How to choose the right size for your downhill ski?

CHOOSE THE SIZE OF YOUR DOWNHILL SKI ACCORDING TO THE USE YOU WISH TO MAKE OF IT

The size of the ski will depend on your level, the construction of the ski, your morphology and above all the desired use - downhill skiing / all mountain skiing / freeride skiing.

The heaviest skiers will have to move towards the upper limit of the recommended size while the lightest skiers will have to stay on the lower limit.

1°) Choose the right size for your ski piste :

Piste skis, racing skis are mainly intended for skiing on groomedslopes. For this the skis are equipped with skates often between 70 and 80 mm, the ski is designed with a single spatula, some models have a rocker at the front to facilitate your turn. The main advantage of the ski is that it holds on the edges, and a very good grip on groomed snow.

The AlpinStore tip:

Skiing on piste:

* The pure downhill skis, versatile to link small and large turns. you will need to take a ski between 5 to 10 cm below your waist.
* The skis more focused on leisure without seeking performance, to learn and progress. it is advisable to take a ski between 5 to 15 cm below your waist.
* Width at the skate between 70 and 85 mm

Ski racing:

* The ski racing more focused on slalom, choose a ski between 15 and 20 cm below your waist, for more liveliness to link your turns.
* The ski racing more focused on super G or downhill, choose a ski between 10 and 20 cm below your waist. To give you good stability at high speed.
* Width at the skate between 70 and 85 mm

2°) Choose the size of your all-mountain ski:

The all-mountain skis are designed for mixed practice on piste and off-piste by indicating the percentage of use for each of the two practices. For example, "70/30" all-mountain skis are designed for 70% on-piste and 30% off-piste use. The width at the skate (middle of the ski) is a fundamental criterion for judging the category to which the skier belongs and his off-piste skiing abilities. The wider the ski's skate width, the more comfortable it is on ungroomed snow. Indeed, the surface in the middle of the ski greatly favors the behavior of skiing in powder (lift) and in difficult or transformed snow (less anchoring).

The 50/50 all-mountain category is undoubtedly the most popular. We find very versatile skis, often as comfortable on piste as off-piste.

The AlpinStore tip :

All-mountain skiing

The size of this ski is also strongly dependent on your level:

* For beginners and intermediate skiers, you will need to take a ski between 5 to 10 cm shorter than your height.
* For experienced skiers, you will need to take a ski between your height and minus 5 cm.
*For expert skiers, you will need to take a ski at your height or a few centimetres longer.
* Width at the skate between 80 and 100 mm.

3°) Choose the right size of your freeride skis :

Freeride skis are mainly intended for off-piste practice in powder or trafolated snow. For this purpose the skis are equipped with wide skids, often between 95 and 140 mm and their profile is unidirectional with a spatula and large rockers while the heel remains flat.

The AlpinStore tip :

freeride skiing

* To keep a good stability in the powder , and also to pass on the piste from time to time, you must choose between 5 and 15 cm more than your height.
* For a use almost only in off-piste or big powder day,the ski is then wider, and allows you to gain speed to float on the powder, and go down the slopes never yet traced. On this type of skis you should not hesitate to increase the size of the ski by 10 to 15 cm more than your height.

ALPINSTORE TIPS TABLE

For all your freeride outings, remember to equip yourself with safety equipment.