chad0792

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I live in Colorado, first full season of skiing was last year. I started with basic blues, but by the time the season was over I was doing any and all confidently at the resorts I had a pass to (ABasin, Keystone, Breck). I had basic skis for my first season, pretty heavy, common rentals at most places, nothing special at all. I decided I wanted to get better skis, so I picked up a pair of Mantras 177. The skis I had last season were 169s, and althhough I felt good hitting most terrain, I felt most uneasy when going down variable blacks, when I needed to get in and out of quick turns. I am concerned that I got the wrong size in the Mantras, I am thinking I should have gone with the 170s instead. I am 5'9.5'' and around 180-185.

Is it going to make any difference if I went with the 170, rather than the 177's? We are talking about 2.5 to 3 inches of difference, so I am not sure if it would really matter, however I am still concerned.

Again, any help would be great. Thanks!

scottp96145

I demo'd the Mantras 170 length last season and I am 128 soak'n wet. The size you have is right for your weight. They are a ski suited for an experienced skier who can carve and understands how to pressure the tip, stays forward, etc. They are an all mountain ski suited for crud, powder and I found can carve most hard pack and even do bumps. They have a wood core so are lively and quick for a ski that's 90 under foot. I found them quicker than most skis of this category. Sooo--I would say, at the rate you are progressing, stick with them--they are an ideal Colorado resort ski, 'cause they can handle most, if not all the snow conditions the snow God can throw at the resorts there. Drop into a clinic or start the season with a brush up lesson to make sure you got your technique down. If anything, you may find midway during the season that the skis are too short for you.

evaino

I haven't tried the Mantras, but I'm also 5'9 and depending on the ski, I can get away with either 170 or 177, depending on the ski. For a really stiff ski, I like to go shorter - even down to 165. From the post above, this ski sounds a bit like the Rossi Vipers I had a few pairs of skis ago that were 177. I loved those skis and would still have them today except that after about a season and a half I had used up every ounce of life of that ski! They literally had no camber left. I think that's the downside of skis with a wood core. But they sure do move nicely! Note that I was skiing about 4x/week then so that's probably the main reason I wore them out so fast.

Anyhow - sounds like the right length of ski for you with that model.

Enjoy!

Elsbeth