Results 1 to 13 of 13
-
12-10-2019, 02:26 PM #1Registered User
- 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?
-
12-10-2019, 02:31 PM #2
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.
-
12-10-2019, 02:49 PM #3
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
-
12-10-2019, 03:10 PM #4
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.
-
12-10-2019, 03:58 PM #5Registered User
- 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 skiLee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know
-
12-10-2019, 04:40 PM #6
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
-
12-10-2019, 04:52 PM #7
-
12-10-2019, 04:58 PM #8Registered User
- 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.
-
12-15-2019, 01:16 AM #9
-
12-15-2019, 06:19 AM #10
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
-
12-15-2019, 07:29 AM #11
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
-
12-15-2019, 07:29 AM #12Rod9301
- Join Date
- Jan 2009
- Location
- Squaw valley
- Posts
- 4,639
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
-
12-15-2019, 08:29 PM #13
This is TGR. 192+ at all times, why would you go shorter.
Bookmarks