You are right in the sweetspot on the 4FRNT recommended rider heights for the 186.

Frankly, I wouldn't hesitate to go 196. In my experience, the 186 is really best for people (like me) who weigh below about 170#. Most of the people I know who say they don't like the Ren are people who weigh 180# or more and tried the 186.

If it's starting to feel like a Goldilocks situation and you're not sure you can handle the 196, also consider the 193 Cease & Desist or 191 Billy Goat from the company ON3P. Both are burly skis with a nice long turn radius...and they're made in the USA as well.

Love, love, love my Rens though!

Go for 196 cm 'long skis truck, short skis suck.- Glen Plake. Shorter skis lose stability at high speeds.

So it really depends on where and what style of skiing you are planning on doing. When I ski the bird exclusively and I am charging big turns and have time to stop I would hop on the 96's, but if I am ripping the tight trees of Alta or little billy goat lines the 186 will work perfectly

I found at 6'2" and 195lbs + gear the 186 was pretty good in tight areas like trees, however I found that I wanted more when opening up in bigger areas. Since I already have a tree ski I opted to size up to the 196. Don't be fearful of this ski - it skis effortlessly