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Ski Length Calculator

Q: Should I round up or down between two available lengths?

Longer for stability at speed, in powder or for a heavier skier; shorter for easier turn initiation, moguls, park or a cautious skier.

Q: Does weight matter more than height?

Weight is a secondary correction here (±5 cm outside 60–90 kg); a much heavier or lighter skier than typical for their height should shift within the range accordingly.

Q: What about cross-country skis?

Classic and skate skis are sized by body weight and camber stiffness, not by this alpine chart.

Recommends an alpine ski length range from skier height, adjusted for ability (beginner 10–15 cm below height, intermediate 5–10 cm, advanced 0–5 cm), ski type (powder/freeride +5 cm, carving and park −5 cm) and body weight (over 90 kg +5 cm, under 60 kg −5 cm), following the logic of retailer size charts.

When to use

Someone is buying or renting alpine skis and needs a length range or a single recommended length for their height, ability and ski type.

Do not use when: You are sizing cross-country skis (sized by weight and technique), snowboards or children's skis, or the manufacturer publishes model-specific sizing (rocker profile, waist width and turn radius change the ideal length).

Formula

base range = height_cm + [−15, −10] (beginner), [−10, −5] (intermediate) or [−5, 0] (advanced); adjustment = +5 (powder_freeride) | −5 (carving_piste, park_freestyle) | 0 (all_mountain, touring), plus +5 if weight_kg > 90 or −5 if weight_kg < 60; length_min/max = base + adjustment; recommended_cm = round((length_min + length_max) / 2)

Follows the height-based sizing used by retailer charts: a beginner's ski reaches roughly the chin, an expert's the top of the head. Rockered and wide powder skis ski shorter than their length, so charts push them longer; twin-tips and carving skis are ridden shorter. Heavier skiers need more ski for stability, lighter skiers less.

Inputs

Parameter	Type	Unit	Required	Description
`height_cm`	number	cm	yes	Skier height in centimetres. Range: ≥ 100, ≤ 230
`weight_kg`	number	kg	no	Optional body weight: above 90 kg adds 5 cm, below 60 kg subtracts 5 cm. Range: ≥ 20, ≤ 200
`skill`	enum: beginner \| intermediate \| advanced		yes	Ability level; shorter skis turn more easily, longer skis are more stable at speed.
`ski_type`	enum: all_mountain \| carving_piste \| powder_freeride \| park_freestyle \| touring		default all_mountain	Intended use; wide powder skis run longer, carving and park skis shorter.

Outputs

Output	Type	Unit	Description
`length_min_cm`	number	cm	Lower end of the recommended range.
`length_max_cm`	number	cm	Upper end of the recommended range.
`recommended_cm`	number	cm	Midpoint of the range rounded to the nearest centimetre; pick the closest length the model is made in.
`length_range_text`	string		The range as text, e.g. '165–170 cm'.
`adjustment_cm`	number	cm	Sum of the ski-type and weight adjustments applied to the ability range.
`notes`	string		Which base range and adjustments were applied.

Example

175 cm, intermediate, all-mountain, 75 kg: {"height_cm":175,"weight_kg":75,"skill":"intermediate","ski_type":"all_mountain"} → {"length_min_cm":165,"length_max_cm":170,"recommended_cm":168,"length_range_text":"165–170 cm","adjustment_cm":0}

180 cm, beginner, powder ski: {"height_cm":180,"skill":"beginner","ski_type":"powder_freeride"} → {"length_min_cm":170,"length_max_cm":175,"recommended_cm":173,"adjustment_cm":5}

GET https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/ski-length?height_cm=175&weight_kg=75&skill=intermediate&ski_type=all_mountain

Machine access

API: GET https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/ski-length (query parameters) or POST with a JSON body {"inputs": {...}}
Schema: https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculators/ski-length · Markdown: https://tttkmbb.com/fitness/ski-length.md · JSON definition: https://tttkmbb.com/fitness/ski-length.json
MCP: server https://tttkmbb.com/mcp, tool run_calculator with calculator_id="ski-length"
OpenAPI operationId: recommend_ski_length
Freshness: static. Authentication: none. Rate limit: fair use (see rate limits).

Sources

evo – Ski Size Chart & Calculator: how to choose ski length (reference)
Wikipedia – Ski (alpine ski types and geometry) (reference)

FAQ

Should I round up or down between two available lengths?

Longer for stability at speed, in powder or for a heavier skier; shorter for easier turn initiation, moguls, park or a cautious skier.

Does weight matter more than height?

Weight is a secondary correction here (±5 cm outside 60–90 kg); a much heavier or lighter skier than typical for their height should shift within the range accordingly.

What about cross-country skis?

Classic and skate skis are sized by body weight and camber stiffness, not by this alpine chart.

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