Originally Posted by
auvgeek
The J108 is pretty playful and has a progressive mount so lots of tail and more balance-y compared to a more traditionally mounted ski like the one your girl currently skis. It also has tons of taper, making it more soft-snow specific compared to the K108. My main concern there would be the amount oftail and amount of tail rocker, as well as a correspondingly short tip. She *might* end up overdriving the ski on hardpack and then also getting hung up on the tails in 3D snow. .
Personally, I think 171 is awfully short for someone 5’10” — a 171 J108 is going to be very balancey at higher speeds cuz she’s so tall. Tall = higher center of gravity so most tall, thin people tend to prefer longer, softer, lighter skis, IME. That is, longer than someone who’s shorter at the same weight but softer and lighter than someone at the same height but weighs more. Holding skiing ability equal, obviously girls have a lower COG than guys so they don’t need as long skis compared to someone the same height, and they have less muscle so they tend not to prefer as heavy or stiff skis as someone the same weight. But personal preference is key here, too.
So anyway, I think 176 is more reasonable personally. My wife is just under 5’4” and liked the 176 K108 when she demoed them last year. Frankly, I think she’d be happy on either the 171 or 176 (171 wasn’t available for her to try), but for your girl at 5’10”, I think the 176 is a no brainer. If your girl prefers a traditional mount point, you might even consider a 179 Wren 108 in a tour layup or if that seems too long/burly, maybe consider the 175 Black Crows Corvus Freebird. My wife tours on those and loves them. The Atris Birdie also seems like it might be good for your wife, except she might be kinda between sizes.