Quoting invader46 from Oct 3 2008 7:35:35:
dont listen to this guy.

If i were you i would go with the 189, while it will be long u should be able to handle it. you are pretty heavy and the pontoon is a meticulously soft ski with a big rocker. I weigh about 200 pounds and im about 5'10 or 11 so we are pretty comparable on ski choice, this year i bought some obsetheds in the 189 and this ski will ski bigger than the pontoon because it is stiffer, im pretty sure its heavier(but who really cares) and it has less rocker. i also demoed some hellbents last season so i think you should be able to handle the 189 perfectly fine, especially seeing as you are an advanced skier.

just a little insight to me, ive decided not to buy skis under 180 now i have 181 addicts and even those are feeling a little short, you will love the added length

Quoting *kiwiNZ* from Oct 3 2008 7:54:41:
Don't listen to this guy.

He is 2 or 3 inches taller than you and heavier and isn't in between sizes like you.

You should really try and demo some rockered skis to give you a better idea of what length you can handle.

Quoting invader46 from Oct 3 2008 9:19:32:
height doesnt really make that much of a difference especially when it is just 2 inches, and i only weigh about 10 pounds more which is pretty much nothing, to very minute differences in our sizes. demoing is a good thing to do but i tihnk you would be safe going with the 189 especially seeing as u are a strong skier.


dont listen to this guy, he's a kiwi

Quoting *kiwiNZ* from Oct 3 2008 11:57:00:
Height does make a difference, if it didnt you wouldn't need to know anyones height to recommend a ski length.

It might not seem like a big difference to you but your at least 5cm taller which puts you in the longer length to start with then you add the extra weight as well, which means that there is a signficant difference between you.

But its all personal preference in the end, and from the original post it sounded like you thought your 174s were just about too much for you, so you should definitely try and demo some skis before you buy, because you dont want to be stuck with a ski you cant quite handle

Quoting skisquaw@420 from Oct 4 2008 12:52:02:
listen to invader46, he knows whats up

Quoting SV420 from Oct 4 2008 1:02:16:
as for me i'm 5'4" 115lbs. and ride 189 hellbents

Quoting invader46 from Oct 4 2008 12:42:20:
sorry,  read his post again. he said his 174 didnt seem too big at all.

and height really isnt that important in ski sizing, it helps for a general guid line if you look at average weight to height ratios. you are obviously misinformed, where are you getting your information?

weight is the main factor in deciding skis, your hieght doesnt affect the way a ski rides at all really

please dont try to call me out for not knowing things when you have no idea what you are talking about

Quoting DingoSean$ from Oct 4 2008 7:07:23:
Go with the 179. End of thread.

Quoting Salcedo from Oct 4 2008 4:13:13:
you must be joking, that ski is about 1 and 1/2 your height, and as for your weight I'm surprised you aren't dead already riding those.

Quoting skisquaw@420 from Oct 4 2008 8:41:44:
shut the fuck up. you dont know what your talking about

Quoting skates_mcfarlin from Oct 4 2008 9:07:34:
When sizing a ski, height does not matter at all. even with your argument they would still be on the same ski becuase even though the center of gravity is different the mass they put on the ski into a turn is the same. a ski cant tell how tall you are, only how much you weigh. There is two ways to look at this, fat skis are by design meant to be skied shorter because there is so much surface area. but in reality the 189 skis so much better its not even funny. Dude go with the 189 , you will never regret it

Quoting invader46 from Oct 4 2008 8:57:52:
haha, but word up, 189


but ya, stfu u kiwi, height plays almost no role in the difference of ski selection in the norm. we arent talking about a guy who is 5'2'' to a guy who is 6'5'' we are talking about someone who is 5'10 and someone who is 5'8'' ur argument is erroneous, grow up and accept your defeat.

Quoting skates_mcfarlin from Oct 4 2008 9:07:34:
When sizing a ski, height does not matter at all. even with your argument they would still be on the same ski becuase even though the center of gravity is different the mass they put on the ski into a turn is the same. a ski cant tell how tall you are, only how much you weigh. There is two ways to look at this, fat skis are by design meant to be skied shorter because there is so much surface area. but in reality the 189 skis so much better its not even funny. Dude go with the 189 , you will never regret it

Quoting rossiskier11 from Oct 6 2008 2:51:55:
more height means a greater distance from the ski and more force (lbs) over the ski, resulting in more torque on the skis and more direct control over them, obviously a 10 inch difference in people would be more noticeable than a 2 inch difference, but the 2 inch difference is still noticeable, and the effects can be seen and shouldn't be neglected

Quoting invader46 from Oct 6 2008 4:41:37:
im sorry but, 2 inches is not going to make hardly any difference especially an expert skier, height is a very small part in deciding skis

Quoting skisquaw@420 from Oct 4 2008 8:41:44:
shut the fuck up. you dont know what your talking about

Quoting TwigSki$ from Oct 6 2008 5:21:03:
its all very well inflicting your personal opinion on everyone else, but read the guys post.1) he likes his 174s. Im sure you would all say go bigger but he likes them.2) He says mconkey says go 10cm bigger than your normal setup.3) 174 + 10 is 184 . 179 Pontoons are 184. 4) The guy says he is looking for approximately 185.On this basis.. he should go 179.There is also a difference between Bents and Pontoons, the mounting point on 'toons is much further back.. I think he will be fine on the 179s and probably happier a bigger percentage of the time. That said.. i ride 181 rockers and im 5'8 140 pounds..

Quoting Klick_2_klaim from Oct 6 2008 5:25:28:
the running length and girth allows you to go shorter.

Quoting invader46 from Oct 6 2008 11:05:59:
SHUT THE FUCK UP!

im sick of you posting all this stupid advice, you obviously arent even reading what he posted, and i quote "The last few years i have skied the k2 apache chief in a 174 and felt like the 174 was not to big at all" He said they were not to big at all, this means he could go longer in a ski.


"The last few years i have skied the k2 apache chief in a 174" The k2 apache is a directional ski that is decently stiff, the hellbent is a ski with a 20/40 rocker, this means the rocker is 20cm in from the tip and 20cm in from the tail, rising a combined 40mm between the tips/tails

the running length of this ski is only 149cm! the apache has a running length of 174cm

the hellbent is about 120mm and the apache cheif is about 100mm at the waiste just 2cm wider, it wont be  much of a jump at all for him to ride the 189 hellbent from his 174 apache chief.

Quoting SnowJumperAK from Oct 7 2008 10:32:02:
Well....My 2 cents on these types of threads......

If your buying a pontoon, best bet is you aren't skiing on your 1995 set of K2 210's. That being said, you should pretty much know what ski length you prefer and you've probably at a minimum molested a set in the local shop. So why do people ask these kind of questions, why not go by the recomended weight rating over anything? You dont just wake up and say "shit, i need some new skis, lets go buy a set of pontoons" and for some reason you have been living in a cave (or the east coast) and you havent seen a set of these at the local hills, just go with the recomended weight, and dont forget to add to your weight the weight of your pack and all your avy gear that your hopefully carrying (cause if your not you probably dont need these skis).