Sorry, I don't mean to sound know-it-ally, but I totally disagree with Jamie's reply. Here's why...

I've been on the S7's since Spring 2009. I'm 5'7" 130lbs and used to ski 170cm traditional shaped skis, so similar to you. I love to charge really hard and fast and do enjoy hucking off cliffs. A bit different than you, but I still assume you're a strong skier none-the-less.

I started on the 176's (now sold as 178's) due to advice of people speculating what it's like to ski an S7. I mounted them at 0 for freeriding (not park riding). Note their weight was not an issue while skiing. In the end, it was fun and I liked it, but it felt too short and soft. I really felt it when skiing hard and fast through chopped up snow - not as stable as I'd like, tips deflected, not enough effective edge up front to carve through the crud.

Sold them and bought the 188cm's. LOVE! They look huge for someone my size and weight, but they work so well! They're now very beat up and I just picked up a new pair of the same to replace them once the mountains get a bit more snow.

I'm not sure I'd recommend the 188's to someone our size unless they really know how to not let the ski ride them, but I definitely recommend the 178's for anyone our size who is a strong skier. 168's will likely leave you wishing you bought 'em bigger. Good luck!

Based on my experience with this ski, I'm *very* confident that the 176cm size would work much better for you than the 166, given you ski 168 Gotamas now. Check out my reply to ChelseyA's post on this page - I hope this helps!

Hi Chelsey,
I tele on 170's (traditional shaped skis; I'm 5'7" 130lbs) and was worried too.. I went with the 176's of the original S7 ski and though it was fun (about 50 days on them), when I was charging hard I felt I was pushing the limits of the ski in terms of rigidity and stability. I "upgraded" to the 188 size and am *loving it* (about 30 days). Hard to believe it's 18cm longer that my 'normal' ski, but when you compare the amount of edge in contact with the snow, it's quite a short ski. And the turn radius is small - the 178 length is about a 15m turn radius - You shouldn't have a problem with that in terms of agility.

Your mileage may vary, but based on my experience, I highly recommend the 178 size versus the 168. Good luck! Lettuce know how it goes.

I use my 188 S7's for slackcountry day tours (w/ free pivot tele-bindings), and it's noticably heavier than my touring setup. Usually I pace my touring buddies, but when I have the S7's, I'm in the rear playing catch-up... but it's all worth it on the downhill.

Based on my experience with the 176 and 188 S7's, the fact I love my 188 S7's way more than my 176 S7's, and that I'm only 5'7" 130 lbs, I'll put money on it the 188's will be too short for you and that you'd be better off with the 195's if you are an aggressive skier.

See my response to Matthew Nyberg's question on this page.

Bottom line is I'm 5'7" 130 lbs and found the 176 too short/soft, to the point where I sold them to buy 188's. The 188's are perfect for me, and I suspect for you too.

Here's my experience with the 176 cm and 188 cm S7's.

I spent about 50 days (telemark w/ 22D Axl's) on the 176 length and and found them too short and too soft for aggressive skiing. I'm 5'7", 130 lbs and usually ski a 170 cm ski. I recently swapped to 188 cm and after 10 days have enjoyed it a lot more, especially at high speeds in chopped up crud where a longer and stiffer ski are imperative. The extra 18 cm length (relative to my traditional 170cm skis) is of no concern and of no consequence, as the 188's still have a 17.5m radius and short effective edge due to rocker. I am rocking the 188's and loving it!

If I was 5'9" and 165 lbs, I would not be concerned at all about the 188's and would even consider the 195 length.

So I just bought these skis and skied them last weekend (Mar21/22,09) at Whistler after about 80+ cm of fresh. I mounted them tele (Black Diamond O2 bindings) at -1cm. My style of skiing is primarily freeride; I don't do any park or switch-style skiing.

In the pow: The ski was phonomenal as expected. I need not say more.

Not in the pow: The ski was surprisingly good even on groomers and on ice (as I skied out to the village at the end of the day). The camber and 18m sidecut/radius really makes the ski work more like a normal ski when you need it. Just put it on edge and you'll be making some quick turns. There is a noticable lack of edge grip at the tips for turn initiation (due to the rockered tip and hence very short effective edge) when compared to a traditional ski, especially when needing to turn quick in the bumps. However,this is expected from an early rise/rockered ski, and this deficiency is compensated by the short-radius sidecut underfoot.

Landing drops/jumps: I was slightly concerned about a short tail due to a soft/rockered tail and mounting -1cm instead of the +3 the Sage recommends. However, I had no problems putting on the brakes when I needed to emergency stop or when landing big drops where I was too far in the backseat. Swing weight while doing 360's was noticable, since I'm used to much lighter skis (G3 Saints).

In summary, I love these skis. They are not a one ski quiver though. For hardpack and touring days, I'll go with my G3 Saints. But if there's any semblance of soft snow off-piste (where I spend the majority of my time), I'll be breaking out my S7 clown-shoes.

Check out this telemarktips forum post on the topic of S7's on tele:http://www.telemarktalk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=769516