Hi. I live in Sydney and ski mostly Perisher and Japan. Im heading over to Japan in Jan for 4 weeks nd looking for some new skis. I currently ride Elan 88xtis at 176cm. Last year in Japan i rode a pair of Kung Fujas (i think at 179cm) and am looking to purchase a pair before i head over next year. I have an opportunity to buy a pair of 189cm for a very very good price (they dont have 179). I am a fairly competent skier - enjoy off piste and am comfortable on Black runs. In peoples opinion do you thin the 189cm would be too long? I am 183cm and weigh in at about 95Kg. I will be skiing mostly off piste and a fair bit through trees. My gut feeling is they will be too long but thought id ask around.

Cheers

Nick

Potentially not too long at all. How much tip rocker do they have?

In Japan I ski 112mm waisted skis that are 12cm taller than I am. And I am a light weight. I can enjoy longer faster more stable skis than perhaps I could otherwise handle thanks to heavy tip rocker.

I ride cambered skis at 175 in Australia, and I go to 188 rockered skis in Japan...Rossi S7's. No problems at all. I'm your height but lighter, so you won't find the KF's too long, especially if they are as lively as the reviews say.

Hey Shnilly,

The length is spot on, don't go shorter.

Thanks guys! Much appreciated! I will grab the 189s. For $400 for the 2012 model with bindings Id be stupid not to :-)

Good price and he length is good

Get some IDONE MR-CE skis... the moguls in Japan are awesome

Most of us only ski moguls in Japan if we don't get out of bed before lunchtime!

And it hasnt snowed for 3 days.

Dissenting opinion - 189 will be a handful in steep trees. Snow contact length doesnt mean much when you have to stuff 'em through gaps. OK for big open terrain but unnecessarily hard work in the tight stuff.

Don't know whereabouts in Japan OP is skiing but steep trees are'nt an issue at Niseko or Furano.
Nothing too steep and the trees are generally not too tight.

Remember reading an article on the science of float and width was more important than length for float in powder, given equal surface area.

go bigger, go fatter.
I ski 189 with a 115m waste everywhere.
Pow
Trees
Steeps
Groomers
Slush
(Only issue is ice, Avoid at all costs)

It's amazing how anybody ever skied on skis pre 2000. Pretty sure skis were pretty long.

http://insidetheridge.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/you-gotta-reach-to-the-top.jpg

I rocked those in 1993

Ski shops are like brothels these day ... a ride for every taste

the beauty of Japan is that it can be enjoyed on any ski

well gee, I've seen that proven wrong repeatedly by people who would otherwise be regarded as competent skiers.

If you avoid moguls (hard at Happo!) then there is no reason besides obscure personal preference to ever have a sub 100mm ski in Japan in winter. Even if you never leave the piste.

weird how the majority of the local population don't use +100s then damian

If you want to now weird and skiing: Japan. What the Japanese do on snow has little bearing on "a good idea".

Anyway, see where I said this:



Well, the Japanese are obsessed with [really strange off-balance looking] carving and moguls.

And to be even more correct, at many resorts, most Japanese snowboard, not ski. So they do use 100+

Lets be friends, I am prepared to downgrade my 100 to a skinny 90.

I am cool with it all and have formed the opinion recently that owning skis is a limiting experience when the hire shop is choca block full of different skis inspired by "obscure personal preferences". The local Japanese may have an obsession with organised carving but many of them can ski very well indeed.

A well put thought.

And just to be clear for others: I never meant to suggest that +100 was needed for Japan. That would be a silly thing to say. All I meant to say was that IMHO I can not find any reason to go below 100mm, or the newly ratified 90mm per the Peace Process.

ratified .... good name for a ski