J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by midfielder

U bet - try as many skis as you can.

Cheers

As per my post above, I think you are in a unique place for ski selection. Tall but light, you need a shorter ski for more generous flex, you don't want to go too short and sacrifice your sense of front/back stability and you are too heavy for junior skis - they just won't perform for you (maybe at first, but as you learn to carve well they will pig out on you - too bad because they are great skis and real cheap). Here's a ski that might do - a decent wood core model that should have about a 16m radius sidecut in a 160 - halfwayish between a slalom and gs ski. For you it will feel more like a slalom ski at that length.
http://cgi.ebay.com/skis-package-FISCHER-RX9-160-w-bindings-carving-NEW-06_W0QQitemZ120081571399QQihZ002QQcategoryZ62182QQcmdZViewItem

Race skis.com (http://www.raceskis.com/) still has some 1 year new-old-stock $325 - great price, but only 156s left, a bit short but that would be happy turning ski for you.
If I were you I wouldn't mess about. I'd just go for this year's model. They have them on sale for $550 and still some 165s - also a good price.
I've skied Salomon, Rossi, Dynastar, and Fischers and I think the Fischers are the best by far. Don't prat about with the SC, RCs etc. Go for the SLs - you won't regret it.

Cheers.

Post some vid if you can.

lol, Sorry that's beyond my range of experience! :D

All great info above. My $.02 worth. I think that ski flex (longways) to weight ratio is crucial - much more important than height to ski length. That said, if you want a good carving ski it must have the torsional rigidity to maintain its edge grip fore and aft under considerable stress - otherwise, it will carve only so far and no more. Race skis have the best torsional to longitudinal stiffness characteristics and so I think they are the ticket. Plus, you can pick them up year old new stock for about half price which is a helluva deal for great skis. You must find one in a flex that you can bend. This is important because the sidecut only starts the turn. In a carve you are riding the ski decambered - the shape of the backbend, how much the ski is counter flexed, defines the radius of the turn, not the sidecut. There are increasing numbers of rec skis on the market with similar construction to race skis - quality wood core, titanium and carbon fiber laminates for torsional stiffness and dampening; however, they tend to exceed even race skis in price! and I'm not sure they are even as good, unless you want a wider ski. Probably not the case if you ski here in the east. The weight relationship can be tricky. For example, I'm 5'6" and weigh 130 and skied for years on skis too stiff for me. I finally found specs for Fischer's cutoff weight for junior and adult skis. The upper limit for the junior skis is 135 so I tried them and was delighted. Because I'm within 5 pounds of the upper weight limit for the skis they are relatively easy for me to flex but still have the torsional rigidity to hang on to crazy arcs. My son is a sophomore in high school and a good racer. He tried my skis but at 145 lbs, because his weight was enough to make the tips and tails wash they would not hold a turn. Now he skis adult skis but is at the other end of the spectrum, just above the lower weight limit. This makes the skis more difficult to carve and demands greater skill and strength - not a bad thing for a developing racer. An adult learning would probably be better off with more generous flex.
There is some lessening of longitudinal stiffness with decrease in length built in to skis which is the main reason for a lighter skier to use a shorter ski, regardless of height. My guess for you is that a 155 Fischer slalom ski would be about right and ought to carve like crazy. Atomics are softer lengthwise so you might be ok with a 165 but the only way to know for sure is to try them. My personal opinion - stay away from Rossis. First you have to have your skill at the level where you are actually testing the skis for the technique you want. If you want to ski really fast then a GS ski is called for but my guess is you'll want to get it down on shorter radius turns first.

Cheers.

If you really want to carve get some race skis and a professional boot fit. There is simply no comparison to skis made for the rec market. Foam core skis can be built shaped to carve but most simply don't have the torsional rigidity in the tips and tails to hold a carve after a certain point. If you can find one a notch softer/shorter than a racer would use, all the better - women's skis, kids skis if you weigh 135 or less. You can get last year's skis for half price at raceskis.com. If you're serious about it you need the right tools for the job. You won't regret the money spent.

Large phillips screw at back/base of heelpiece - screw in screw out. They have a pretty good range. Beyond a certain point you would have to remount the bindings. They have a notched rod that connects toe and heel and fits together in pretty fine gradations to set for boot sole length. There' a window on one side of the toe with a little gauge mark to indicate proper binding flex. A bit tricky to mount - ski shops screw them up sometimes. Great binding though.

I agree with pavel - if you get a good modern slalom ski you should be carving to get the full benefit from them. Otherwise a lesser ski will do just as well. I would not recommend the Fischer SC if you want a true performance ski. They are fun and carve very well but are very much slower than Fischer's race stock (Fischer's dirty little secret?). I have owned and skied them both and have run on race skis in my son's tracks while he was carving hard on the SCs and gained very quickly on him, even though my skis are much shorter. The Fischer race skis, however, are simply outstanding for capable skiers. I think 165s would be fine for you in terms of flex. On that ski you will be able to control terrain by steering alone, not slipping. if you want to ski GS style - faster speeds and longer arcs - then a GS race ski might be a better choice. It took me a long time to finally decide to try race skis. I've never looked back. They are simply that much better than most rec skis which are designed to create profit margins for the manufacturers - build 'em cheap, sell 'em high. I think volkl race tigers are excellent, atomics, of course, even dynastars from what I have heard. The rossi race skis I have tried were the 9s slalom skis. They were ok but clearly designed for tail turning - I didn't like them much.

Cheers.