Ski recommendation for my daughter

Question
Hi.  I'm looking to buy skis and boots for my daughter, but she poses a bit of a dilemma.  My daughter will be 12 in March, but she is approaching 5' 5" tall and weighs about 130 pounds.  I think that her growth is slowing and I think it's safe to say that she has another 3 or 4 inches left to go.  We live in Pennsylvania and take an annual trip to Snowbird in Utah.  She would be considered a level 7 skier, but she is not aggressive or fast.  When the conditions are harder (ie, no fresh powder) she tends to prefer easier terrain, when there is powder, she will ski black diamonds and some "easier" double blacks.  However, because we live in Pennsylvania, we also will ski typical east coast conditions:  hardpack, manmade, and ice.  

I want to find one ski that can handle powder in Utah and hardpack in PA.  Because she is adult size and still has some growth left, it will need to be an adult ski, but one that she can manage.  I've done some research and have come up with a few thoughts on skis:  Volkl Tierra, Salomon Jewel Origin, Head EveryThang, etc.  What are your thoughts on these skis?  Any others you would suggest looking at?  Would you recommend going smaller (154/156) or longer (162/163)?

Finally, with regard to boots:  she wears a women's size 10 and has a narrow, pronated foot.  I know that boots are totally a matter of proper fit, but can you suggest some brands & models to look into and try on?  

Sorry for the long questions.  Thanks in advance for your help!

Answer
Hi Steve,

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. As I get to the end of our season here the workload in coaching and time on the hill goes up markedly. I hope that this reaches you in time to be of assistance. I'll try to answer your questions simply starting with the general ones.

1) Ski Length- A factor of what and where your daughter wants to go on the hill. Skis for deeper snow and longer radius turns generally now selected a little longer and for carving quicker turns on groomed runs a little shorter (but also narrower underfoot). Stability increases as length does and quickness edge to edge (if the shape of the ski is appropriate)increases as length decreases (but only by about 5 cm after which a ski will not grip easily throughout the entire turn). Long story short the two lengths that you have indicated for her based on her personal history and info are good. Which one? Well I would lean towards the longer one with a narrower platform underneath the foot because of the combination of terrain you are going to encounter and the fact she may still be growing. 162/163 is not considered a long ski for women anymore.

2) The skis:
Head EveryThang
Skill:  good skiers
Terrain:  groomed slopes
Style:  good skiing technique
Speed:  fast
Length:  156 / 163
Radius:  r=11.0 @156
Sidecut:  122/72/106 @156

Salomon Jewel Origin:
Terrain: All Mountain
Radius @ 162 12.9 @154 11.4
Sidecut @ 162 124/74/106 @ 154 124/73/105

I can't speak to the Volkls but my general comments below may help.

Ski design (and the host of specifications that are now available to the public) is one way in which manufacturers try to segment the market and make their ski not only attractive to people who have owned other brands but to give consumers who have owned their skis before a reason to buy another pair. This is obvious but right now the current trend is for skis that are considered by the industry to be all mountain to be reaching widths under foot (waist) of over 70-72 mm. Interesting that the two manufacturer's see their skis as such different categories (groomed vs. all mountain) when actually the relative differences are very slight.

Beyond that the relative feel of these two skis is completely in the sensation the skier would generate from them. If your daughter has a more more forward leaning stance or skis very upright this would make a big difference in how each ski performs. The slightly bigger tip and waist in the Salomon would be expected to help with lift in deeper snow while the slightly narrower tip and waist in the Head would make it grip slightly quicker on groomed runs.

Having said all that the r rating on a ski is somewhat misleading. This refers to the actual radius of the turn that would occur if the skier just rolled the skis onto their edges so that the entire contact length touched the snow without any turning action from the foot, leg or body and simply followed the ski around on its edge without increasing the edge angle on a gentle slope. Most skiers are not really comfortable doing this at higher speeds preferring to stay upright over their skis rather than carving them. The majority of skiers do not get their skis up on edge early preferring to turn them across the fall line and then gripping with the edges at the end of the turn.  

A ski with a shorter r is easier to get up on edge earlier but often feels less stable if you don't while a ski with a longer radius often feels more stable at the end of the turn.

So the ball's back in your court. There is no right or wrong answer to your questions becausse the impact of the skiers techique and style play the largest role in determining whether they are going to like one ski more than another. Just a range of possibilities. Good luck.