Is Bigger Better? Pros Weigh In on Skiing's Hottest Debate
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Gone are the days of skiers rocking 200-centimeter-plus planks, but a certain attitude remains amongst some sects of the expert recreational crowd. Bigger, they posit, is still better.
How do I know? I’m one of them—or, at least, was one of them. Growing up, my friends and I leaned towards hopping on the longest and stiffest skis around. Barely 5’9”? No matter. Here’s the stiffest 188-centimeter ski we could find. Enjoy it.
I’m not a large man, and, at some point, I realized that some skis didn’t jive with my stature or on-snow temperament. More precisely: in college, I took an ill-fated ride through a mogul field below Whistler Blackcomb’s Peak Chair on a pair of skis that resembled 2x4s. It was like those videos of deer getting stuck on frozen lakes, their skinny legs and hooves desperately trying to find purchase before they inevitably tumble. After that, the gear room got a bit of a makeover as I pawned off the offending skis and started exploring the world of less demanding gear.
It got me thinking, though, about our obsessiveness with long and stiff skis. What were the pros doing? Did they, too, reach for the burliest sticks their sponsors offered, or were they riding something surprisingly short? Would they have laughed at a bunch of 16-year-olds riding enormous skis, knowing something we didn’t?
To answer these questions, I fired off a couple of emails, wrangling a varied, all-star cast including Veronica Paulsen, Tom Wallisch, Daron Rahlves, and Ross Tester. These are their thoughts on the great ski length (and width!) debate.
Veronica Paulsen
Height: 5’4”
Ski Sponsor: Scott Sports
Discipline: Freeride
Photo: Sofia DeWolfe
All mountain ski length choice: “Depending on conditions I either like 115 underfoot at around 180 height, or if it’s firmer then around 98 underfoot and 175 height.”
Powder ski length choice: “I guess those would be my powder skis, 115 underfoot and 180 height.”
Park ski length choice: “Since I’m never only skiing park, I keep my park skis pretty wide so they can work as an all mountain ski too. Usually around 102 and 170.”
Photo: Sofia DeWolfe
On ski length: “I wouldn’t say that bigger is better necessarily, I think it all depends on the type of terrain you are trying to ski that day. When I am skiing in the backcountry and have wide open faces or big airs, I definitely prefer a longer ski. If I know I’ll be in the trees and want some more maneuverability, I might go shorter for the day, maybe more around 175.”
On ski width: "I really like to choose between 115ish or 99ish depending on the conditions. Luckily in Jackson, I’m able to ski the 115s as my daily driver. Since I’m able to have multiple skis, I don’t find myself reaching for the medium 110 width very often, though it works well as an “any conditions" ski if you want to limit your quiver."
Daron Rahlves
Height: 5’9”
Ski Sponsor: Atomic
Discipline: Freeride and alpine racing
Photo: Cam McLeod
All mountain ski length choice: Atomic Maverick 105 at 185 cm long
Powder ski length choice: Atomic Maverick 115 at 185 or 193 cm long
Downhill racing ski length choice: 218 cm long and 65 mm underfoot
Photo: Jeff Engerbretson
On ski length: “I prefer the stability at speed and trust in the tip through choppy terrain and landing airs with stomping confidence so yes my choice is a longer length ski, 185 cm and up.”
On ski width: “On firmer snow the wider skis make it more difficult to stay tipped up on edge and I feel the strain on ankles is more if skiing on a 105mm+ ski.”
Tom Wallisch
Height: 5’10”
Ski Sponsor: LINE
Discipline: Park, street, and backcountry jibbin’
Photo: Connor Clayton/Line
All mountain ski length choice: “105-110 for width and 180 - 185 for length for all-mountain skiing.”
Powder ski length choice: “Deep resort days or BC days I love a wide ski soft ski. Width 115 - 122 and length 180-186.”
Park ski length choice: “Love to spin quick, tech rail tricks, and lots of snappy quick skiing. So I almost always ski my ski the Line TW Pro which is 90 width, 178 in length.”
Photo: Connor Clayton/Line
On ski length: “For length of skis I’m a big fan of having a ski long enough to stomp landings and ride stable in all terrain. But I do think bigger isn’t always better. I ski very freestyle oriented and love quick more maneuverable skis in trees and on chunder. I love something 185 or shorter even though I could ski something bigger.”
On ski width: “For me the super wide skis are only essential in deep snow and fresh untracked pow. For resort riding where the snow is often tracked up after a few runs, I ride a more all mountain ski. In the 105-110 width. Wide enough to cut through and ski pow but not too much ski for staying nimble and quick in moguls and trees. But I absolutely love a big fat ski for BC skiing. 122 wide.”
Ross Tester
Height: 5’10”
Ski Sponsor: Volkl
Discipline: Freeride
Photo: Rocko Menzyk
All mountain ski length choice: “Over the years, I have really enjoyed skiing a Volkl Katana 108 and Mantra 102 in the 184 cm length for all mountain riding when it's hard pack. If I'm feeling like throwing more tricks and otherwise taking it (somewhat) chill I like to ski a Revolt 104 in 188 cm.”
Powder ski length choice: “For powder, the Volkl Revolt 121 in 184 cm is my favorite ski. If I'm on a bigger line I would opt for the Revolt 114 in a 191 to give me more of a platform for stomping big airs and ripping big turns at speed.”
Park ski length choice: “When I ski park, I ski a Revolt 104 in the 180 cm length. The short length makes spinning off jumps and on and off rails a lot easier.”
Photo: Rocko Menzyk
On ski length: “I would say there's a time and place for both shorter and longer skis. The lines can be blended to an extent, but at the end of the day, bigger is better for fast, big lines, and short is great for slower speed, more creative/tricky riding.”
On ski width: “I am a big fan of where skis are at right now. I don't like to have a massive quiver of skis, so the 110-115 width combined with bomber crossover touring/resort bindings makes for sweet quiver-killing setups. Being able to consistently ski one setup throughout most of the year is helpful for building confidence and progression in my skiing.”
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