New ski length advice

[MSU Alum]

As a fellow old guy....67 years, 5'8" tall and 160 pounds, I'll chime in.

I loved the K2 World Pistes....until I skied the Work Stinx....until I skied the Rossignol S3's, until I skied the Armada JJ's....you get the idea. There are so many good, fun combo's that there's almost no wrong answer.

I also think you could go narrower, given your goal of mostly groomers. 85 to 90mm underfoot should be good with occasional off piste.

I also gravitated to NTN's and won't be going back, but that's just me.

Edit: I just reread what Andy M said and it got me to thinking. At the very least, if you go NTN, do NOT get the Freeride NTN. It has a very different feel. Something like 22 Designs option may be closest to 75mm. And I think the Freedom NTN is pretty close as well.

Length wise, as someone who raced in the late '60's-early '70's on 207cm Dynamic VR 17's I shared your opinion of shorter skis at one point in my life. That changed about 30 years ago and has continued to evolve.

My quiver - so far:
185 cm Armada JJ's for BIG days 116 underfoot
175 cm Armada JJ's for those days in the trees when you absolutely MUST make that turn
172 cm Rustler 10's for general skiing and up to a foot 102 underfoot
164 cm Atomic Vantage 85 for bump days 85 underfoot
160 cm Rossi EXP AI's for early season carving days 82 underfoot

I'd say something like a pair of Rossignol EXP 88's in a 173 would be a hoot!
But, there are a bunch of skis in that category that rock.

[Ricky]

So I finally ordered the Elan 96 in 174 and they will be my main ski for most of the season. I will definitely get more skis at some point, and will then probably go narrower, and maybe shorter. I'm having Meidjo bindings put on the skis, since I've heard they can feel a lot like 75mm and also may release. I'm really looking forward to skiing these, but unfortunately, here in California is is warm, and no moisture in the forecast.

[MSU Alum]

So I finally ordered the Elan 96 in 174 and they will be my main ski for most of the season. I will definitely get more skis at some point, and will then probably go narrower, and maybe shorter. I'm having Meidjo bindings put on the skis, since I've heard they can feel a lot like 75mm and also may release. I'm really looking forward to skiing these, but unfortunately, here in California is is warm, and no moisture in the forecast.

It may take a few days to get used to the new set up, but I expect you'll love them.
There was one season, when I had 3 kids in college and money was tight that my only pair of skis was the 185cm JJ. I actually had a great time on them and it wasn't even a big snow year.