realskiers

Likely due to the hideous graphics, these things seem to just keep getting cheaper, and I might not be able to resist for much longer.  Any suggestions on length?  I'm torn between the 180 and the 187.  My plan is to mount them up with Dynalook plates so I can swap alpine bindings for touring ones at will and be one step closer to a touring setup I like.  My intended uses would be fresh snow at home and as a travel ski.

I'm 5'7", 170lbs.  I looooove the Monster iM78 in 178, but am looking forward to a bigger radius for going faster and a little more float for going slower.  I've read that the early rise makes these ski shorter than the sticker size, but am not sure by how much.

Help?

Thanks, Liam!

I doubt I'll spend enough time traveling to make a wide-open-spaces ski worthwhile for me, so it sounds like the 180 is the better idea.

Here's the info on the plates: http://bindingfreedom.com/Plates_c2.htm

The idea is that you mount the plate to your skis, then can swap bindings at will.  He's got versions that'll let you mount Dynafit&Look, Dynafit&Salomon, or Dynafit&Duke.  The inserts would be lighter, but I figure my odds are better of screwing those up, and I don't think I'll mind a touch of lift on a wider ski that could see some firmer surfaces as stuff gets scraped off or while traveling.

I like to buy well behind the technology curve on skis, because everything is cheaper and other people get to figure out what works and doesn't.  I'm not ready to commit to a dedicated 100+ powder ski yet, both because I don't ski that much powder and because what I do ski has been working fine with my 78mm Monsters.  I think if I was planning on spending a lot of time noodling through the trees, I'd want something wider but, for the speeds I like to ski, I get plenty of float with the 78's, so a 95 should feel positively luxurious. 

I would think so, but they may feel shorter than other 170's on hard surfaces, depending on how much of the "early rise" is in contact with the snow.  But I would still think that 170 is the size.  And, as Liam said, the early rise isn't very perceptible so may not be any effect at all.