proper ski length

proper ski length

Post by Myron Feldma » Sun, 28 Sep 1997 04:00:00


My son is 15 and is a 7/10 skiier.  He has joined the ski racing team in
his hi school this yr and being that he is still growing I want to rent
skiis for him.  He is 5"6, 115#.  I wanted to get shaped skiis but the
shop doesn't have any for rent.  They suggested K2 5500's.  185 cm.  I
own a pair of these and I know that they are good, but I am concerned
that the length is too long.

Comments?

 
 
 

proper ski length

Post by Octavi » Sun, 28 Sep 1997 04:00:00

I think a 185 should be fine for the 5500; especially if he is racing. I
tend to think that even a 190 might not be all that bad but he is faily
light weight. If he can demo them it might be a good idea.

Quote:

> My son is 15 and is a 7/10 skiier.  He has joined the ski racing team
> in
> his hi school this yr and being that he is still growing I want to
> rent
> skiis for him.  He is 5"6, 115#.  I wanted to get shaped skiis but the

> shop doesn't have any for rent.  They suggested K2 5500's.  185 cm.  I

> own a pair of these and I know that they are good, but I am concerned
> that the length is too long.

> Comments?


 
 
 

proper ski length

Post by Casey Wood » Mon, 29 Sep 1997 04:00:00

Sounds a bit short to me.  At the same age I was on a 200 cm slalom ski and
loving it.  One question:  Why would you race on a K2 5500?  Assuming that
he's not going to hit 6'4", just buy him a 195 race ski and be done with
it.  He'll break them before he grows out of them.

Casey

Quote:

> My son is 15 and is a 7/10 skiier.  He has joined the ski racing team in
> his hi school this yr and being that he is still growing I want to rent
> skiis for him.  He is 5"6, 115#.  I wanted to get shaped skiis but the
> shop doesn't have any for rent.  They suggested K2 5500's.  185 cm.  I
> own a pair of these and I know that they are good, but I am concerned
> that the length is too long.

> Comments?


 
 
 

proper ski length

Post by Anthe » Mon, 29 Sep 1997 04:00:00

Quote:

> My son is 15 and is a 7/10 skiier.  He has joined the ski racing team in
> his hi school this yr and being that he is still growing I want to rent
> skiis for him.  He is 5"6, 115#.  I wanted to get shaped skiis but the
> shop doesn't have any for rent.  They suggested K2 5500's.  185 cm.  I
> own a pair of these and I know that they are good, but I am concerned
> that the length is too long.

185???? And the kid is 5 foot 6 inches????? Mate, they are far, far too
short!
I'm 5'3", about a level 7 skiier (so long as there are no ***y moguls
about), and I'm currently on 195's, though possibly 190's would be more
versatile. But at speed, they're great.
A kid that size on 185's and trying to race on them would be bucked
about and defeaned by the chattering shovels.

ant

--
Anthea Kerrison


http://SportToday.org/

 
 
 

proper ski length

Post by Matthew L » Tue, 30 Sep 1997 04:00:00

185 may be the right length for him if he were on a stiffer ski.5500's
are too soft for racing in my opinion.I would either find a shop that
will lease you race skis or buy him some.Why put him at a disadvantage
with an inadequite ski.I would put him on a pair of dual event racing
skis in a 190 cm.

 
 
 

proper ski length

Post by C Wilke » Wed, 01 Oct 1997 04:00:00

Quote:

> 185???? And the kid is 5 foot 6 inches????? Mate, they are far, far too
> short!
> I'm 5'3", about a level 7 skiier (so long as there are no ***y moguls
> about), and I'm currently on 195's, though possibly 190's would be more
> versatile. But at speed, they're great.
> A kid that size on 185's and trying to race on them would be bucked
> about and defeaned by the chattering shovels.

The rule of thumb is to have your skis around 15 cm longer than your
height.  I've got to do the metric/imperial conversions here (although
Anthea and I are about the same age, I am more metricated than she is)
and your son would be about 170 cm.  So, on first glance 185 cm would be
OK for recreational skiing, but for racing you should add 5-10 cm.  190
cm skis for racing only would be fine for him.

I'm 185 cm (6 foot 1) tall, and ski recreationally on 200s.  When I
race, I could do with 205s or 210s for GS, and stay on 200s for slalom,
as my GS feels a little slow.

Hope that helps

Craig

 
 
 

proper ski length

Post by Janet Cicariell » Wed, 01 Oct 1997 04:00:00

You should seriously thing about getting him 2 pairs of skiis. One for
racing which should be a little longer and stiffer than the other pair for
free skiing. For example, I'm 5'2" and ski on 185's (Rossi 4SV's) and race
on 190's (K2 SL Race). and yes, i know they're slalom skiis, but since i
could only get one pair for racing it's much easier to use slalom skis in
GS than GS skiis in slalom - I race in an *** recreational league, so
we'er not talking future olympians or anything like that.... ;-)
The point is, i have something longer and stiffer for racing than what i
use for free skiing.

Janet

: >
: >
: > 185???? And the kid is 5 foot 6 inches????? Mate, they are far, far too
: > short!
: > I'm 5'3", about a level 7 skiier (so long as there are no ***y moguls
: > about), and I'm currently on 195's, though possibly 190's would be more
: > versatile. But at speed, they're great.
: > A kid that size on 185's and trying to race on them would be bucked
: > about and defeaned by the chattering shovels.

: The rule of thumb is to have your skis around 15 cm longer than your
: height.  I've got to do the metric/imperial conversions here (although
: Anthea and I are about the same age, I am more metricated than she is)
: and your son would be about 170 cm.  So, on first glance 185 cm would be
: OK for recreational skiing, but for racing you should add 5-10 cm.  190
: cm skis for racing only would be fine for him.

: I'm 185 cm (6 foot 1) tall, and ski recreationally on 200s.  When I
: race, I could do with 205s or 210s for GS, and stay on 200s for slalom,
: as my GS feels a little slow.

: Hope that helps

: Craig

 
 
 

proper ski length

Post by Rusmin Dirgantor » Wed, 01 Oct 1997 04:00:00

Hi Myron,
Ski length depends on weight, height, level, and how you/your
son skis. Shape skis are usually 10-15cm shorter.

Visit the following URLs. They provide model/size calculator for you.
 http://www.skinet.com/gear/98/gearfinder/index.html
 http://www.skinet.com/gear/96/ski/gear/skilength.html
 http://www.k2skis.com/theskis/selector/index.html

Make sure your son test drive the exact length before buying.

Good luck.

--rusmin

Quote:

> My son is 15 and is a 7/10 skiier.  He has joined the ski racing team in
> his hi school this yr and being that he is still growing I want to rent
> skiis for him.  He is 5"6, 115#.  I wanted to get shaped skiis but the
> shop doesn't have any for rent.  They suggested K2 5500's.  185 cm.  I
> own a pair of these and I know that they are good, but I am concerned
> that the length is too long.

> Comments?

 
 
 

proper ski length

Post by Erik » Wed, 01 Oct 1997 04:00:00


Quote:
> You should seriously thing about getting him 2 pairs of skiis. One for
> racing which should be a little longer and stiffer than the other pair
for
> free skiing.

Actually Janet the proper answer is that you need 7 pairs of skis: race
slalom,  Super G GS, super sidecut GS, midfats, Fats, Tele, and some
of those super short mutant skiis.  

Quote:
>For example, I'm 5'2" and ski on 185's (Rossi 4SV's) and race
> on 190's (K2 SL Race). and yes, i know they're slalom skiis, but since i
> could only get one pair for racing it's much easier to use slalom skis in
> GS than GS skiis in slalom - I race in an *** recreational league, so
> we'er not talking future olympians or anything like that.... ;-)

Olympians are overrated. What really matters is beating your rivals.

Quote:
> The point is, i have something longer and stiffer for racing than what i
> use for free skiing.

Stiffer, maybe, but not necessarily longer. In the past people used
long skiis to have more edge. Now that ski engineering has improved,
GS race skiis can be shorter. Good GS racing requires carving
technically perfect turns rather than going straight.  Of course most
recreational GS courses are set pretty straight on flat hills, so there
might be an advantage in using a longer ski for recreational racing.

In addition, one should choose ski length based on weight and
muscular strength rather than height. Is this kid skinny or is he a
fireplug?  Using too long a ski can be damaging to his skill
development.

-erik

Vail-It ain't length, it's what you do with it.

 
 
 

proper ski length

Post by Janet Cicariell » Wed, 01 Oct 1997 04:00:00


: > You should seriously thing about getting him 2 pairs of skiis. One for
: > racing which should be a little longer and stiffer than the other pair
: for
: > free skiing.

: Actually Janet the proper answer is that you need 7 pairs of skis: race
: slalom,  Super G GS, super sidecut GS, midfats, Fats, Tele, and some
: of those super short mutant skiis.  

I actually do know someone who may have all of these ... ;-)

If he's racing on a regualr basis its also really nice to have a pair of
skiis that are only used for racing which won't get "trashed" by free
skiing.

: >For example, I'm 5'2" and ski on 185's (Rossi 4SV's) and race
: > on 190's (K2 SL Race). and yes, i know they're slalom skiis, but since i
: > could only get one pair for racing it's much easier to use slalom skis in
: > GS than GS skiis in slalom - I race in an *** recreational league, so
: > we'er not talking future olympians or anything like that.... ;-)

: Olympians are overrated. What really matters is beating your rivals.

: > The point is, i have something longer and stiffer for racing than what i
: > use for free skiing.
: >
: Stiffer, maybe, but not necessarily longer. In the past people used
: long skiis to have more edge. Now that ski engineering has improved,
: GS race skiis can be shorter. Good GS racing requires carving
: technically perfect turns rather than going straight.  Of course most
: recreational GS courses are set pretty straight on flat hills, so there
: might be an advantage in using a longer ski for recreational racing.

OK, I agree that for GS there are some sidecut skiis that are used at
shorter length than for non super sidecut skiis.

Also, I'm from the east, so the extra length give me a little more edge
and stablity on the "packed powder". For me, i do notice a big difference
between the skiis, even on something as "easy" as NASTAR. (we typically
don't use NASTAR courses for our racing, we're more technical/difficult
than that. We do have a couple of fun races at the end of the season on
NASTAR-type courses and include our non-racing significant others and
children in the race)

: In addition, one should choose ski length based on weight and
: muscular strength rather than height. Is this kid skinny or is he a
: fireplug?  Using too long a ski can be damaging to his skill
: development.

Agreed. I was in a hurry and didn't pick up on the kids' age. But his
skill level is 7, so he's not a novice at this either.

: -erik

: Vail-It ain't length, it's what you do with it.

 
 
 

proper ski length

Post by Anthe » Thu, 02 Oct 1997 04:00:00

C Wilkes wrote

Quote:

> > 185???? And the kid is 5 foot 6 inches????? Mate, they are far, far too
> > short!
> > I'm 5'3", about a level 7 skiier and I'm currently on 195's,
> The rule of thumb is to have your skis around 15 cm longer than your
> height.  I've got to do the metric/imperial conversions here (although
> Anthea and I are about the same age, I am more metricated than she is)

Huh so you did your maths homework! Yuck. They taught us something about
inches etc in infants school, and then next thing you know it's all
centimetres. So I gave up.
Anyway, after much scientific investigation, I have concluded that if
you are 5'3" and female, 180s are too short, and 195s are too long
unless you ski good snow which is either fresh or groomed all the time.

The 190 Olin Super DTSLs arrive next week.

Quote:
> and your son would be about 170 cm.  So, on first glance 185 cm would be
> OK for recreational skiing, but for racing you should add 5-10 cm.  190
> cm skis for racing only would be fine for him.

185 is too ***y short! Unless he's a really scrawny kid. They'd be
chattering all over the place. and getting stuck in spring snow.
Or he's on parabolics (tho I think this going shorter thing is a bit of
a furphy).
And he'll grow out of them in no time - better to get him something
useful; 190 +.

ant

--
Anthea Kerrison


http://SportToday.org/

 
 
 

proper ski length

Post by Christopher D » Thu, 02 Oct 1997 04:00:00

: 185 is too ***y short! Unless he's a really scrawny kid. They'd be
: chattering all over the place. and getting stuck in spring snow.
: Or he's on parabolics (tho I think this going shorter thing is a bit of
: a furphy).
: And he'll grow out of them in no time - better to get him something
: useful; 190 +.

You know, I'm 6 feet tall and I've skiied 195 straight ole' fashioned
skis at some pretty high speeds and not chattered.  Of course, it was
on Seattle Cement, so there's no telling what might occur in real snow.

Seeya!

Chris

--
Christopher B. Dye      "... TWO BLOCKS without a STARBUCKS ...

www.pixi.com/~cbdye          - Zippy  (970922)
KC7ZAM    [ENTP]        

 
 
 

proper ski length

Post by C Wilke » Fri, 03 Oct 1997 04:00:00

Quote:

> Anyway, after much scientific investigation, I have concluded that if
> you are 5'3" and female, 180s are too short, and 195s are too long
> unless you ski good snow which is either fresh or groomed all the time.

That wasn't scientific, that was you complaining all morning last
Saturday that 195s were too long for the Perisher spring gloop!  I
remember a few choice words uttered coming down the Stampede run at Blue
Cow.

Craig

 
 
 

proper ski length

Post by Seth Masi » Sat, 04 Oct 1997 04:00:00

The 5500 is in fact an ideal slalom ski for a 15-year-old racer. It's the
only torsion box cracked edge ski still available -- structurally it's just
about identical to the old K2 VO Slalom, but soft enough that a ***ager
won't have any problem flexing it.  I watched Phil Mahre jump on a pair of
rental 5500s a few years ago and win a ski rep race by about five seconds.
It's still a great ski.



Quote:
> Sounds a bit short to me.  At the same age I was on a 200 cm slalom ski
and
> loving it.  One question:  Why would you race on a K2 5500?  Assuming
that
> he's not going to hit 6'4", just buy him a 195 race ski and be done with
> it.  He'll break them before he grows out of them.

> Casey


> > My son is 15 and is a 7/10 skiier.  He has joined the ski racing team
in
> > his hi school this yr and being that he is still growing I want to rent
> > skiis for him.  He is 5"6, 115#.  I wanted to get shaped skiis but the
> > shop doesn't have any for rent.  They suggested K2 5500's.  185 cm.  I
> > own a pair of these and I know that they are good, but I am concerned
> > that the length is too long.

> > Comments?