There is nothing quite as spectacular as hitting the slopes, magically gliding on the glistening, and glittering snow-covered paths that lead you to your destination – the bottom of an impressive incline. But gliding through the slopes might not be as easy as you think it is without the accompaniment of skis. A ski, which may look like an exaggerated and long shoe makes skiing the popular sport that it is today. After all, it certainly is high on the list of creative ways to get from point A to point B.
Skiing is a recreational sport that had garnered immense popularity as a winter sport and has certainly become a novelty with conditions needing to be just perfect for you to don your skis and poles and make your way up a chilly mountain or hillside.
As with any event or sport, having the proper tools and equipment is of paramount importance, and when you consider how important skis are in skiing (it’s literally in the name), you can guess that having the correct ski size is probably important.
You wouldn’t go around wearing the incorrect clothing size or shoe size because you could imagine how great the discomfort would be. Just in the same way, you need to have the correct ski size that will not only give you a more enjoyable skiing experience, but that will also keep you safe on the way down the slopes.
In this article, we are going to look at the perfect ski size for you in terms of the length, width, and flexibility that will provide you with the optimal experience.
Why Do You Need Specific Ski Sizes?
Unfortunately, skiing is not a one-size-fits-all kind of sport, and it is not a sport where you could just borrow your friend’s skis for a day out on the slopes. There are many variables that impact the type of skis and ski size that you may need which include personal variables such as your weight, height, and experience level, and external variables such as the terrain on which you are skiing.
In many cases, professional and avid skiers will have a set of skis for the different terrains that they will be skiing on, and it will be designed to best suit them, as well as tailor-made for their height and weight.
Having a ski size that is optimal for you will make navigating the terrain much easier and it will make your experience far more enjoyable. Remember that not all ski terrains start at the peak of a steep cliff. Some terrains have multiple trees that require movement on behalf of the skier, and others have less of an incline and are more flat than they are steep. In these cases, specific skis will fulfill the purpose of making your skiing experience better.
Choosing Your Skis
If you are an experienced skier, you may not have as much of a hard time choosing the best skis for your next ski trip. However, as a beginner, you may feel slightly more overwhelmed not knowing where to begin and what factors to consider.
While there are general rules of thumb to consider when choosing your skis, it’s important to remember that they are just that – rules of thumb. This means that it isn’t a hard and fast rule to use a specific size ski or that another skier who is your height and weight will be using the same skis.
But let us first look at the length of a ski and what length you would choose.
Ski Length
When you think about ski length, the first thing that should come to mind is your own length, or at least your own height. Yes, your skis will be laying flat on the ground, but when you hold them upright, the ideal length of your ski should come somewhere between your chin and the top of your head. This is a general ballpark range that will be further impacted by your skill level. Generally, beginner skiers will fall on the lower end of the range with the ski length coming closer to their chin, with more experience or expert skiers opting for the higher end of the range and getting skis that are closer to the top of their head.
The more you ski, the better your feel for your skis will become. As your experience level increases, you will develop your own personal preference. But there are other considerations that need to be made such as your experience level and if it is a smooth-sailing slope or if you are required to maneuver to avoid trees and boulders along the slope.
There are other instances and reasons why you may size up or size down your skis. So, this would mean there are some instances when you need to get longer skis and other instances when you’d need to get shorter skis.
If the terrain requires stability over movement, then longer skis would be the better option. Other reasons to choose a shorter ski aside from being a beginner would be if you are of a lighter-than-average weight for your height, if you prefer skiing at a slower pace, if you are nimble of the turns and swerves on the slopes, and if you prefer a ski to have a camber and no rocker (rocker and camber refer to the curve of your skis and we will look at how this affects ski size later in this article).
Reasons that you may consider having a longer ski would be if you are a fast or particularly aggressive skier, if you are of a heavier-than-average weight for your height, or if you prefer a ski that had a greater rocker than camber.
Once you have an idea of your needs and preferences, you also need to consider differences in ski brands. Some brands which meet all your other criteria may be slightly longer or shorter than expected. A word of recommendation is to find the ideal skis in a brand that you prefer and stick to one brand in particular.
Ski Waist Width
The next important variable of ski size to consider when you’re in the market for new skis is the ski waist width. The waist of the ski is the middle point of the ski, and this is generally the narrowest point of the ski.
Ski waists are measured in millimeters (mm) and can range from the lowest of 60 mm or the greatest which is more than 120 mm.
The waist width will vary depending on the type of terrain you are skiing on, if you are planning on making a lot of turns (in which case a narrower waist would be ideal for quicker turns), and a thicker waist would be ideal for skiing in powder snow.
Different Types Of Skis
In the other varieties of skis that you could consider, you would probably need to know and keep in mind what is a ski rocker and camber. Now, we have already seen that a rocker and camber of a ski refers to the curve of a ski, but what do these curves look like and how do they affect your actual skiing experience?
Camber skis are those that when unweighted are slightly raised from the ground in the center of the ski but touch the ground at the areas closer to the tip and tail of the ski. Cambered skis are great for precise and fast turns and are ideal for harder snow.
A rocker ski, which is technically a reverse camber ski, is one that contacts the ground directly at the center of the ski and that has tips and tails that curve upward. Ideally, if you are a beginner, a rocker ski may be the best option for you.
Skis For Different Terrains
While skiing is great, it is always important to consider the terrain of where you are going to ski so that you know what you are up against. There is nothing quite as bad as showing up for a big moment unprepared, and the same would apply to being unprepared for a specific terrain because you don’t have the right skis.
All-Mountain Skis
Your best bet for your traveling and enjoying a ski no matter where you are would be to opt for all-mountain skis, which as the name suggests, are ideal for skiing down an entire mountain, handling powder snow, steep inclines, heavy snow, and anything else you may encounter along the way.
Power Skis
These are the skis designed for the soft snow that could easily allow you to sink deep. Skis for this terrain are usually wide making sure you don’t sink in too deep while leaving the aesthetically pleasing white pudd behind you as you make your way down the slopes.
Groomed Terrain Skis
These are the terrains that are groomed, as the name suggests, by snowcats which gives the skier a smoother and more consistent ski making the entire experience that much more pleasurable.
Conclusion
Making sure you have the right and optimal skis is pertinent to ensure you are having a great ski experience. If you want to get the best out of the slopes, and if you plan on returning to the slopes time and time again, it is definitely worth your while to invest in skis that are perfect for you and for the terrain you are going to be facing.
After all, life is too short to waste time using uncomfortable skis.