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What length ski should I buy?” It’s a question we hear more than almost any other heading into each new ski season. Since the advent of fat skis and raised tails—two key factors that can dramatically alter a ski’s running length and surface area—the answer has been an ever-changing target. And over the past few years, yet another variable has entered the equation: rocker.
Before choosing a rockered ski size, an understanding of how this technology
works is key. Rocker basically creates a pre-bent ski. BD skis use this
technology in the forebody of the ski, where it sets the ski into an ideal
shape for soft-snow flotation. The resulting early-rise tip allows you to float
easily over powder and crud, and drive the ski more aggressively in soft snow
conditions—much like you would on-piste—without worrying about over-flexing the
tip. Rocker makes turn initiation smooth and effortless in soft snow, and
allows the ski to change direction far more quickly than traditional camber
designs.
The beauty of rocker is that it also can help on firm snow. Due to the early
rise tip, the ski has a shorter contact length because the longer tip is raised
off the ground. This gives you both the mobility and quickness of a shorter ski
on hard snow and the soft snow stability of a longer ski. For example, the 188
Megawatt has a true contact length of 127.7 cm on hardpack—compared to a more
traditional 170 cm Verdict that has even more contact length at 132 cm! This is
what makes the longer Megawatt totally skiable by someone around 160 lb who
normally wouldn’t ski anything longer than 180 cm.
Some things to consider:
Not all rocker is created equal. Each rockered Black Diamond ski has a
different amount of tip and running length, which affects what size is best for
you. See the chart below to get an idea of running length and tip rocker
comparisons:
Note: The Justice has less rocker than the narrower Zealot because of its softer tip, which flexes more than the Zealot’s and effectively gives the Justice more rocker while skiing.
Rockered Ski |
Size |
Running Length |
Megawatt |
188 cm |
127.7 cm |
Megawatt |
178 cm |
121 cm |
Justice |
185 cm |
143 cm |
Justice |
175 cm |
135.2 cm |
Zealot |
192 cm |
154.1 cm |
Zealot |
182 cm |
141.4 cm |
Traditional Ski |
Size |
Running Length |
Verdict |
190 cm |
162.3 cm |
Verdict |
180 cm |
152 cm |
Verdict |
170 cm |
142.4 cm |
Example: I am 5’8”, 160 lb and I normally ski a traditionally
shaped 100 mm waist, 180 cm ski every day because that platform allows me some
slop in my balance and makes for easy recoveries, yet is agile and maneuverable
in everything except awful wind crust. My fat powder ski is the Megawatt. The
surface area and length of the 178 cm is more than enough for me for all types
of skiing. I would ski this length even if I were another 15 lb heavier since
my height isn’t creating a weird pendulum effect over the fat tip of this ski.
And I choose that 178 especially if I’m using it for touring due to the lighter
weight. But the running length of the 188 cm is just 127.7 cm, and I opt for
this length when I want to gas it and ski aggressive lines.
The skinnier Justice is similar, except the
surface area supporting my weight is slightly less. I would opt for the 185 cm
Justice in most instances because I’ll ski it aggressively. I could definitely
use the 175 for my touring ski, or for a more playful freestyle type ski, but
would not be comfortable at high speeds running out a bigger line. And being
that it is quite light, the 185 cm is both my touring and inbounds length of
choice.