skis

Hi there! Anyone know what size skis my girlfriend needs? She is a beginner, is 5.11" tall and weighs 160 pounds, that's about 11 1/2 stone.

Ugh, ten years ago that was an easy question to answer... and you would probably have got suggestions from 140cm to maybe 165cm length. But now skis come in different shapes and construction so that length is no longer a reliable indicator.

How much of a "beginner" ? Has she skiied before?

If it's her absolute first time, I'd suggest hiring the shortest you can find for day 1 and 2. If she has set boot on ski before then you probably want to be looking for a nice soft carver of a short length - something that will turn easily and be forgiving. Softness is probably more important than length - but short is good for a beginner.

There are now ladies skis from the major manufacturers so do a bit of reading... and then...

You best plan is to book some lessons for your (her) first few mornings on snow and follow the instructors advice - be prepared to hire different skis at the end of the week than you did at the start (any good hire shop will let you swap skis mid-week).

You might get some ideas by playing around with Salomons groovy product selector; although many of the options will be for the distant future - you should get a feel for what to look for in a ski.

Hope that helps,

Dave

Many thanks
John