Ski size chart for adults, with the rule the numbers come from
Ski length is a band, not a number, and every row of this chart is computed from a rule you can check with a calculator.
By Sawyer V. · Published
We have not tested this gear. Everything below is compiled from published specifications and published safety standards, and the arithmetic is public so you can check it. This page carries affiliate links: if you buy through one we earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and it does not change the order of the picks. Full disclosure.
The short answer
An adult ski should stand somewhere between your chin and the top of your head, which is roughly 85% to 100% of your height. A skier 175 cm tall wants a ski between about 149 cm and 175 cm. Beginners take the short end, confident skiers the long end. Weight adjusts it further: light for your height means shorter, heavy means longer.
| # | Pick | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rossignol Experience 76 skis with Xpress 10 bindings A smaller adult or a tall teenager on groomed runs | $18.00 a dayon snow | 2.3/10 | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 | Rossignol Experience 78 Carbon skis with Xpress bindings Someone certain they will ski more than about six days a season | $23.20 a dayon snow | 2.3/10 | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 | K2 Disruption 75 Women's Skis A beginner who wants a women's-specific construction | $18.00 a dayon snow | 1.4/10 | Check price on Amazon |
No live price is currently verified, so every button here reads Check price rather than a number we cannot stand behind. Why we do it that way.
The chart
Every row is computed from the rule above, so you can check any of it. Height is measured in socks, not in boots.
| Your height | Full band | First season | Confident |
|---|---|---|---|
| 150 cm (4 ft 11 in) | 128 - 150 cm | 128 - 135 cm | 142 - 150 cm |
| 160 cm (5 ft 3 in) | 136 - 160 cm | 136 - 144 cm | 152 - 160 cm |
| 165 cm (5 ft 5 in) | 140 - 165 cm | 140 - 149 cm | 157 - 165 cm |
| 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) | 145 - 170 cm | 145 - 153 cm | 162 - 170 cm |
| 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) | 149 - 175 cm | 149 - 158 cm | 166 - 175 cm |
| 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) | 153 - 180 cm | 153 - 162 cm | 171 - 180 cm |
| 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | 157 - 185 cm | 157 - 167 cm | 176 - 185 cm |
| 190 cm (6 ft 3 in) | 162 - 190 cm | 162 - 171 cm | 180 - 190 cm |
The three adjustments
- Ability. The single biggest one. A first-season skier should be at the short end of the band, because a shorter ski forgives more and turns with less effort. Add length as your technique improves; it is not a purchase you have to get right forever.
- Weight. A ski turns because you bend it. If you are light for your height, go shorter so you can flex it. If you are heavy for your height, go longer or the ski will feel unstable underneath you.
- Width. A wider ski feels longer than the same length in a narrow ski, because there is more edge in contact with the snow. If you are choosing something wider than about 90 mm underfoot, take a few centimeters off.
Waist width, since it is in every ski name
The number in a ski’s name is usually its waist width in millimeters. A Disruption 75 is 75 mm underfoot; an Experience 78 is 78 mm.
| Waist width | Best at | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| 70 - 80 mm | Groomed runs, quick edge-to-edge turns | Sinks in soft snow |
| 80 - 90 mm | Mixed resort conditions | The general-purpose middle |
| 90 - 105 mm | Soft snow and off-piste | Slower to roll onto edge on hard snow |
| Over 105 mm | Deep snow | Genuinely tiring on groomed runs |
For a beginner on a family resort trip, narrow is correct, which is why the beginner packages in our picks all sit in the mid-seventies.
Measuring yourself properly
- Shoes off, heels against a wall, standing straight.
- Lay something flat and level on your head and mark the wall underneath it.
- Measure floor to mark, in centimeters.
- Multiply by 0.85 and 1.00. That is your full band. Multiply by 0.85 and 0.90 for the first-season band.
Where the chin-to-head rule comes from
It is the same arithmetic stated as body parts. Your chin sits at roughly 85% of your height and the top of your head at 100%, so “between chin and head” and “85 to 100 percent” are the same rule. We publish the percentages because you can apply them to a number written down, and you cannot hold a ski against yourself online.
Children are a different chart
Children are sized on a tighter band, roughly 85% to 92% of height, because a small skier cannot flex a long ski at all. The children’s chart is here, with the available lengths brands actually sell.
The part the chart cannot decide
Boots. They matter more than ski length, they are sized on a completely different system, and they cannot be bought from a chart. The boot size chart covers Mondopoint, and the case for renting them is the strongest on this site.
Every pick, with the working
Each entry shows the published inputs, the axis scores they produce, and what you give up. The order is the computed order, not a commercial one, and the arithmetic is open underneath each score.
1 · A smaller adult or a tall teenager on groomed runs
Rossignol Experience 76 skis with Xpress 10 bindings
The narrower, cheaper sibling of the 78, at $449.95 with bindings, and the shortest published length here at 136 cm. Six lengths starting that short is what makes it work for a smaller adult or a tall teenager.
- Published price
- $449.95
- Cost per day on snow
- $18.00 a day
- Amortized over
- 5 seasons (25 days)
- Certified to
- Not published
- Published sizes
- 136, 144, 152, 160, 168 and 176 cm
- Warranty
- No term published on the product page
What it gets right
- $449.95 with Xpress 10 bindings included, $130 under the 78
- Six lengths from 136 cm, the shortest adult ski here
- A 76 mm waist is narrow, which makes edge-to-edge turns quicker to learn
What you give up
- A narrow ski is less forgiving in soft snow than a wider one
- The binding release setting still needs a shop, as with any ski
The working behind the 2.3
- Cost per day on snow: 0.0
- $449.95 over 5 seasons at 5 days each = 25 days = $18.00 a day
- Published protection: not scored
- Skis carry no protective standard of their own. The binding release setting does, and a shop sets it.
- Size availability: 8.5
- 6 published sizes (8.5 of 8.5); no continuous adjuster published (+0); range: 136, 144, 152, 160, 168 and 176 cm
- Warranty and support: 0.0
- no published term (0 of 6); no published crash replacement (+0); no published repair route (+0)
Axes with unpublished inputs are dropped and the remaining weights re-normalized, so a product is not punished for a manufacturer’s silence. Specifications compiled September 3, 2026 from Rossignol published specifications.
2 · Someone certain they will ski more than about six days a season
Rossignol Experience 78 Carbon skis with Xpress bindings
Rossignol lists this ski's skill level as beginner and sells it with bindings mounted, which removes the one step that makes buying skis online go wrong. Six lengths from 138 to 178 cm covers a family from a tall child to a tall adult.
- Published price
- $579.95
- Cost per day on snow
- $23.20 a day
- Amortized over
- 5 seasons (25 days)
- Certified to
- Not published
- Published sizes
- 138, 146, 154, 162, 170 and 178 cm
- Warranty
- No term published on the product page
What it gets right
- Published by Rossignol at beginner skill level, not inferred from a spec sheet
- Sold with Xpress bindings included, so there is one purchase rather than three
- Six published lengths spanning 138-178 cm
What you give up
- $579.95 is $4.64 a day even on a generous five-season, five-days-a-year horizon
- The binding still has to have its release setting adjusted by a shop for the skier's height, weight and boot sole length, which is not something to skip
- Boots are not included, and boots matter more than skis for a beginner
The working behind the 2.3
- Cost per day on snow: 0.0
- $579.95 over 5 seasons at 5 days each = 25 days = $23.20 a day
- Published protection: not scored
- Skis carry no protective standard of their own. The binding release setting does, and a shop sets it.
- Size availability: 8.5
- 6 published sizes (8.5 of 8.5); no continuous adjuster published (+0); range: 138, 146, 154, 162, 170 and 178 cm
- Warranty and support: 0.0
- no published term (0 of 6); no published crash replacement (+0); no published repair route (+0)
Axes with unpublished inputs are dropped and the remaining weights re-normalized, so a product is not punished for a manufacturer’s silence. Specifications compiled September 3, 2026 from Rossignol published specifications.
3 · A beginner who wants a women's-specific construction
K2 Disruption 75 Women's Skis
A women's-specific beginner ski at the same $449.95 as the Rossignol 76, in four lengths from 142 cm. Fewer lengths than the Rossignol, which is the one real difference between them on published figures.
- Published price
- $449.95
- Cost per day on snow
- $18.00 a day
- Amortized over
- 5 seasons (25 days)
- Certified to
- Not published
- Published sizes
- 142, 149, 156 and 163 cm
- Warranty
- No term published on the product page
What it gets right
- $449.95 published, matching the comparable Rossignol
- Women's-specific construction and mounting position published by K2
What you give up
- Four published lengths against the Rossignol's six, so the fit band is coarser
- Nothing shorter than 142 cm, which rules out smaller adults
The working behind the 1.4
- Cost per day on snow: 0.0
- $449.95 over 5 seasons at 5 days each = 25 days = $18.00 a day
- Published protection: not scored
- Skis carry no protective standard of their own. The binding release setting does, and a shop sets it.
- Size availability: 5.1
- 4 published sizes (5.1 of 8.5); no continuous adjuster published (+0); range: 142, 149, 156 and 163 cm
- Warranty and support: 0.0
- no published term (0 of 6); no published crash replacement (+0); no published repair route (+0)
Axes with unpublished inputs are dropped and the remaining weights re-normalized, so a product is not punished for a manufacturer’s silence. Specifications compiled September 3, 2026 from K2 published specifications.
No live price is currently verified, so every button here reads Check price rather than a number we cannot stand behind. Why we do it that way.
Questions people actually ask
How do I know what size skis to buy?
Take 85% to 100% of your standing height as the full band, then move toward the short end for a first season, for lower weight, or for a wider ski. The chart above does the arithmetic for common heights.
Should beginners use shorter skis?
Yes. A shorter ski turns with less effort and forgives more mistakes. Length buys stability at speed, which is not what a first-season skier needs.
What size skis for a 5 foot 9 person?
175 cm tall gives a full band of roughly 149 to 175 cm. A first-season skier should be looking at 149 to 158 cm, and a confident one at 166 to 175 cm.
Does weight matter for ski size?
Yes, and it is more important than most charts admit. A ski turns because you bend it, so someone light for their height should size down and someone heavy for their height should size up.
Does ski width change the length I need?
A wider ski feels longer at the same length because more edge is in contact with the snow. Above about 90 mm underfoot, take a few centimeters off what the height band suggests.