Beginner skis?

[Natedogg]

I need some advice... My girlfriend started skiing last year--she went twice. This year she is planning to go quite a bit more, so she wants to buy skis instead of renting. I know nothing about low-end beginner skis--can anyone give me some advice on what to buy? She's 5'7, ~135lbs, and was a D1 college athlete. We ski on eastcoast "packed powder."

Shameless plugs for gear youre trying to get rid of can go here, too. Id prefer demo bindings.

Length?
Shape/radius? (does it really matter?)
Brand and model #s to look for?

[smmokan]

My g/f is an intermediate skier and bought her first pair last year- the Atomic B7's. She loves them. She's 5'9", 120 lbs and skis the 158cms. We're in CO, but she skis mostly on groomed runs, with the occasional foray into the pow. They're 72mm at the waist so they can handle that. They've got three different girly deisgns too, so if your g/f is into that I'm sure she'll like one of them. I have seen them on the internet (can't remember where) for around $225 including the atomic bindings.

Edit- I just looked and they're on cupolosports.com for $229. I know the website has a lot of bad reviews, but I bought skis and had everything work out fine.

[Big E]

I think this is probably one of those cases where it may actually be useful to talk to a salesman at a decent shop. He/she likely sells these types of skis fairly often, and you'll probably get a better reception than when you go in and tell him/her you're looking for something in a 196 with about 115 underfoot