First I will say I am on a budget and am looking to get a pair of skis to see if I like skiing as much as I did when I first tried it years ago. I am looking at the Airhead AHS-1300 or the AHS-1400 wide body ones? Also recommendations on rope selection?
Some things to think about... Ideal ski length is determined by height/weight. Are you just looking to try again, or are you pretty sure you are going to be skiing for a while? Are you picky about bindings, or is the standard slip on combo ski good enough for now. Do you think you will progress to slalom skiing?
If you are not sure, you may be able to borrow a pair, or better yet find a used pair on craigslist, or at a swap meet for a fraction of what new will cost you. I wish I had done that. I picked up an HO combo pair (67") new at an end of season sale, but still paid significantly more than what I could have paid for a decent used pair. As it turned out, I rapidly wanted a more aggressive slalom ski. Now the HO combo is what guest use, and what I teach people on. Nothing special, but functional.
If you think you will move to slalom skiing, I would highly recommend one of the training ropes... it makes getting up quite a bit easier, and I cant think of any reason why it wouldnt work fine for a pair of skis just fine.