Brighton/Solitude v. Sbird/Alta

Control and stability at speed are the main advantages of longer skis. Fore/aft balance in unconsolidated snow too. I'm not going to speculate any more on specific proper length other than to repeat the observation that both my upper intermediate ex-wife and my advanced but not expert current girlfriend ski daily drivers in the mid-160's. Most of us think that your height/weight would at least offset their ability edge.

The appropriate ski may well be different for you and your son. Both of you need to be observed by a qualified instructor to get the proper advice.
 
Tony Crocker":2lhzqq5i said:
The appropriate ski may well be different for you and your son. Both of you need to be observed by a qualified instructor to get the proper advice.
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And don't be surprised if the instructor says you should be on a 170 or even 175, depending on the ski and ability and bad habits.
 
MarcC":1rmzhsaw said:
And don't be surprised if the instructor says you should be on a 170 or even 175, depending on the ski and ability and bad habits.
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Yes, it's possible they will put both of you in that length range, but with a very forgiving ski for you and a somewhat higher performance ski for your son. We're speculating that length will be determined more by height/weight and they will adjust for ability more with the type of ski.
 
Before we tar and feather Gpaul and his short skis as a character flaw :wink:, I remember seeing many beginners and intermediates in the Alps on planks that were visibly too short, including entire ski-school groups of lower-intermediate Brits on rental skis that were only a few cms away from snowblades (their instructors were also from the Isles). I didn't count or annotate it on an Excel sheet, so this is a purely anecdotal observation, but I remember making a mental note of it.

Tony, did you notice that during your recent trip? Just wondering if there isn't some ski culture component to this. Probably not, but it's the off season: a good time for conspiracy theories.
 
There was the Graduated Length Method pushed by (pioneered by?) I believe Killington back in the 70's (?) where you started on very short skis,eg 150cm, and moved up to longer skis as your education and skills progressed. Since that was well before shaped skis, someone like gpaulski would have eventually progressed to something around a 190. It fell out of favor thanks to the massive increase in the number of skis a rental shop would need and that many students didn't stay with the program long enough to actually progress beyond a 165.

My memory of an older article in one of the ski mags may be totally clouded on this, but the above seems to be the key learning from what I think I remember reading.
 
gpaulski":1bp9sdbs said:
Tks, but don't put me in beginner category, much better than that.
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Perhaps, but there's a definite disconnect between your stated preference for "long steep groomers" and not wanting to be put in the beginner category yet calling 154cm a "longer" ski for you.

gpaulski":1bp9sdbs said:
http://www.skiutah.com/winter/members/s ... tubevideo2

I ski like this guy, just not as pretty.
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Broken link - it 404's.
 
Many of us think we look better skiing than we do, simply because we feel good, under control, "in the zone," etc. I know this is true for me personally judging by comments from Extremely Canadian and a few other people.
MarcC":3tixs0m1 said:
Perhaps, but there's a definite disconnect between your stated preference for "long steep groomers" and not wanting to be put in the beginner category yet calling 154cm a "longer" ski for you.
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+1 However I'm not in "tar and feather mode" here. GPaul presumably learned to ski as an adult as I did, but with a severe geographical disadvantage. We don't know when or how many lessons he's had. He's developed some technique that he enjoys on LSG's. Without seeing him ski, we're all speculating. The speculation I'm most confident about is that his technique, whatever it is, is likely to be an impediment to successful ungroomed skiing, especially in soft snow. This is based not upon GPaul's comments, but on observation of other intermediate skiers with limited powder experience, and in some part on my own experience before the era of fat skis.
jamesdeluxe":3tixs0m1 said:
Tony, did you notice group lessons on overly short skis during your recent trip?
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No, but you're asking the wrong person. I was in unfamiliar areas, always focused on snow, terrain and navigation, and rarely in beginner terrain. I'm sure I could have observed classes while I was riding lifts but I never thought about it.
 
Three posts about the stated subject, 26 about Gpaul and his skis.
:hijack:

Isn't the moderator still getting full salary and benefits?
 
jamesdeluxe":6c8qn2z0 said:
Three posts about the stated subject, 26 about Gpaul and his skis.
:hijack:

Isn't the moderator still getting full salary and benefits?
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Ski length is directly relevant to style of skiing and choice of venue. It's not a hijack at all seeing that the OP participated in the so-called hijack.

Seems that only anal-retentive moderator wannabes are the ones butt-hurt over it. :troll:
 
Poles are being dragged sometimes and never planted. It looks like fairly standard intermediate skidded turns, of which I do more than my share on hard snow. I don't see anything obvious that would impede a move to consensus recommended ski length.
 
Marc_C":1ja4yntd said:
anal-retentive moderator wannabes
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You're right. I sounded like the guy who complained repeatedly about posting a season summary thread a couple weeks too early.
 
jamesdeluxe":2gfe7i0l said:
Marc_C":2gfe7i0l said:
anal-retentive moderator wannabes
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You're right. I sounded like the guy who complained repeatedly about posting a season summary thread a couple weeks too early.
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More like 3 months too early.
 
Tony Crocker":2xb94acg said:
Poles are being dragged sometimes and never planted. It looks like fairly standard intermediate skidded turns, of which I do more than my share on hard snow. I don't see anything obvious that would impede a move to consensus recommended ski length.
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Yes. I'd rent 175s or 180s, get on a long, wide, gentle slope, practice the stuff below. Check with a bootfitter to be see whether you need shims to get your inside edges engaged properly, i.e. early enough. One of the best exercises to force carving is to be on one ski all the time, the outside ski in each turn. Keep your elbows bent, in, and quiet. Plant the pole with wrist action starting every turn. Do the above at moderate then faster and faster speeds until you're bored, then get on a real slope. My rule is always get comfy with speed first, then go steeper.

No doubt hard snow has been so far scary to go fast on, but that will improve a lot. Good thing you enjoy speed, that makes it fun.
 
Thanks whip.

I forgot to mention that my legs ached very quickly into a run, but not so on groomed terrain. Probably stance, ETC: ?
 
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