First, thanks to all the Ballers for posting experiences here and in other discussions.
We were leaning towards a longer ski as most others seemed to favor as well. In all fairness, testing all three sizes would have been ideal. Due to practical constraints, we only tested the 66” ski.
@kfennell – You went direct to the source. Thanks.
@RAWSki – What speed are you skiing?
@Than_Bogan – Thanks for your input. I've watched you ski... I drove for one of your rounds at John's Lake last year. You were running a sweet 38 with a tail wind and I thought we were certainly coming back at 39. You appeared to be on schedule so you can blame me. Anyway, I think the XT would suite you well. Demo different lengths if possible. You can demo for 30 days!
@scotchipman – Yes, try the 66” and even the 66.75”, your instincts and experience always seem to be spot on.
@Dave Miller and @GOODESKIER – How would you compare the rides between the 66” and 66.75”? I'm 150 to 155 lbs and would like to demo should / when I start skiing again.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Sorry, this is turning into a long post.
An update...
The settings as received appeared to be a good starting point. I only had an 11 degree gauge and could not check the initial wing angle. It looked to be about 9.5 degrees.
We used my original (calibrated), non-slot Goode caliper.
The numbers:
Boot → 29”
Length → 6.854” (Tips)
FB → 0.700 – 0.702” (Head, with horizontal ski)
Depth → 2.501” (Deepest side)
Wing → 10.5 Degrees
I could report my instant observations. I'll quote the skier (Mark Karpo) instead:
“Okay here goes ...
Just had my first session on a Nano 1 XT 66" Left Foot Forward ski and here's my two cents.
First off, I'm 175 lbs, 6ft, 51 years old, and last year I was on a Nano 1 65.25" running 35 off 50% of the time. Loved the Nano 1 as it had a tight turning radius and kept going into hookup as compared to my prior Radar Strada that was prone to brake into the hookup after a tight radius turn. Having completed 3 sets on the XT yesterday, here are my observations. First set out I found myself very early at one ball ... and every ball thereafter. Couldn't believe how much real estate was in front of me going into the buoy. Second, my off side turn felt powerful and controlled like my on side turn as I easily made tight turns into a stacked position at hookup with great angle. Third, I literally poofed from hookup to transistion ... its a very very fast ski. Fourth, at transition, my hips and feet naturally and easily got out in front of my upper body to give me very wide (and did I mention early) setups for the turn. I had previously run only one 32 this season (cold spring and late start) but I ran two 32s back to back my first set with the XT. I felt so confident I went to 35 second set and though I didn't run it I found myself wide at 2 and 3 even though my hookup at 1 ball was less than optimal. In short, I have high hopes I can run 38 this year with this baby.”