length/stiffness difference, in which case you are getting the short end of the stick in both situations.

There seems to be no true all mountain/park ski...although I'm open to suggestions.
 
what do you guys think about marker 14.0 freeze comp bindings? featured in freeskier last month as sarah burkes binding of choice...if riding those makes me a girl i would not mind being sarah burke
 
5'8 140-150lbs. ar5 in 170 or 175. just a park ski. got other skis for big mtn and backcountry jumping. both skis would work but which would u suggest?
 
haha this came up right after i made a post about ski size. what i was sayin is i weigh 140 and am 5'9" but my skis are 150 and boots are 31.5. but i dono if any of you are racers cuz no one gets that i need shorter skis because i go threw gates.
 
I happen to like skis that are shorter, and I handle them better. Im 6'0 and ski Rossi Scratch Sprayer BC (182)and it's a really harsh change for me.( Only cause I am harsh budgeted ) and I really liked the feel of them over others i tried.

Is it weird that I like to take my old straight skis out for hitting groomed runs once in a while?
 
yea i dono i use to go with 180s and all that and now im at 150s for racing. less edge but more control of the front. haha. and if your good at the old skis usem. haha i got some from my uncle last year and brought them to the park and broke the bindings right away cuz they hadnt been used in like 10 years. haha
 
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