Ok, Ski gear question here.
I have 2 pairs of ski’s, neither of which I have ever skied on. ('till now I’ve been renting) I need to pick one of these as mine.
Both pairs are ex-rentals, beat-up but serviceable. Bases on both are clean and smooth.
1 pair are Rossignol Cut 10.4 length 177 CM
the other are Rossignol Rebel Freeride X (or FX) length 170 cm
I’ve been renting 170 cm skis so far, but charts sho I could go as long as 184 given my weight & height. Not sure I could handle that, but only because I haven’t yet.
I’m an intermediate, I guess: I come down the blues just fine, the tops of the blacks still make me nervous and I need a little extra time to get down them.
The next few weeks I’ll mainly ski Seven Springs (it’s in PA, all groomed, occasionally a little icy), but I may get the opportunity to ski in Utah for a week in Feb. (no idea what that’s like)
So, which should I pick?
What kind of skiing are you planning on doing and on what kind of terrain?
A longer ski is typically more stable at higher speeds, so if you’re going to be cruising on groomed runs, I’d go with the longer skis. If you’re into bump skiing or the terrain park, a shorter ski typically works better.
The best answer, though, is to bring both pairs with you, and see which you like best. There’s no reason you can’t bring both pairs with you to Utah, either. I always fly with 2 pairs of skis and it’s never been a problem (oh yeah, if you’re flying make sure you bring take your boots as carry-on).
St. Urho
Alpine Ski Coach
Plan to do recreational, not too adventurous skiing. No idea what Utah is like, but if there’s a choice I’d go for groomed over anything else. On the other hand, I’ve never actually skied in powder, and might just like it.
Here in PA it’s all packed & groomed, slightly icy.
Does the design of the ski make a difference?
The rebel seems wider at the tip and the waist.
The shape of the ski affect how they turn. Benn a while since I was seriously into skiing perhaps someone else can shed some more light on this. I would be tempted to go for the longer ones thought, really you want them about 10-15cm longer than you are tall. The longer they are the faster they will be but you need good technique to turn on them.
That is most definitely no longer the case with skis. I’m 6’2" and ~200 lbs and I ski 160 cm in slalom and 178 cm in GS. Modern shaped skis are significantly shorter than their older, straighter counterparts.
A good ski fitter will take into account your weight and skiing ability when sizing skis. Height really isn’t that useful for determining ski size. Here’s a chart.
Isosleepy the rebel probably is wider at the waist. This will give you greater floatation in powder than a narrower waisted ski, which tends to dive for the bottom in deeper powder.