xcSkiis How Long To Fit?

[KnottedYet]

I'm from the "old days" of x-c, when there was no such thing as groomed anything, and we had skis that reached your wrist when you stuck your hand up in the air.

I need to go shopping, eh?

Can you post pics of your skis when you get them?

[bmccasland]

Guess I'm another golden oldie - I was told that the tip of your skis should go to the palm of your hand when you hold your arm up straight in the air - which then would be about 2-3 inches longer than Knott's method.

Groomed trails, what's that? Snow, Forest Service roads, go!

All this said, my skis have been the the garage attic for 5 years now. Sigh. Little chance to go XC skiing in south Louisiana. Mention "skiing" around here and everyone will assume you're talking about WATER skiing. At first I couldn't figure out why you needed a life jacket to go skiing, and they couldn't figure out why I was talking about my lovely wool knickers. The great cultural divide.

[Bron]

Well the rule of thumb is:
classic technique, body length + 20cm (add an extra 5 - 10 to that for experts), the poles should be up to your armpits

skating technique, body length + 10 to 15cm (even pros don't go any longer), poles should be up to the chin

I am 160cm tall and skate with 176cm, mainly because I couldn't get decent racing skis any shorter. They are fine but longer would not work and I do have to work on my technique to get the most out of them. If the skis are too long, you can end up treading on the tail of one ski with the other.

My classic skis are 192cm and fast!

How hard do you want to train and how fast do you intend going? If you think that you will want to do any citizens' races, then maybe the longer ones, but you will need to think about technique. If it's really just for training, then shorter may be less hassle.

Another thought for skating skis - have you checked how stiff they are?

[uk elephant]

The type of skis you get depends on what type of skiing you intend to do: traditional xc on prepared trails, backcountry xc or skate skiing on groomed paths. For skate skiing you need short skis like the ones you tried before. For traditional xc on prepared trails you want longer skis, like Knot described, but fairly narrow. For backcountry skiing you want long skis, but wider (so you don't sink into the snow as much in deep snow).

[Miranda]

Well... I took a pic of the loaned ski and pole with my arm extended, next to the torso, but can't get it to upload, whaaa .

Think with what has been posted so far, they are about right on fit. Maybe I can take them with me to the sporting goods store to show the credit card taking help . The pole is about to my armpit, and the ski is about edge of palm, to mid palm. At 5'5", that's 165cm. The markings say: 190cm ski, and 130cm pole. So, with the cm measuring tip posted too, about right?

OK, my HUMBLE xcski experience was about 20 years ago. I used to ski at a county park that rented gear to use on their walking trails, partially plowed for such. The GF that loaned me the pair last year to try said, "Hey! I have a pair of skis from about 20 years ago in my garage you could try before you buy!" I said, "Great, because it's been about that long since I have done it, what a perfect retro match!"

I used the skis last year just doing laps around the subdivion a couple times. Yes, I know, lame. Low, and no thru traffic, so pretty safe. Actually, it rescued my sanity from the snowbound fm . Sometimes there is such a thing as TOO much togetherness in a snowbound situation. Actually, very peaceful... cold nippy sunny day, Ipod tunes, good work out, cute creatures in the snow to watch, and some winter beauty. I thought, hmmm... I remember why I liked this activity.