How to choose ski length

Ski length starts with your height and ability, then moves a few centimetres for terrain, weight and the shape of the ski. This guide shows the published numbers from K2, Rossignol, evo and Atomic, then works three skiers through them to a final length.

Start with the chin-to-head rule

K2's sizing guide gives the starting point in one sentence: pick skis that fall somewhere between your chin and the top of your head when you stand them upright. Everything else is a refinement of where in that span you land.

Ability sets the position. K2 puts beginners at chin height or shorter, intermediates between chin and nose, and advanced to expert skiers at or above head height. Atomic words it a little differently: beginners at about chin height, advanced skiers between chin and forehead, experts at body height or longer. Atomic also notes that the right length depends on where you ski, your skill, your height and personal preference, so treat any single number as a place to begin.

Shorter skis turn more easily and forgive mistakes. Longer skis are steadier at speed and float better in soft snow, but they take more strength and skill to steer. evo makes the same trade, saying shorter skis are more nimble and longer skis are more stable at speed.

Height and ability table

This is K2's table, which Line publishes identically. K2 splits advanced skiers into two columns labelled playful and charger and does not define either label. Taken at face value, playful is the shorter column and charger the longer, for skiers who want more stability at speed.

evo prints single lengths instead of ranges. At 173 cm it lists 160 for a beginner, 170 for an intermediate and 178 for an expert. At 188 cm its expert length is "190+", because it does not list a longer figure. The two sources agree closely, and evo's single number usually lands inside K2's range. For the full set of rows, use the ski size calculator.

Rossignol sizes by ski type

Rossignol does not use a table by height. It subtracts or adds a fixed number of centimetres from your height, and the number depends on the kind of ski. That makes it a handy second opinion.

Read across a row and you see why a single "right length" does not exist. An intermediate skier at 178 cm is at 171 cm on a piste ski and 178 cm on a freeride ski. Same person, seven centimetres apart, because the skis do different jobs.

Adjustments for weight, terrain and style

These are the modifiers K2 publishes, with the other brands' guidance noted where it adds something.

• Weight. Lighter than average for your height, size down 1 to 3 cm. Heavier than average, size up 1 to 3 cm. K2 gives no weight thresholds, so "average" is a judgment. evo agrees on direction without a number.
• Park or groomers. Subtract 2 to 5 cm (K2). evo says groomed runs favour shorter skis.
• Powder or freeride. Add 2 to 5 cm (K2). evo says ungroomed terrain such as powder or variable snow favours longer skis.
• Style. Slow and controlled, subtract about 2 cm. Fast and aggressive, add about 2 cm (K2).
• Profile. More camber, go shorter. More rocker, go longer (K2). A rockered ski has less edge touching the snow, so the same nominal length behaves shorter.

Sidecut radius gives a different kind of hint. evo groups radii under 16 m as short and quick-turning, 17 to 22 m as the all-mountain middle, and over 22 m as long and stable at speed. evo also calls a waist of about 100 mm a versatile all-mountain choice. A ski with a short radius at the long end of your range will still turn easily, which is one way to have both length and agility.

Three worked examples

Each example uses the numbers above and ends with a choice. Heights are converted at 2.54 cm to the inch.

Dan: 5'10", intermediate, mostly groomed runs

5'10" is 178 cm. K2's table has rows at 173 and 183 cm, and 178 sits halfway between them. Halfway between 168–174 and 178–184 is 173–179 cm. evo lists 175 for an intermediate at this height. Rossignol puts an intermediate on an all-mountain ski at 178 − 5 = 173 cm, and on a piste ski at 178 − 7 = 171 cm.

The sources overlap on 173 to 175. Dan skis groomers, and K2 says to subtract 2 to 5 cm for that, which would pull 175 down to somewhere between 170 and 173. He takes the lower half of the overlap: a ski between 171 and 175, whichever length the model comes in.

Priya: 5'4", beginner, on the light side

5'4" is 163 cm. K2 gives a beginner 148–158, evo gives 150, and Rossignol gives 163 − 10 = 153. The three centre around 150 to 153. Priya is lighter than average for her height, so K2's 1 to 3 cm reduction applies and her range tightens to about 148 to 153. Chin height on her is close to 150, which fits Atomic's "about chin height" for beginners. She should pick the ski that comes closest to 150 and not stretch to 158 on the theory that she will grow into it.

Tom: 6'2", advanced, wants a powder ski

6'2" is 188 cm, halfway between K2's 183 and 193 rows. The advanced playful range there is 185–191 and the charger range is 189–195. Rossignol's freeride expert is 188 + 5 = 193. evo shows "190+".

K2 adds 2 to 5 cm for powder, which would push a charger past 195. Tom skis tight trees as often as open bowls, so he reads himself as the playful column. Starting from 185–191 and adding 2 to 4 for the powder ski gives 187 to 195. The decision is the ski's profile. If it has a lot of rocker, K2 says to go longer, so he takes the top of that span. If it has traditional camber with a rockered tip only, he takes the lower end, around 190.

When you land between two lengths

Skis come in fixed lengths, so you will often be 2 or 3 cm from a size on both sides. Break the tie with the factors that point the same way:

When the factors disagree, ability wins. A ski that is slightly too short is easy to turn, while one that is too long wears out a skier who does not yet have the technique to drive it.

Related tools

Ski size calculatorLength from height, weight, ability and terrain Ski boot size chartShoe size to Mondopoint Ski pole size chartPole length from height

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