"Ace" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 12 Dec 2012 18:25:52 -0000, "Paul S"
news_AT_ghweb_DOT_me_DOT_uk wrote:


"Ace" wrote in message
. ..
My first skis, in ~1994, were 205s. Seems incredible, but there really
was a general belief that longer was better, although very few people

So rule of thumb when I learnt to ski was the type should reach your
nose -
what do you reckon it should be now - shoulder?

There's no rule of thumb based on height, but on what sort of skier
and skiing you are doing. A beginner should start with nothing longer
thatn around 160cm, otherwise it's just making everything moer
difficult for them. Hardcore freeride skiing would want something
closer to 2m, unless you're particularly small, so some women's
freeride skis do come as low as 180cm. Racers will use the shortest
ski they can for Slalom (which had its rules changed to stop them
getting too short) and something in the 190cm range for GS and
Downhill. Again, not dependent on height like it used to be (thought
to be).


I was interested specifically about someone learning now - I shall be
skiing with a newbie this year and was wondering what the current thinking
was about ski length for a person of normal weight.

--
Paul S