Training / Skis
Ski Size Calculator: Ski and Pole Length for Your Height
Find your ski length from your height and level: downhill skis for beginners, intermediates, and experts, adjusted for carving or powder skis, plus cross-country classic and skate skis and the matching pole lengths, in centimetres or feet and inches.
Ski Size Calculator: Ski and Pole Length for Your Height: Downhill ski length follows the rule used in most sizing charts: from height minus 15 cm for beginners up to height plus 5 cm for experts, about 5 cm shorter for carving skis and longer for powder skis. For a 173 cm intermediate skier, that is 168 to 174 cm. Cross-country classic skis run 20 to 30 cm longer than you are tall and skate skis 10 to 15 cm longer, with poles at about 83% and 89% of your height; downhill poles are about 68%. Runs 100% locally in your browser with zero server file uploads.
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Downhill skis: beginners height minus 15 to 5 cm (about chin to nose), intermediates minus 5 to plus 1, advanced skiers minus 1 to plus 5; carving skis about 5 cm shorter and powder skis about 5 cm longer. Go to the shorter end if you are light or prefer short turns, the longer end if you are heavy or ski fast. Poles: about 68% of your height, rounded to 5 cm, so your forearm is level when you hold the pole upside down under the basket.
Rocker and length
Skis with a lot of rocker, common in powder skis, touch the snow along less of their length, which is why they are chosen longer.
Poles
Turn a downhill pole upside down and hold it under the basket: with the tip on the floor, your forearm should be about level.
How to use it
- Enter your height.
- Choose downhill or cross-country, your level, and the kind of ski.
- Read the ski length range and the pole length.
Privacy & limitations
Everything is calculated in your browser.
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Frequently asked questions
Should a beginner choose short skis?
Yes: shorter skis turn more easily at low speed. Move up a few centimetres as you ski faster and more confidently.
Does my weight matter?
It does: a heavy skier can go to the longer end of the range, a light one to the shorter end. For cross-country skis it matters most, because their camber is matched to weight.
What about children?
Children's skis usually reach between the chest and the nose. Shorter is safer while they are learning.
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