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May, 2023

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Skis for Slalom and GS racing

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faromic
Posts: 4 - Karma: 17
Hey everyone, I just signed up here. I go out to Colorado 2 to 3 times a year and want to get back into to ski racing locally. There is a club out here that also goes out to Colorado for races. I used to race but stopped about 8 years ago. I'd like to get back into it. My question is what would be a good set of skis? I was looking at something like the Rossignol Hero Elite MT Ti?

https://www.skis.com/Rossignol-Hero-Elite-MT-Ti-Skis-with-SPX-12-Konect-Bindings/519467P,default,pd.html

I have an all mountain ski right now, the Volkl Kendo, but that's not really good for recreational racing. So I'm looking for something with a full camber. Another question is ski length, I'm about 5'10". so was thinking 163 to 167 cm ski for carving, groomers, and racing? maybe go with the 167?
I've been trying to find some skis like this used but haven't had much luck.
Thanks all!!!
Dec 26 2018 4:15PM
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Non_State_Actor
Posts: 4136 - Karma: 13,814
Bibby.

Honestly I'm not sure how many folks here know very much about race skis. Though at 5'10" I'd think you would want much bigger race skis than 167cm, that would be an appropriate size for a beginner or perhaps intermediate skier your height.
Dec 26 2018 4:34PM
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faromic
Posts: 4 - Karma: 17
Yea, that's why I'm asking. I've done some research. My regular skis I use now are 177, I was just thinking shorter skis for maneuvering around gates.
Dec 26 2018 4:58PM
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LukeTheWaffle
Posts: 1831 - Karma: 8,668
Bro when I was 5'4 I used Nordica dobermanns for GS, pretty fun,
I use 175 Volkl racetigers now, and am p happy with em
Dec 26 2018 5:02PM
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.MASSHOLE.
Posts: 7407 - Karma: 11,022
So it all depends on what kind of races they are.

Are they legitimate, break-a-way SL gates or is it a paneled SL? If it's a break-a-way course, you're probably not going to want anything larger than a 167. USSA and FIS regulations set the maximum length at 165 which means it will be impossible to find a full-on racing ski at a length larger than that.

That limits you really to masters-style skis. Google Masters Race Skis and you'll find a ton of information. Here's an example of a masters race ski. https://shop.atomic.com/en-us/products/redster-s9-x14-tl-rs-aa3006.html or https://www.rossignol.com/us/rossignol-hero-master-r22-skis-alpine-rahdb01-000-2018-2019.html

If you want to go with a real SL ski, look for their FIS options. Those will probably kick your ass especially if you don't ski a lot, that being said.

If it's a paneled SL with a turn radius of >12, you can probably go up to 170-175ish. At that point it's worth going for a 171 option in that masters SL ski since it can be used in both events with ease.

A 171, if it's not a break-a-way SL course, is perfectly fine for both events. The smaller radius may seem odd in the GS gates at first but if you're not skiing a proper GS set (meaning mostly Nastar/Dual GS course sets) you'll be OK. It's 1000000000x easier to ski a GS course on SL skis than vice versa.

FWIW, I raced a lot at the FIS level and used a 165 SL and a 190 GS ski but the odds of you needing those, as I stated above, is probably 0.

**This post was edited on Dec 26th 2018 at 5:17:54pm
Dec 26 2018 5:10PM
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hootsquad
Posts: 272 - Karma: 1,348
LukeTheWaffleBro when I was 5'4 I used Nordica dobermanns for GS, pretty fun,
I use 175 Volkl racetigers now, and am p happy with em


I used the dobermans when I was about that size. They kicked ass
Dec 26 2018 8:07PM
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Woos
Posts: 832 - Karma: 1,565
Vishnu Wets
Dec 27 2018 1:54PM
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nmwninjart
Posts: 2671 - Karma: 12,975
Volkl racetiger is another common decent one. I learned how to ski on 155s haha. I found GS skis at a ski swap for $195 this fall.
Dec 28 2018 6:53AM
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