Help me choose GS ski

Tall has little to do with ski size anymore, iweight is much more important! Ho mcuh does this guy weigh?

Not sure; I was just working on the fact that a taller person probably weighs more than a shorter one.

As far as I'm concerned, a shorter ski is always better for slalom, and you really shouldn't go too big on GS...even though there are minimum radius specs for USSA-compliant race courses, you find hairpins anyways.

I agree, shorter skis. He won't be raicng on them, but you really don't need a 188 or 191cm current Gs ski to free ski on.

I wouldn't go over a 186cm and prefer a 177cm-183cm GS ski.

In fact i ski on a 177cm Gs ski and I am 6'0 186 lbs.

My older boy who is 22 and is 6'1 and 230 lbs. skis on an Atomic GS11 186cm Race Stock and says most of the time they are too much ski for your normal ski area cruisng. By the way he was an Junior olympic Level top 10 in Super-g and top 15 in GS and a very good downhiller.

The newer shapely GS skis have more surface and generally ski longer then there size.

I am 6'3 and weigh 170 stripped.

I am looking for "normal ski area cruising", per say. As I said, I grew up skiing on 193 Fischer RC4 GS's (when i was 13-17) and want a ski that performs as such for cold groomer days, when all I want to do is rip long icy runs on black diamonds. (East coast only) I enjoy big turns, im not much of a slalom guy.

I started this thread to learn, and you are the first person that has mentioned a 188 being too long for me. Would you mind elaborating? I would appreciate it.

Also I am leaning towards a 21mm radius ski, I do not think the 27mm will benefit me at all.

Thanks again.

At 170 lbs. a 188 is ridiculous. I ski on the head Supershape Speed in a 177cm. this ski has all the speed I ever need. (I have guys coming up to me last season blown away with the speed I was skiing on this ski and it only has a 16.6m raidius)

21m ski would be fien but at your weight i wouldn't anything over a 183 max and would probably look at something in the 177-180 range!

The newer shape skis, ski much longer then their length would indicate. Partially because of the shape (added sidecut = longer edge length at a given ski length) and the advancement of construction materials and damping technology!

I appreciate the dialogue!

You guys are talking me into a short ski, probably a 180/184.

Seems short for a GS ski to me, but that is why I am asking you guys!

Looks like your 1996 Fischer's are still preceding today's technology. But if you love to carve, rip down in long turns, bite the ice, and just enjoy the flow I recommend to stay with the race ski's, but not necessarily race stock. The the stiffness of race stock skis may make them a little too unforgiving when free skiing. 21 meter radius will help initiate turns easier than 27 meter radius. Especially for high speed on black diamonds the race skis may give you a little more precision holding the line when needed. Any of the top brands, Voelkl, Rossi, Fischer, Head, and others ... are good skis. I stepped up from pre-carve 207 Rossi GS skis three years ago and bought a Voelkl 185 Racetiger racestock. I absolutely love the ski for racing (Nastar/ASRA). Determining the right length also depends on your weight and skiing style. But for free skiing I'd would suggest 181 or below, even at 6'3". A longer ski or a larger radius may take more effort to initiate the turns before you gain a certain speed. You can usually find last seasons stock at greatly reduced prices at your local dealer or through the internet. This is just my opinion but hope it helped you a little to sort out your choice.

_iSki: Yes, it does help. I appreciate you explaining your thought process. I am pretty hell bent on buying a GS ski, I dont really see how a RC will help me if I am not looking for something versatile. Due to your suggestions as well as other members I am going to start looking for something under 184.

Thanks for the response.

How long is too long?

As a point of reference, I weigh between 165 and 170 lbs depending on amount of Christmas Turkey eaten.
My old skis which I still take out when I want to ski big turns at high speed (well as high a speed as I can get on our small Ontario Canada Hills -max out somewhere between 60 and 70 mph) are an antique pair of Kästle SG skis at 208 cm. When I bought them I weighed about 20 lbs less and tested out the lengths above and below, found the 205 not quite stable enough and the the (211?) one above too much ski. The old 208 cm SG feels good for about 2 turns, (straightline, make a couple of turns and your at the bottom)so a gs ski was lacking.

I have a short turn ski at 165 cm the Fischer WC SC with a 13-m radius. It suffers from having too short a turn radius at speed (you can't arc turns larger than 13 m), but is stable as far as vibration goes; it will turn where you want to go at any speed I've been able to reach with it (60 +mph). Length is no longer required for stability.

I tested out a Supershape Speed at 177 cm, and it was the perfect length for general high-speed cruising, and would be among my first choices for an all-around eastern one-ski quiver. For ultimate high-speed days, I would want something a little longer.

I also have a Machete g at 190 cm, which is great in deeper snow and soft crud like tracked out wet heavy snow. Not too long imho.

Based on that I picked up a pair of Völkl P50s in 188 for high speed days. I haven't got bindings for them yet.

Based on all that, I say you should be fine on 188s, and there is no reason to go longer.

Heh, varying opinions

i'm on 177 Head Super Shape Speed - ideal for my height and weight - 5'10 and 165.

I wouldn't go much longer than that unless all you do is ski at super high speeds on big mountains...as you'll need the speed to bend them if you go any longer.

Don't listen to Ghost!

They call him Ghost for a reason,(Like where did he go? )I've come to feel that his normal cruising speed is wicked fast. Anyone one who talks that fondly of the old Kastle 208 Super G , you must take with a grain of salt!(I had a pair mounted with GEZE bindings back in the day and got pulled over at our local hill which is big and lotsa fast skiers twice on them in one day) they were tanks!

Does Ghost have a 208cm Kastle SG ski? Really?

I'm surprised he doesn't talk about them more. If I had a classic ski like that I'd talk about it in EVERY POST, like every time I ever posted I'd mention "...for really going fast (60 to 70 mph) you need a ski with a long turn radius, like my 208cm Kastle SG ski..."

And i quote:

My old skis which I still take out when I want to ski big turns at high speed (well as high a speed as I can get on our small Ontario Canada Hills -max out somewhere between 60 and 70 mph) are an antique pair of Kästle SG skis at 208 cm. When I bought them I weighed about 20 lbs less and tested out the lengths above and below, found the 205 not quite stable enough and the the (211?) one above too much ski. The old 208 cm SG feels good for about 2 turns, (straightline, make a couple of turns and your at the bottom)so a gs ski was lacking.

I'm not sure if you forgot to put the up, 'cause it seems to me that I do that too much, but I'm just calling it like it is. Just for Whiteroom, heres another post of that ilk.

If you are going to be making LR turns at speed, it's feels better to arc them with the edges locked in, and you need a long radius sidecut to make an edge-locked long radius turn. Of course, you may have to resort to using one ski at a time and maybe just half of it at a time to make some tighter turns until you get up to speed. Compared to the old SGs, today's GS skis are very flexible.

Atomicman,
You must have had the 211s; they were tanks. The 208s were more like a Greyhound bus; now that they are well-worn they are ok, but not nimble. The 205s were just a little unstable at high speeds (straight-lining the fastest run I could find at Tremblant on an icy day).

I am not worried about turns getting up to speed. I am worried about fast all out turns and as Ghost says, enjoying it.

I am still reserved about buying anything shorter than a 184, and we are talking ONLY GS skis here, not cheater skis like Supershape Speeds or Fischer RC's.

Tell me if I am wrong, but it seems like I am getting a lot of recommendations based on overall use of the ski, as in it won't be fun before it gets up to speed, or it wont be as fun for tight turns.

I am looking for recommendations based purely on my use: Fast/Icy all-out runs on mtns like stratton/killington/snow etc. I enjoy linking long radius turns while going fast. I am not looking for something I can still enjoy when going slow, and to be honest, tight turns on groomers have always bored me.

This is not a one ski quiver choice, I just bought some iM78's for all-around use.

The SG is overkill for our eastern hills. If I were to buy a ski for high-speed on Eastern hills, and was not limited to 6-year old skis with marker bindings because of poverty, I would pick a GS ski with a 27+ m radius. The GS will work better for most of the turns you will be making while trying to go as fast as you can. I would also avoid Marker bindings. I'm sure I would be happy with Atomic, Fischer, or Head. Length around 185-195 cm.

I have no problem buying a 180cm ski if its right for me, but I am wondering if posters have been using the above criteria when making their suggestions.

Thanks.

Not me

Atomicman you lost me

lets make this simple most masters men are on 185-194s (master's survey ; ski racing 9/2008). Unless you are uber good, the 193-4s are going to be a bit much.

Find the brand you want, go >185 & <193........there will only be 1-2 sizes to choose from!

good luck

I'm coming into this a bit late...

I have skied many GS skis and have had a tough time finding the right one for me, but it seems that newer models have come a long way in being easier and more forgiving, especially when it comes to turn initiation and edge grip.

I wouldn't get anything older than, say, 06-07. Around that time, many models started implementing a blunter tip shape, with the sidecut continuing to flare well beyond the beginning of the tip curve. This design feature has made skis much, much easier to roll onto edge and has helped make line adjustments much easier. With older skis, the outside tip often felt like it wanted to run away if your turn wasn't perfectly executed.

Lengthwise, I would go between 180ish and 185ish as a starting point. I'm 5'8" 170 lbs. and have been actively racing and I ski a 185 Volkl. I could probably go longer but the 185 is definitely not holding me back in the gates. A 190+ starts getting pretty one-dimensional, even on course.

As you may know, women FIS racers are required to ski on lengths greater than 180 and men must ski on greater than 185. You'll notice that most companies will have a ski at 180 or close to it and at 185 or close to it. And then they'll have a 190ish for the big boys and a 193ish for WC. I would look at the lineup of the ski you're looking at buying to understand the ski you're getting, to know if it's FIS women's, FIS men's, big/aggressive FIS men's or WC.

You probably want the FIS women's or entry FIS men's ski.

So bottom line, go with something relatively new between 180ish and 185ish. For brand, everyone will give you a different opinion. It's a matter of trying skis out and finding the best one for you.

I was not talking about a one quiver ski!

That is very much what i have found as well DC.

If you're not chasing FIS points and you don't need your high-speed ski to be easy or forgiving, then just get the cheapest one with a decent set of bindings.

That tip shape (sidecut continuing past forward contact point/base of tip) was used in
2002 Head Race stock skis
2003 Atomic Retail stock (the skis with Aero top sheets)
Fischer may have had that tip shape in in 2002 also.

Maybe!! A decent male racer can easily overpower (skid out) a 180 woman flex FIS GS ski. It maybe fun to free ski but not enough power for the course.

But I think the original poster is really looking for "breaking the law" speeds, ie a Mini SG ski. If Yes, He should pick up some softer flexing GS skis like a 185-193 Volkl P60 or P50. Dynastar Speed course 66 or 64. Fischers and Atomics are probaly too stiff in this length. Cheap fast and easy to ski. He's fairly tall and would probably like the longer balance platform of a longer softer ski.

Fine, but the tip shape has definitely become more exaggerated. The P60s blow compared to he new Racetigers in terms of turn initiation, which I'm thinking is a combination of tip profile and flex pattern. From what ScotSkier is saying about Fischers, the same exists there. 06-07 seems to be the year (more or less) that they figured out how to make less planky feeling GS skis.

At 170 lbs., a 185 race stock GS ski should be plenty stable for anything turnier than straightlining. Skis that are too long are hard to bend, causing difficulty in initiating turns. As well, edge grip is a product of ability to bend a ski. One that is too long or too stiff will not grip. I know that you recommended a soft flex, but in my experience, short and stiff is easier to manage than long and soft. Any 190 27+ m GS ski, regardless of flex, will require a certain degree of proficiency to properly bend that really only seems to be held by high level racers. But those high level racers would still have a good time on a 185 to freeski on (well, except on the WC).

After spending time on 190 GS skis, I wouldn't recommend them, even as a freeski, to anyone who does not have extremely superior modern race-oriented technique.

A 185 should be more than plenty.

Actually, Volkl had the 3D sidecut which is exactly what you are describing as early as 1997/1998 in the 2nd Generation P30 Race Carver Racing and many skis in the lineup then.

Get out! I have 2 pair of Women's 183cm Race Stock Atomic GS11m (Blue and White)with the Black Atomic WC plate and trust me they will bust your balls and have all the power you will ever need in a race course!