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Contents: Terms | Criteria | Buying Guides | Reviews | Sample ski List | History
Terms:
There are all kinds of ways of categorizing skis depending on where you ski and your type skiing.
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You will see "All-mountain skis generally have what we call mid-fat waists that range from 80-110 mm." all over the place. I couldn't find the source.
Length:
Shiffrin who is 5' 7" (170 cm)uses 155 skis for slalom.
Nastar.comMasters-level men have more options, ranging from a women's-length 155-cm ski to a World Cup-length 165-cm ski
Size Charts for Skis | skis.com
Sizing video | skis.com
Weight is more important than height.
Men's Ski Sizing
Weight (lb) | Starting Length |
---|---|
110-119 | 147 |
120-129 | 150 |
130-139 | 154 |
140-149 | 159 |
150-159 | 164 |
160-169 | 169 |
170-179 | 174 |
180-219 | 176 |
220 + | 180 |
Beginner | minus 3 |
Intermediate | no change |
Advanced Intermediate | plus 3 |
Advanced Expert | plus 6 |
Cautious | minus 3 |
Average | no change |
Aggressive | plus 3 |
Bottom Line is:
Tom McBride says "Narrow skis allow for quicker edge-to-edge transition (quicker turns) and are often lighter weight, but will tend to be thrown around more on ungroomed stuff. Stay from extremes."
At 2009 Volkl Mantra | Marker Bindings, evo and a couple of other places they say
"All-mountain skis generally have what we call mid-fat waists that range from 80-110 mm."
Most other places they say all-mountain starts around a 95 mm waist.
It's subjective. My take after spending a couple of days reading guidelines is:
Alpine Ski Design - Realskiers
Category | Waist | Best Terrain |
---|---|---|
Technical | 65mm - 74mm | 100% Groomed, ice to corduroy |
Frontside | 75mm - 84mm | 80/20 Groomed/Off-Piste |
All Mountain East | 85mm - 94mm | 75/25 Groomed/Off-Piste |
All Mountain West | 95mm - 100mm | 60/40 Off-Piste/Groomed |
Big Mountain | 101mm - 113mm | 80/20 Off-Piste/Groomed |
Powder | > 113mm | 100% Off-Piste |
Solomon.com
Skis for performance on groomed slopes generally have a narrow waist width to encourage high angled edges and grip when turning. They also make shifting from edge to edge easier, so you can make quick turns more efficiently.
These rigid skis allow you to use the edges even on the most difficult, steep and icy runs. Choose a sidecut radius suited to your technique and preference towards tight or wide turns.
Bode Miller "When it comes to ski width, Bode says buck the trend: While wider skis tend to be en vogue at the moment, Miller cautions against them. In addition to putting stress on the bindings, he says, skis that are too wide can also negatively affect performance. "Ninety-five, ninety-eight percent of the skiing should be done on a ski that's 70(mm) underfoot. It's the way the physics and the energy transfer from the body to snow tends to work the best."
Older men should consider skiing on ladies ski. Softer flex.
Taper: Subtract the tail width from the tip width, and you have the taper. The greater the taper, the easier the ski will be to skid. (Big rockered skis, for example, often have a very narrow tail for easy steering and smearing.) A low taper number means the tail sticks to the turn, making the ski better for carving on hardpack.
Sidecut / Radius:
More sidecut will give a smaller radius.
You need to understand that a given radius does NOT mean that the ski will always want to turn in that arc. It depends on the edge angle and weight and speed of the skier. A higher edge angle will give you a smaller radius.
I couldn't find what edge angle is used in calculating radius.
See turn radius in ski physics
General guide:
<16 m – short – carving and all mountain skis
17-22 m – medium – all mountain
22 m – long – powder
Giant Slalom gates are supposed to be set at about a 27 meter radius (for teenagers and adults) according to FIS regulations, but many NASTAR and other non-FIS races may have tighter turns which are closer to about 20 meters in radius.
Nastar.com
Tight, 18-meter sidecut GS skis may be the rage, but perhaps not the fastest choice for everyone. The higher the edge angle you create while turning, the bigger the sidecut you can handle. If you get a lot of angulation, you can actually have too much sidecut, which makes the skis feel hooky. While most masters racers prefer a GS radius under 25 meters, an 18-meter radius may be too tight for you, depending on your line and the amount of edge angle you can create.
There's one more consideration among masters racers: age. The older the racer, the shorter the length and tighter the radius their skis tend to be.
Masters-level men have more options, ranging from a women's-length 155-cm ski to a World Cup-length 165-cm ski with a radius from 12 to 13 meters.
The older you are the more likely you’ll prefer the shorter ski because it doesn’t require as much « bossing » and as we age we can use a shorter ski to compensate for diminishing strength, reflex speed and fitness levels.
For the 55 to 64 year old crowd, you’ll likely prefer the longer end of the spectrum and for the 65+, you should start your search towards the shorter end.
Senior Ski Team (SST)Whistler/Blackcomb
A rough guide to sidecut radius and types of ski is given below:
Skis - Ski Equipment - Mechanics of Skiing
Radius (R) | Type of Ski | Description |
10m - 12m | Slalom | These skis will make small aggressive turns when carved, intended for small slalom race turns. |
14m - 20m | Allround, Freestyle, Beginner, Powder |
Most types of ski generally have radii within this range. These skis are generally a bit more stable at higher speeds than slalom skis, and are well suited to general piste skiing at the speeds that most people ski at. |
20m - 30m | Giant Slalom, Freestyle, Powder |
Giant slalom skis make larger turns when carved, and need to be used at higher speeds to work properly. They are intended for larger giant slalom turns, at speeds towards the top end of what people generally ski at on an open piste. Freestyle and powder skis can also have radii within this range as they are not used to carve aggressively, and are not intended to be skied with the same speed and aggression as giant slalom skis. |
30m + | Super-G, Downhill |
These skis are only really used by racers as the speeds needed to use them properly are too fast and dangerous for most pistes. |
Stiffness And Flex Pattern:
Wagner
In general, a firmer-flexing ski is more stable and powerful under a strong skier; if too stiff, the ski is difficult to drive into a new turn, especially in trees, bumps and powder.
*A softer ski provides easier turn entry and exit and is more forgiving for a lighter skier. If too soft, the ski feels unstable.
Ski | length | dimensions | Rad- ius | Snow | Ski Mag | Outdoor2 Gear Lab | weight | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | Quickness | Overall/ Carving |
|||||||
Pro Race Skis | |||||||||
Solomon I S/Race Rush | 105-68-122mm | 11 | |||||||
Atomic REDSTER S9 FIS M | 109.1-65.8-102.5 | 12.6 | |||||||
On Piste - Front side - Carving turns - Quick turns on groomers - recreational racing | |||||||||
Nordica Dobermann Spitfire | 122-72-102 | 16 | |||||||
Blizzard Firebird HRC $1,300 | 126-76-107 | 17 | 3.92 | 4.18 | |||||
Rossignol React R8 Ti | 124-73-110 | 13 | |||||||
Best carving Gear Patrol | |||||||||
Line Darkside 73 | 175 | 110-73-98 | 17 | ||||||
Vokl Deacon 76 | 122-76-103 | 18.3 | HG | 3.79 | 4.09 | 2180 | Adv./Pro | ||
Volkl Deacon 79 | 129_79_109 | 18 | 4.06 | v4.02 | 1460 | Inter/Adv | |||
Volkl Yumi womans | 123/84/104 | 18 | 4.06 | v4.42 | Intermediate | ||||
Volkl RTM 84 | 130-85-113 | 13.5 | 3.78 | Advanced-Pro, stiff | |||||
Volkl Deacon 84 $1,000 | 132-84-115 | 14 | 3.78 | 1320 | Professional | ||||
Rossignol Experience 84 | 133-84-120 | 16 | 3.57 | ||||||
K2 Mind Bender 85 Womans | 130-85-113 | 13.5 | |||||||
Fischer RC One $900 | 130-86-116 | 17 | 3.93 | 4 | |||||
Blizzard Brahma 88 | 127-88-111 | 14 | 3.78 | 3.83 | |||||
Rossignol Experience 88 | 127-88-117 | 16 | 3.78 | 3.93 | |||||
Volkl Kendo 88 | 129-88-111 | 15 | 3.58 | 3.7 | 1980 | ||||
Nordica Enforcer 88 | 119-88-107 | 15 | F | 3.78 | 3.88 | ||||
Salomon S/Force Bold | 16 | 3.76 | 3.94 | ||||||
Rossignol Experience 88 Ti ($650) | 127-88-117 | 16 | 3.78 | 3.93 | 73/8 | ||||
Head Kore 93 | 133/93/115 | 16.4 | AM | 4.34 | 4.57 | 80/8 | |||
Nordica Enforcer 93 | 126/93/114 | 18.5 | 4.15 | 3.95 | 80/10 | ||||
Best on-Piste carver Outdoor Gear Lab | |||||||||
Nordica Enforcer 94 2021 | 125.5-94-112.5 | 15.5 | |||||||
All mountain skis Mix of groomed and soft snow | |||||||||
K2 Pinnacle 95 Ti ($650) | 132-95-115mm | ||||||||
Volkl M5 Mantra ($699) | 134-96-117 | 18 | 4.03 | 3.75 | 90/9 | ||||
Most recommended | |||||||||
Powder - Off Piste Wider is better for power - crud - trees. | |||||||||
Blizzard Bonafide | 135-98-119 | ||||||||
Head Kore 99 | |||||||||
Blizzard Rustler 10 | 164 | 133-102-122.5 | 14.5 | 86/8 | |||||
Rossignol Soul 7 HD | 136-104-126 | 16 | 13 | Nordica Enforcer 104 | 135-104-124mm | 18.5 | 4.12 | ||
Men's All-Mountain Wide Skis - Ski | |||||||||
Salomon S/Max Blast | 138-106-125mm | ||||||||
Nordica Enforcer 110 | 185 | 140-110-129mm | 18.5 | 4.01 | 3.75 | ||||
Best Deep Snow Ski | |||||||||
Nordica Enforcer Pro | 191 | 143-115-132mm | 81/9 |
Rossignol Soul 7 HD Skis - Men's - 2018/2019 | Blizzard Bonafide Skis - Men's - 2018/2019 | Head Kore 105 Skis - Men's - 2018/2019 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
$749.95 | $699.95 | $749.00 | ||
Size | hide | |||
Reviews | review stars 5 | review stars 5 | review stars 5 | hide |
Best Use | Downhill Skiing | Downhill Skiing | Downhill Skiing | hide |
Ski Terrain | Groomed and powder | Groomed and powder | Groomed and powder | hide |
Tip Width | 134 mm | 135 mm | 132 mm | hide |
Waist Width | 104 mm | 98 mm | 103 mm | hide |
Tail Width | 124 mm | 119 mm | 123 mm | hide |
Sidecut Radius | 16 meters | 16.5 meters | 16.1 meters | hide |
Ski Camber | Tip and Tail Rocker | Tip Rocker | Tip and Tail Rocker | hide |
Tail Type | Flat | Partial Twin | hide | |
Core | Wood | Poplar/beech/metal | Koroyd/wood | hide |
Bindings Included | No | No | No | hide |
Gender | Men's | Men's | Men's | hide |
Weight (Pair) | 8 lbs. 6 oz. | Unavailable | Unavailable | hide |
Lowest DIN | Unavailable | hide | ||
Highest DIN | Unavailable | hide |
Ski Weight Chart for Alpine & Backcountry Skis | evo
'Explained: Three Key Specifications for Buying Skis - Width, length, stiffness | Welove2skiWeLove2Ski