Ski & Snowboard Size Calculator

Quick answer: on the snowboard size charts, a 5′ 8″ snowboarder of 150–170 lb rides a board of 148–162 cm. On the ski size charts, an intermediate skier who is 5′ 8″ (173 cm) rides skis of about 170 cm on evo’s chart, inside OnTheSnow’s 160–180 cm. Beginners go about 10 cm shorter, experts about 8 cm longer. For a child, evo’s kids’ chart puts a 4′ 2″ skier on 110–120 cm. The calculator reads the published charts for your exact height and weight.

How to use it

Pick skis or a snowboard, then enter your height and weight. For skis, say how you ski: the length moves with ability, not only with height. For a snowboard, your weight matters as much as your height, and your shoe size sets how wide the board must be so your toes and heels do not drag in a turn. Add your foot length for your ski boot size. For a child, pick Child: the answer comes from the kids’ charts, and an age alone gives that age’s row.

The answer quotes each chart on its own, side by side. Charts from different shops do not agree to the centimeter, and a number halfway between them would be one nobody published. Use them as the range to try in the rental shop or the store.

The rules behind the numbers

• Ski length comes from your height and ability. On evo’s chart a beginner’s ski reaches about the chin, an intermediate’s the nose, an expert’s the forehead or above. OnTheSnow gives one range per height that covers all three.
• Snowboard length comes from height, then weight. When your weight is outside the range for your height, the calculator also shows the row for your weight. As evo puts it, if you are above average weight, consider a longer board.
• Board width comes from your US boot size, from evo’s chart. The ranges overlap on purpose: a size 9.5 fits boards from 246 to 259 mm wide.
• Poles come from Faction’s chart by height, in 5 cm steps.
• Ski boots are sized in Mondopoint, which is simply the length of your foot in centimeters. evo’s guidance on fit: beginners take their Mondopoint or half a size larger, intermediates their Mondopoint or half a size smaller, and experts half to one size smaller.

Ski length chart

From evo (by ability) and OnTheSnow (one range), both in cm.

Snowboard size chart

From evo, in cm. Skiis & Biikes publishes a second chart; the calculator shows both.

Kids’ ski size chart

Pick Child in the calculator for these rows, from evo’s kids’ ski size chart. evo’s rule of thumb: “A good rule of thumb is that youth skis should come up somewhere between the child’s chest and nose.” The heights and weights are each age’s 50th percentile, so size by the child’s height, not the age. An age alone gives that age’s row.

Kids’ snowboard size chart

From evo and Skiis & Biikes, in cm. evo: youth snowboards “should come up somewhere between the child’s chest and chin.” The two charts differ at ages 8 to 11 and 14, and Skiis & Biikes prints its 9-year-old row longer than its 10-year-old row, so the calculator shows both charts as printed.

Between two rows, and room to grow

For a child between two heights on the chart, evo says: “Your child might be between two of the heights listed; in that case find their weight on the chart. If they are light for their height, you’re going to size a ski to the shorter height, and therefore will end up with shorter skis. If they are heavy for their height, you’ll go off the taller height and end up with longer skis.” The calculator does just that. A child as light as the shorter row gets that row, a child as heavy as the taller row gets the taller one, and a weight between the two shows both.

Inside the range, evo sizes shorter, closer to the chest, when “They are a beginner or cautious skier” or “Their weight is lighter than average for their height”, and longer, closer to the nose, when “They are skiing fast and aggressively”, “They weigh more than average for their height” or “You want to purchase a ski with room to grow”. Room to grow means the top of the range, not past it: “we do not recommend sizing their skis much bigger than the recommended range.”

Kids’ ski boot sizes

From evo’s boot size chart (its Comfort Fit column), kids’ US shoe sizes to Mondopoint. evo adds: “Using a conversion chart to translate shoe size to Mondopoint works in a pinch, but it’s not as accurate as measuring your foot directly.” Measure the foot from heel to longest toe: “Your Mondopoint size is equal to the length in centimeters.”

Worked examples

A 5′ 4″ beginner skier

evo says 150 cm; OnTheSnow’s range is 150–170 cm. Start at 150 cm: short skis are easier to turn while you learn.

A 6′ expert skier

evo says 188 cm, at the top of OnTheSnow’s 170–190 cm. Past 6′ 2″, evo’s expert column is “190+”: the chart gives a floor there, not a length.

A 5′ 10″, 200 lb snowboarder in US size 11 boots

By height, evo says 150–162 cm, but 200 lb is above that row’s weight range, and evo’s row for 200 lb says 155–166 cm. Take the longer board. Size 11 boots need a waist of 255 mm or wider, which means a wide board.

A 4′ 1″ beginner skier of 54 lb

4′ 1″ falls between evo’s kids’ rows for 3′ 11″ (age 7, 100–110 cm) and 4′ 2″ (age 8, 110–120 cm). At 54 lb the child is between those rows’ weights (50 and 57 lb), so either row fits. A beginner sizes toward the shorter end: the 100–110 cm row.

Common mistakes

• Sizing a snowboard by height alone. Weight bends the board. A heavy rider on a short board sinks and washes out.
• Riding a regular-width board with big feet. Toes and heels hang over the edge and catch the snow in a carve. From a US men’s 11, evo’s chart points to mid-wide and wide boards (255 mm and up).
• Buying boots by shoe size. Shoe sizes vary by brand. Measure your foot in centimeters: that is the boot size.
• Buying a child’s skis to grow into. evo counts room to grow as a reason for the longer end of the range, not past it: “we do not recommend sizing their skis much bigger than the recommended range.”
• Going long too soon. A longer ski is more stable fast, but harder to turn. Size for how you ski now.

Planning the trip

Before you go, run through the ski packing checklist. For where to go, see the best cold-season destinations, things to do in Whistler and the Alps on a budget. Driving to the mountains? Read the winter road trip gear list.

FAQ

What size skis do I need for my height?

Roughly chin height for a beginner, nose height for an intermediate and forehead height or above for an expert. On evo’s chart that is 160, 170 and 178 cm for someone 5′ 8″ (173 cm) tall.

What size snowboard do I need?

Start from your height, then check your weight. At 5′ 8″ evo’s chart says 148–162 cm for a rider of 150–170 lb. If you weigh more than the range for your height, take the longer board your weight points to.

How do I find my ski boot size?

Measure your foot from heel to longest toe in centimeters. Ski boots are sized in Mondopoint, which is that length: a 27.3 cm foot is a Mondopoint 27.5.

How long should ski poles be?

By Faction’s chart, 120 cm for 169–175 cm tall and 125 cm for 176–183 cm, in 5 cm steps.

How wide should my snowboard be?

Wide enough that your boots barely hang over the edges. On evo’s chart a US men’s size 9.5 rides a waist of 246–259 mm, and a men’s 10.5 or larger needs 251 mm or more.

Should beginners use shorter skis?

Yes. A shorter ski turns more easily at low speed. On evo’s chart a beginner’s ski is about 10 cm shorter than an intermediate’s at the same height.

What size skis does my child need?

Skis that reach between the chest and the nose. On evo’s kids’ chart a child of 4′ 2″ (127 cm) takes 110–120 cm and a child of 3′ 7″ (109 cm) 90–100 cm. Pick Child in the calculator: between two rows the child’s weight decides.

What size ski boots does a child need?

Measure the foot from heel to longest toe in centimeters: that is the Mondopoint. On evo’s chart a little kids’ 11 or 12 is a Mondopoint 18.5, and a big kids’ 3 is 21.5.