Ski Size Calculator

Ski size is the length of the ski from tip to tail, in centimeters. Your height sets the starting point, and your ability, weight, skiing style and terrain move it shorter or longer. The calculator gives a range in cm and one best starting length.

What Ski Size Measures

Ski size is a length, not a fit like a boot. A shorter ski turns more easily, and a longer ski is more stable at speed and floats better in soft snow². No body measurement fixes the right length, so this is a starting point taken from shop and brand guides, not a standard.

The Formula

For downhill skis, the tips should reach somewhere between your chin and the top of your head when the skis stand on their tails¹. Experienced skiers may go longer². This tool turns the REI and evo ski charts into simple offsets from your height (H)¹ ²:

Beginner: H - 12.5 cm

Intermediate: H - 2.5 cm

Advanced or expert: H + 5 cm

Cross-country classic: H + 20 to 30 cm

Cross-country skate: H + 10 to 15 cm (beginners from H + 8 cm)

The cross-country rules come from Salomon and INTERSPORT Rent⁶ ⁷.

How This Calculator Computes Your Result

Pick downhill or cross-country, adult or child, and your ability. Enter your height in cm or feet and inches, and your weight if you like. Downhill skiers also pick a terrain and a skiing style. Cross-country skiers pick classic or skate.

For adult downhill, the tool sets a 10 cm range around your base length and shifts it for terrain. A fast style or a heavier build moves the best length longer, and a cautious style or a lighter build moves it shorter¹. Weight groups use the adult BMI cut points of 18.5 and 25⁹, only as a light, middle or heavy marker for ski flex. Results are rounded to the nearest whole cm.

What Your Result Means

Your range is the band of lengths that suit you, and the best length is where to start. Skis come in set lengths, so pick the listed length in your range closest to it. Adult all-mountain ranges, middle weight, average style:

Terrain then shifts the whole range:

These shifts come from the gaps between terrain types in Rossignol's and Völkl's rental size guides³ ⁴.

Ski Sizing Rules From Shops and Brands

Each rule below comes from a ski shop or brand guide:

• Go shorter if you are shorter, lighter than average, a beginner or intermediate, or like quick turns in trees or moguls¹.

• Go longer if you are taller, heavier than average, more advanced, fast or aggressive, or ski open terrain or powder¹. Heavier skiers have more power to bend a ski, so a longer one still feels manageable¹.

• Beginners need stability too, so they should not go too short¹.

• Wide powder skis have more rocker (an upturned tip and tail), which shortens the edge on the snow and makes the ski "ski shorter"¹. evo suggests longer for lots of rocker and shorter for a carving ski with lots of camber².

• For park skis, go about 5 cm shorter for rails and jibs and about 5 cm longer for big jumps⁴.

Charts do not agree to the centimeter. Rossignol's table runs about 5 to 8 cm shorter than REI's for experts, and its men's and women's tables list the same lengths for the same height³. That is why the tool gives a range.

Kids' and Cross-Country Ski Sizes

Kids' downhill skis should come up between the child's chest and nose⁵. The tool reads the nearest height row of evo's kids' chart, from 70 to 80 cm at age 3 to 150 to 160 cm at age 14⁵. A child who is light for their height moves down one row, and a heavy child moves up one⁵. Kids can always ski a shorter ski but may struggle on a long one, so "when in doubt, go shorter"¹.

Cross-country skis are longer than downhill skis. Salomon says their length "is determined primarily by your weight," since the ski must flex the right amount under you⁶. The tool takes 5 cm off for lighter adults and adds 5 cm for heavier adults, as INTERSPORT Rent does⁷. Children get height plus 10 to 20 cm for classic, and for skate, height minus 5 to 10 cm for beginners up to plus 5 to 10 cm for advanced skiers⁷. For kids' classic skis, the tool also shows evo's weight-based length⁸.

Binding Settings (DIN) Are a Separate Job

This calculator sizes ski length only. The DIN setting on your bindings controls how much force it takes for your boot to release from the binding¹. It is worked out from your weight, height, age, boot sole length and skier type under the ISO 11088 standard¹⁰. REI notes that setting it right needs a certified technician at a ski shop¹. It is not something to copy from an online chart.