Results 1 to 13 of 13
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2019
    Posts
    8

    Advice for length of touring/ski mountaineering skis

    Hi and thanks for your input on this...

    I'm 5'9" 145 lb. and have been on Black Diamond Helio 105 165 cm skis with Marker Alpinist 9 bindings and Scarpa Maestrale RS boots for a full season (20+ days). I live in Colorado and use this set up for 2-3 day hut trips around the state with open powder skiing and tighter ski mountaineering objectives/couloirs in Rocky Mtn National Park.

    This set up is working pretty well but I'm considering going to a longer Helio 105 for better all-around performance. I ski 170 cm Mantras in-bounds. The next size up on these Helios is 175 cm. There are also Helio 95's in 173 cm I'm considering too.

    Do you think I should size up, switch skis, or stick with the 165's I've got?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Your Mom's House
    Posts
    8,302
    I'm the same height and weight and my skis range between 177cm and 193cm, with most of my daily driver type skis (inbounds and touring) falling in the 182-187cm range.
    Ski sizing depends on a lot of things including your size, how you ski, the design of the ski, and what tradeoffs you're willing to accept in the ski.
    If you feel like the skis you're on are not stable enough at speed, get longer ones.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    On another tangent.
    Posts
    3,855
    The other day I was wishing I was on shorter skis (or more rocker) due to the tightness of the trees. For BC skiing, speed is less of an issue than maneuverability for me. More often than not I wish I could make tighter turns quicker. Wider turns is easier to make happen.
    Best regards, Terry
    (Direct Contact is best vs PMs)

    SlideWright.com
    Ski, Snowboard & Tools, Wax and Wares
    Repair, Waxing, Tuning, Mounting Tips & more
    Add TGR handle to notes & paste 5% TGR Discount code during checkout: 1121TGR

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    SLC, Utah
    Posts
    4,283
    Quote Originally Posted by EvanR View Post
    Hi and thanks for your input on this...

    I'm 5'9" 145 lb. and have been on Black Diamond Helio 105 165 cm skis with Marker Alpinist 9 bindings and Scarpa Maestrale RS boots for a full season (20+ days). I live in Colorado and use this set up for 2-3 day hut trips around the state with open powder skiing and tighter ski mountaineering objectives/couloirs in Rocky Mtn National Park.

    This set up is working pretty well but I'm considering going to a longer Helio 105 for better all-around performance. I ski 170 cm Mantras in-bounds. The next size up on these Helios is 175 cm. There are also Helio 95's in 173 cm I'm considering too.

    Do you think I should size up, switch skis, or stick with the 165's I've got?
    My vote would be to (gently) size up - either the Helio 95 in 173 or the Helio 105 in 175 will ski about the same (they have similar amounts of camber, the 95 has slightly less rocker), and the Helio 105 already skis a little bit short IMO (decent bit of rocker on that ski). Those will give you a little more speed, while still being short enough to throw around as needed.

    For reference, I'm just shy of 6' and I weigh 150 pounds, and for me, I actually think that the Helio105 in 185cm is the ski for me - I normally would stick to around 175-180, and I'm not an aggressive skier. You'll do fine on the Helio 175.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    northern BC
    Posts
    30,885
    I think its about what you can flex with your weight, it would also depend on skill level but 169cm isnt overly long for a 145lb skier so IMO you might size up to 180ish based on your weight

    as a 160lb fading advanced skier I normaly like to ski a 185 for the BC or alpine but due to some smoking deals on used setups I have gone bigger and smaller,

    if you do go longer than the norm for your weight it better be a softer easy to bend ski
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Bottom feeding
    Posts
    10,828
    Don't forget the kick turn could be more of a pain if you have short legs.
    Well maybe I'm the faggot America
    I'm not a part of a redneck agenda

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Seattle
    Posts
    33,546
    Quote Originally Posted by EvanR View Post
    ski mountaineering objectives
    Conventional alpinism wisdom suggests that "what size ski should I be on?" is before this on the learning curve.
    Quote Originally Posted by Downbound Train View Post
    And there will come a day when our ancestors look back...........

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Posts
    412
    I'm an inch shorter, about the same weight, and no Cody Townsend, but I ski the 175 Helio 105s with no issues. They're maneuverable, relatively-stable (considering their weight), and have acceptable float. The rocker makes them ski quite short, so I imagine your 165s must feel like snowblades. Not knowing anything about your level of experience or style of skiing, it's a bit hard to say what you should do, but 165 is almost-skimo length (i.e. short) for a decent skier of your size. I'd size up to the 175 Helios and never look back.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Vernon BC
    Posts
    1,765
    Quote Originally Posted by PNWbrit View Post
    Conventional alpinism wisdom suggests that "what size ski should I be on?" is before this on the learning curve.
    Nah, seems about right.

    didn't that survey find that 50% of ColoRADo BC users don't have a clue?
    "Its not the arrow, its the Indian" - M.Pinto

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Ventura Highway in the Sunshine
    Posts
    22,431
    It depends on what porportion of your days are powder vs Mountaineering. If you are skiing a lot of tight, steep couloirs then keep it shorter. If you ski the vast majority of days in light, fluffy powder then size up. If you are young and aggressive then size up significantly, old and slowing down keep it moderate.

    I agree it is a constitutional right for Americans to be assholes...its just too bad that so many take the opportunity...
    iscariot

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    A LSD Steakhouse somewhere in the Wasatch
    Posts
    13,234
    you lost me at marker pos 9
    good luck
    "When the child was a child it waited patiently for the first snow and it still does"- Van "The Man" Morrison
    "I find I have already had my reward, in the doing of the thing" - Buzz Holmstrom
    "THIS IS WHAT WE DO"-AML -ski on in eternal peace
    "I have posted in here but haven't read it carefully with my trusty PoliAsshat antenna on."-DipshitDanno

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Squaw valley
    Posts
    4,639
    Quote Originally Posted by hutash View Post
    It depends on what porportion of your days are powder vs Mountaineering. If you are skiing a lot of tight, steep couloirs then keep it shorter. If you ski the vast majority of days in light, fluffy powder then size up. If you are young and aggressive then size up significantly, old and slowing down keep it moderate.
    I ski a lot of steep, narrow couloirs ans I'm on 184 s, and 5 ft 7 tall.

    The only time i feel that i could use s shorter ski is when the skiable width is 200 cm or less.

    And i think the longer skis give me a lot more fore aft stability, which imo is really important.

    Then i ski Shasta and it's nice to open it up without feeling I'm gonna die. Which i felt like on shorter skis.

    Sent from my Armor_3 using Tapatalk

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    7B Idaho
    Posts
    873
    This is TGR. 192+ at all times, why would you go shorter.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •