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I`m looking to get some short (fun) skis for my G/F. Just wanted to know approx. what size might be good for her. She is 150cm tall and 40kg heavy. Mainly want something that is easy for her to use and gives her the ability to go down the steeper slopes that she wouldn`t be able to do on a board. Cheers for any help anyone can offer.

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Are you talking about those little mini toy skis? I would never buy them. They might be easier to manipulate for non-skiers but they will not give you more control on steeper slopes, or anywhere. If you're GF is not much of a skier, then I'd suggest a shortish (10-15cm less than height) pair of soft parabolic skis. She's pretty small. Check out the kids section. With a little practice and a few lessons she'll get a lot more out of them.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, now that you have heard from ppl who express their bigotry let me share some real life experience with you -

 

Short skis/ snowblades, skiboards are legitimate devices but do have some limitations that you need to be aware of -

 

1. For shear jump on and go they are great - If you can roller blade you can use them - same techniques etc.

2. On icy or hard packed they are great, big side cut and short length makes them very responsive

3. Moguls are fun - little air bounce or jib turn suit yourself

4. Park play - so good - so easy - just go big enough to get past the mess that snowboarders leave behind.

5. Ski with kids - this is how I got onto them - help your littlies with ease - keep up with their tight radius turns and ski backwards to help them, + easire to skate up hill etc etc.

6 Easy to carry.

7. No garage sale in a crash and burn - like snow boards they are locked on and you can roll out and resume

 

Limitations are -

 

1. No deep pow fun - hit the deep soft fresh and you will just sink]

2. Slop - same deal but who wants to ski slop any way?

3. Speed and runout - a bit unstable at high ( I mean flat line stuff on 30 degrees) and they always leave you skating the last little bit that skiers can generally get.

 

So there you have it -

 

reccommendations -

 

Salomon snow blades are durable and reliable = pretty well unbreakable

Madhouse - faster more responsive - tendancy to snap (behind boot)if land a big air on the scrappy side

Line - luvem

Dynastar - wider and some use in softer snow but less responsive

 

However mow that Miss 9 yrs is onto her own pair of twin tips, I am back onto my scratches ( Rossi twin tips)

 

 

Blades are good for groomed, icy or park and make difficult stuff somewhat easier under certain circumstances.

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I7ve used them a few times and I like em for just having fun. I don't think I'd like to do them all day, but they are fun for a short time. I only learned to ski the year before last and I found that using blades helped me to start parallel turning in normal skis. Its so easy to turn in blades that that confidence carried over to when I put big skis on. I haven't skied for over a year now so will prob be back to snow ploughing!

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Originally Posted By: Mr Brisbane
Well, now that you have heard from ppl who express their bigotry let me share some real life experience with you -

Well, I'm glad there's someone on this forum with some real life experience sliding on snow. Er... that's Brisbane, Australia, right?
Anyway, like Mr. Brisbane said, you'd better check your speed on those 30 degree slopes. omg
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Hmmmm - It's an imteresting point that anyone doing anything different outs the - "why don't you get a real ..... car, skis, boat, job, house etc etc " ststed most vocally by those who generally have little experience with anything but what they are familiar with.

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Mr. Brisbane, most of us are pretty friendly. I, for one, was just telling it like it is, I think. As far as short skis go, some ideas don't make much sense for people who are in it for the longer haul and there's a reason why they haven't caught on in places where people are a little more serious about snow. And it's not a matter of conservatism. People on this form try all kinds of new things. Please hang out here for a while and get to know them. You're only on your 17th post. I didn't start to piss people off until a hundred or so.

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Thanks for the help guys. The situation is that she snowboarded bout 10 years ago and tried short skis once back then and really liked them. This was way before I met her. She hadn`t been on the slopes for 10 years until we met and she came boarding with me. However she is a bit afraid of getting speed on the steeper slopes on a snowboard and seems to think that short skis might be the best way for her to enjoys the medium/high level runs with me.

 

Thanks for the advice guys.

Don`t worry, you`re not all bigots. lol

And thanks for the helpful advice Mr Brisbane. Much appreciated. smile

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Id say get her a snowboard or skis (short skis dont count). She will certainly get more for her money with the above two. You can get some great deals with skis/bindings sold as sets for just a few man and will most likely last her quite some time.

 

Snowblades are only good for iceskating wink

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i did see someone do an amazing trick with them. Not sure of its name but it looked like a front flip with a 540. It was pretty big. The guy looked like a cannonball on them. Just launched off.

 

I still think fun skiis are a waste of time.

 

matt

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Sounds like a misty 540. Anyway, it is impossible to make snowblades look anythhing but awkward in the park. Every year at the whistler freeride camps on the glacier at least one person drags up a pair for a laugh. Everyone has a go on them and the carnage is quite fun. Due to terrible fore and aft control, slow speeds and no pop they are very limiting in what you can do. Without long skis to balance rotations, all the balance during a spin comes from the upper body. As a result, you never see a nice, steezy spin with a solid landing but a lot of flailing and a survival landing. I don't even need to discuss how limiting they are with grabs.

 

Even Chris Turpin, a former pro inline skater and now pro skier couldn't make it look much more than awkward. Fun skis are fun for an afternoon partly for the reason you shouldn't bother with them- they are awkward, limiting and goofy looking. Those things loose their novelty, fast.

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