Choosing Ski Length

Whether you are shopping for or renting skis, choosing ski length is one of the most complicated decisions. In some cases, people see a ski that they love, but it is either a few centimeters too long or too short for their height, weight, terrain preferences or ability level. Although you might be tempted to purchase them anyway, think twice. No matter how much you love the ski, if it is not the correct length, it will not function as it should.

Ski length has a profound influence on your postural alignment, your skills, your speed and your safety. In general, shaped skis have a camber which helps distribute your weight across the entire length of the ski. Because of this camber, shaped skis are more efficient at shorter lengths.

When using skis that are too long, your body intuitively feels out of balance. As such, there is a tendency to shift your weight to the tail of the ski in order to even out the pressure across the ski's surface. While this may sound good in theory, in practice it can lead to a disaster. When your weight is on the tails of the ski, it is known as a "backseat posture." From this position, you have only minimal, if any control over the carving movements that are the milestones of efficient skiing. As a result, you may end up pushing your tails or skidding your turns, which is a far less efficient form of skiing. A shorter ski has a lighter swing weight, which makes it easier to maneuver.

Additionally, a ski that is too long for your height, weight and skill will make it difficult to perform short radius turns. If you ski in areas that are known for their narrow trails, such as the ski areas of New Hampshire, this can cause some problems. The inability to make a short turn on a narrow trail might mean that you will end up having a close encounter with a tree. Worse, if you are skiing the cat tracks that wind around in the mountains in areas such as Whistler, Canada, the inability to make a short radius turn might cause you to fall off the side of a cliff.

As if that was not bad enough, skiing in the back seat can cause you to fall backwards. This is the most dangerous type of fall, because it can cause you to tear your anterior cruciate ligament, otherwise known as the ACL.

Once you begin to ski at high speeds on steeper terrain, you will notice that skis that are too short have their own set of problems. In variable conditions under high speeds, a ski that is too short can lead to serious fore/aft balances problems, which can cause excessive forward and backward weight shifting. Powder skiing is another type of skiing that might be problematic on skis that are too short. This type of skiing needs a wider surface area, which is why people often buy powder skis. However, if you can't afford two sets, and you enjoy skiing powder, choose an all-mountain ski that is slightly longer than your suggested length.

Using a ski length calculator is the best method for choosing ski length. These calculators combine factors such as a skier's height, weight, ability level and terrain preferences to come up with an ideal ski length. Use the calculator to get a ballpark figure of your best ski length. Then, go to the slopes and demo the skis in various lengths. If possible, bring a friend who can evaluate how you perform on the different ski lengths.

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