In the conditions of a huge assortment of modern sports equipment, sometimes even a professional athlete who is engaged in downhill skiing can find it difficult to decide on the choice of suitable skis, let alone ordinary amateurs who consider alpine skiing exclusively as an option for a pleasant pastime during the winter holidays. Nevertheless, knowledge of the main characteristics that must be guided when choosing alpine skis will help to significantly facilitate this difficult task.
How to choose the right downhill skiing?
In most cases, when choosing alpine skis, they try to build on such an indicator as the height of the person who is going to ski. This is perhaps the most common mistake of almost all beginners who want to join alpine skiing. According to professional athletes, the length of this sports equipment is not so important when skating.
This sport has a special discipline called slalom. All male athletes who have chosen this direction for themselves descend from the snow slopes on skis 165 cm long. This fact may seem strange to beginners, but this once again proves that nothing depends on the height of the skier in this case. Slalom trails involve a large number of turns, for successful passage of which the skis must have good maneuverability. So, on each pair of skis you can find a special designation (Latin letter "R"), which means the radius of their turn. The lower this indicator is, the shorter the turns will be when descending from the mountain.
When choosing ski equipment, one should proceed not from the individual characteristics of the structure of the body (age, weight, height), but from what slopes you plan to ski on. There are several types of alpine skiing designed for different slopes and trails. So, if you prefer a slow ride with short turns, then the length of the skis should be 155-165 cm, and the turning radius should be within 11-14 m. Fans of high speeds with smooth long turns should opt for skis with a length of 170-185 cm with a turning radius from 16 to 25 m.
Of course, do not forget that any sports equipment is divided into two different categories in terms of gender. In other words, skis designed for men are unlikely to suit a woman.
How to choose alpine skiing for a child?
When choosing alpine skis for a child, you should be guided by completely different parameters:
- weight and age of the child;
- height;
- skiing experience;
- riding style.
If your child weighs less than 40 kg, then it is his weight that will determine the length of the purchased alpine skis. When choosing this sports equipment, you can adhere to the following scheme:
- weight 10-20 kg; ski length - 70-80 cm;
- weight 20-30 kg; ski length - 90 cm;
- weight 30-40 kg; ski length - 100 cm.
If the child weighs more than 40 kg, then the height of the upright skis should be equal to the distance from the ground to the child's nose.
