[chad0792]

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 confidentaly 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!

[nacg8or]

Without knowing what kind of rentals you were using it's a bit difficult to compare what you were used to versus what you have now in terms of specs (a lot of rental skis are usually not the models you see in stores unles they're the more advanced skis anyway, so specs are hard to come by).
IMO the length difference in the skis should not be that much of a factor given that it's only 8cm (3.15") from you used previously, and with your height and weight you should be able to handle that length. The ski consruction might be more of a factor since Volkl uses a lot of metal laminates in their skis which add weight and makes the ski stiffer. I'm not very familiar with the construction of the Mantras but in general Volkl will mill their cores with the camber built-in instead of building the ski flat and forcing the camber with heat and pressure. A stiffer skis requires more energy from the skier to make it work (ie. you have to work harder to transfer your enrgy to the ski). So, I would concentrate more on developping your skills on easier terrain to get used to the ski.

[mlchael4]

Agreed. Ski length is proportional to height & weight of the skier. A taller and/or heavier skier will require a longer ski to get up to speeds. The longer the ski, the more potential for speed & high speed turns (i.e. intermediate to advanced) However, a shorter ski is better for less speed & short quick turns (i.e. beginner to intermediate skiers). Getting comfortable on the skis and knowing how they will react is a key step before hitting blacks. I would recommend testing your stops & turns before heading down a run you’re not comfortable with.