Even a professional who is engaged in downhill skiing professionally, not to mention a simple lover considering mountain skiing as a weekend getaway, is difficult to decide the choice of skis in the conditions of a huge selection of modern ski equipment. This is not surprising, because more than 40 manufacturers offer various models of this sport equipment on the market.
How to choose the right skiing
Very often (and almost always), mountain skiers try to choose, starting from the growth of a person going to ride on them; and this is the very first and most important of the existing misconceptions. Professional athletes will confirm that the length of this sports equipment is not so important for skating. Choose skiing, taking as a basis your own growth, perhaps only in those cases when you need them not for high-speed descent, but in order to take photos for the social network - in this case, the skis will look especially impressive on the photos.
In mountain skiing there is a special discipline called slalom. All male athletes who have chosen this direction, always descend from a slope on skis, whose length is 165 centimeters. For beginners, this fact seems strange, but he proves that nothing depends on the growth of the athlete in this case. The slalom track includes many turns, the successful passage of which requires maneuverability. The best maneuverability is provided by a smaller turning radius of the ski, which, in turn, depends on the length of the ski. However, the Federation of Alpine Skiing prohibits the use of equipment, the length of which is less than 165 centimeters. So, the growth of the skier does not affect anything.
On each pair of skis the radius of its turn, designated by the Latin letter "R" is indicated. A smaller radius will provide shorter turns during skating.
How to choose the length of mountain skiing
As we have already told in detail in this article, the length of mountain skis does not depend on the growth of the skier. We offer a set of simple rules for choosing the right size of skis, which is right for you.
When choosing equipment for descent from the mountain, proceed not from the features of the structure of your body - such as age, weight or height - but from your preferences on the mountain slopes.
If you prefer a slow ride and short turns, then the length of the mountain ski should be within 155-165 centimeters, and the radius of their turn is 11-14 meters.
But if you are a fan of high speeds and smooth turns with a large radius, then look for skis, the parameters of which are: length - 170-185 centimeters, turning radius - 16-25 meters.
And do not forget that this sport inventory is not in vain divided into categories. In other words, an adult male is unlikely to use skis designed for women or children.
How to choose a child skiing
When choosing skis for a child, there are very different rules based on the following parameters:
- Weight and age of the child;
- His skills in ski downhill;
- Growth;
- Skating style (classic or ridge).
If your child weighs less than 40 kilograms, then his weight will directly affect the length of the skis that you are going to buy him. In this case, try to follow the following scheme:
- Weight 10-20 kilograms; the length of the ski is 70-80 centimeters;
- Weight over 20 kilograms; length - 90 centimeters;
- Weight 30-40 kilograms; length of skis 100 centimeters;
- If the child's weight exceeds 40 kilograms, then the height of the ski (delivered vertically) should roughly correspond to the distance from the floor to the child's nose.
