What Length Skis Do I Need? A Ski Length Guide for Intermediate Skiers

Hey ski dude 👋 if you've decided to buy your first pair of skis, that's great to hear!

I can see it now, you woddle on down to the local ski shop, or if you're tech savvy, look online, you pick a pair, but you're stuck on not knowing what length to go for.

Most sites you land on give you a chart that says "between your chin and your nose" and leaves you standing there with a tape measure feeling none the wiser or confident in your decision.

I went through this same problem, so let me save you time.

The quick answer

For an intermediate skier buying all-mountain skis, you want a length that comes up to somewhere between your chin and your nose when you stand the ski on its tail.

That's the rule the whole industry runs on, and it's a good one. Beginners go shorter (chin and below) because shorter skis are easier to turn and forgive a lot. Advanced skiers go longer (nose to forehead) because length buys stability at speed. If you're in-between beginner and advanced, which I'm assuming you are, you'd sit in the middle.

Here's roughly where that puts you by height:

If you just wanted a number, there it is. Pick the middle of your row and you won't go far wrong. I'm 5'5 so I'd go for 152-162cm.

You'll notice each row is a range of about 10cm, there's a reason for that difference, I'll explain.

Why the chart is only a starting point

Height is the easy input which is why every chart leads with it. The thing is, two skiers who are the same height can want skis 10cm apart and both be right. What a chart can't determine are your other attributes, which decides whether you land at the short end of your range or the long end.

There are four other key things that affect the length, and once you've been through all four, you'll feel confident enough to choose the correct length.

The four things that decide your number

Be honest about your ability

This is the one people get wrong, and tends to be in the same direction. We all want to think we're a bit better than we are (trust me), so we reach for the longer ski because it sounds like the grown-up choice. But we end up spending the week fighting a ski that doesn't want to turn when we want it to.

If you're comfortable on blues and starting to enjoy reds, you're a solid intermediate and the middle of your range is home. If you're still finding reds a bit of a battle, drop toward the shorter end. A shorter ski turns more easily and asks less of you.

Nobody at the bottom of the run is checking your ski length anyway, but they can defintley see whether you look like you're having a good time.

Factor in your weight

Two skiers at the same height can need different lengths purely because of what they weigh. Weight determines how hard you're going to push the ski. A longer ski spreads your mass over more surface and stays smooth and steady at speed, so if you're heavier than average for your height, nudging up your range gives you more ski to stand on. If you're lighter than average, then a shorter ski will feel easier to bend and turn for you.

That's why a tall, light skier and a shorter, heavier one can end up closer in length than their heights suggest, something the height chart can't measure for!

Think about where you ski

Most people reading this are flying out to France (or somewhere in Europe) once or twice a year, skiing groomed blues and reds around Morzine, Les Arcs, or the Espace Killy. That matters as it's a completely different feel from powder bowls in the Rockies.

On piste, a ski at the middle or shorter end of your range is the one you want under you. It's quick from edge to edge and easy to roll into a turn, and that's most of what a good day on groomed runs comes down to.

A longer ski only earns its length when you're charging through open space or floating in soft snow, and that's not where the typical ski holiday is spent. If you're mostly on groomers with the odd adventure off the side, there's no need to size up for terrain you're not skiing yet.

Match it to how you like to turn

Some people like short, snappy turns, staying tight to the fall line. Others want long, fast, swooping arcs down the whole run. Short skis are built for the former, longer skis for the latter.

If you've no idea which one you prefer yet, and that's completely normal and a good reason to sit in the middle, letting the ski stay versatile while you work out what you enjoy.

A worked example

Say you're 5'8" and 12 and a half stone, comfortable on blues, getting braver on reds, and you ski in France once a year on mostly pisited runs. Your height row says 160 to 170cm.

You're a proper intermediate, so you're not dropping to the floor of the range. You're a touch heavier than average for your height, which nudges you up a bit. But your terrain is pisted and your reds are still a work in progress, and both of those pull you back toward easy turning. Add it up and you land around 163 to 166cm. That's mid-range, leaning a little short, and a ski you'll click into on day one without a second thought.

Start with the height row, then let ability, weight, terrain, and turn style shuffle you up or down within it.

Shorter or longer? The trade-off in one line

Every length decision is the same trade-off wearing a different diguise. Shorter skis turn more easily and forgive more of your mistakes. Go longer and you pick up stability at speed and better float in soft snow, but you give up some of that easy turning. If you're an intermediate on mostly piste bashed runs, easy turning would be worth more to you right now than top-end stability, which is why "when in doubt, size down" is rarely the wrong call this early.

The questions everyone asks

So, what now

Get your height row, be honest about the skier you are today, and let weight, terrain, and turn style settle the last few centimetres. Nine times out of ten you'll come out mid-range and leaning a little short, which is exactly where you want to be as an intermediate.