ALPINE SKI SIZING


This guide is for Alpine Skis. For help with Nordic Ski sizing, please call us at: (877) 812-6710.

Ski Sizing can be tricky, thanks to a combination of the ever changing ski technology. It used to be that if you extended your arm upwards, you should be able to reach the tips of your skis. Then parabolic shapes came along. Then skis got wider. Then rocker technology came along, and, long story short, there’s way more room for preference and interpretation than ever before. The good news is that the all around quality of skis is increasing, making it more possible than ever to find a ski that fits your specific style and preferences. The bad news, is that it can be a bit more difficult to do- but that’s why we’re here. Take a look at the chart below, and if you have any trouble figuring out your size range, scroll past the cart to where we provide more information regarding these categories.

Sometimes you just need to speak to a expert, so if you're still having trouble picking a size, please give us a call at (877) 812-6710.


Ski Size Guide

Rules of Thumb:

Adults: Between Chin and Eyebrows

Kids: Between Chest and Chin

HeightBeginnerIntermediateAdvancedExpert
3' 65-75 CM 65-75 CM 65-75 CM 65-75 CM
3'2" 75-85 CM 75-85 CM 75-85 CM 75-85 CM
3'4" 80-90 CM 80-90 CM 80-90 CM 80-90 CM
3'6" 85-95 CM 85-95 CM 85-95 CM 85-95 CM
3'8" 90-100 CM 90-100 CM 90-100 CM 90-100 CM
3'10" 95-105 CM 95-105 CM 95-105 CM 95-105 CM
4' 100-110 CM 100-110 CM 100-110 CM 100-110 CM
4'2" 105-115 CM 105-115 CM 105-115 CM 105-115 CM
4'4" 110-120 CM 110-120 CM 110-120 CM 120-125 CM
4'6" 115-118 CM 118-121 CM 122-125 CM 125-132 CM
4'8" 121-124 CM 124-127 CM 127-130 CM 130-138 CM
4'10" 124-129 CM 129-134 CM 134-139 CM 139-148 CM
5' 134-139 CM 139-144 CM 144-149 CM 149-160 CM
5'2" 139-144 CM 144-149 CM 149-154 CM 154-165 CM
5'4" 144-149 CM 149-154 CM 154-159 CM 159-170 CM
5'6" 149-154 CM 154-159 CM 159-164 CM 164-175 CM
5'8" 154-159 CM 159-164 CM 164-169 CM 169-180 CM
5'10" 159-164 CM 164-169 CM 169-174 CM 174-185 CM
6' 164-169 CM 169-174 CM 174-179 CM 179-190 CM
6'2" 169-174 CM 174-179 CM 179-184 CM 184-195 CM
6'4" 174-179 CM 179-184 CM 184-189 CM 189-200 CM
6'6" 179-184 CM 184-189 CM 189-194 CM 194-205 CM
6'8" 184-189 CM 189-194 CM 194-199 CM 199-210+ CM

Skill Level Descriptions:


Beginner: Chances are you’ll know if this is you. Beginner skiers are classified as people who have never ever skied, right up to those just starting to dabble in Intermediate trails. Chances are if you’re the type of skier who typically skis with a “ski-mentor” or a friend who’s job it is to get you down the mountain. Skill wise, you’ll be able to control your speed with snowplowing, wedging, or forming a “pizza”. Turns will be slow and steady, and at the end of your time as a beginner, you’ll be starting to tip your skis to turn rather than pushing yourself to turn with your heels.

Intermediate: Congratulations! You’ve made it to the next level in skiing. Rather than snowplow your way down blue squares, you’re able to use the shape of your skis to make parabolic or carving turns. You’re likely still pretty cautious in regards to your speed, but are able to stop on demand and have a bit more confidence that you’ll make it to the bottom in one piece. Most intermediate skiers will be tempted to wander off trail, but may not be brave enough quite yet. Some certainly will, but if off-trail skiing becomes your preference, chances are you’ve graduated to the next level.

Advanced: This might be one of the hardest groups to identify. If you know you’re not an Intermediate skier still, but aren’t quite confident enough to call yourself an expert, then chances are this is you. Ski lengths on our chart above will fall somewhere between your nose and eyebrows. This is what used to be referred to as “Expert” until rocker skis came along and let experts go back to over head ski lengths. Characteristics of an advanced skier would be: the ability to ski most, if not all trails, an ability to ski fast, regular ability to ski off trail, and more traditionally, the ability to link full carving turns at full speed.

Expert: Hands down, you’re the best skier on the mountain. Ok, so maybe not the best, but you certainly could be a contendah, kid. Black diamond, double black diamond, centuple black diamond, it doesn’t even matter. You’re that good at skiing. Heck, you could probably even ski blindfolded and with your hands tied behind your back. Well, maybe not, but you get my point. If you’re truly an expert skier, you probably know it.

Other Considerations:


Weight: There’s no easy way to say it, but skiers who are carrying around a bit of extra weight should consider staying to the higher side of the scale. More weight means the skis will feel softer, and shorter. With a bit of extra length, the skis will have a more accurate flex and better weight distribution. Conversely, skiers who are exceptionally light should stick towards to smaller side of the scale, for similar reasons.

Use: This is a question that’s most relevant to advanced or expert skiers: Where are you skiing? If you’re looking to buy a powder ski, the natural notion is to go a bit longer. In most cases, this is the right call, but skiers should be geo-conscious before buying more than they can handle. For example, East Coast skiers may have visions of skiing wide open powder fields, but the reality is that 9/10 they’ll have to navigate tight trees before finding their 100 yard straight shot of glory. Out West, where things are a bit more open, it’s not uncommon to see skiers on skis much taller than themselves. Powder is likely the most common reason to adjust your ski size, but other specialties such as ski racing, park skiing, and moguls can all skew what size is proper for you.

Preference: Finally, there’s preference. While this isn’t a free pass to say “screw all that, I know I need 210’s!,” it is an official recognition that different skiers have different preferences which can easily change the length of ski they purchase. Myself? I size up. I like the extra stability on groomers, and with 102mm waist widths, the extra length allows me to use these skis in light powder on those rare East Coast days.