How to Choose Skis (Without Demoing)

The Cure for Ski Analysis Paralysis

It’s an age-old question. Between limited demo centers, whether or not the rental shop has what you want to try, and finding time to try a bunch of skis, it can be hard to make your own personal demo day happen. Or, if you’re new to the ski market, knowing how to choose the right ski out of all the inventory can feel difficult to sort out.

To help you navigate this wild ski market, we created this guide to help you feel confident in what kind of ski you’ll like, without making it all the out to the ski slope.

Don’t get us wrong—we still think demoing skis is a great way to go and will help you be confident in what you want. Even just one day is valuable, where you can try to get on two or three skis will help you understand what kind of shape and construction you like. But we understand, not everyone has access to those resources, the time, or the cash.

We’ve broken this down into three sections: ski size, ski shape, and ski construction. In each category, you’ll find info separated into green (beginner), blue (intermediate), and black (advanced) level advice (labeled 1, 2, 3). Just like the ski trails. Ski design can get pretty nitty gritty, and not everything is relevant to a first-time ski buyer. Green is perfect for getting the basics and are ski characteristics we think are the most important. Dive in deeper if you feel your ski nerd synapses firing.

Finding the Right Size Ski

You’ll want to start with landing on the right size ski. Skis come in all shapes and sizes for different conditions along with different lengths for different-sized skiers. Winding up in the right ski for where you’re at in your skill level (and being honest with your goals) will set you up for success on the mountain. Before all else, make sure you’re in the right size ski.

1) Choosing Ski Length

Winding up in the right length is crucial for having a good day on the hill. Length is determined by your height, weight, and skill level. Generally, you’re looking for a ski about at your chin to nose as a beginner, your eye-level to the forehead as an intermediate, and top of your head as an advanced skier. If you’re more cautious, go a little shorter. If skiing fast is your jam, a longer ski will be more supportive.

To keep it simple, short skis are easier to turn and control at slower speeds. Longer skis like to go faster, and will be harder to turn. If you’re working on your off-trail game, shorter skis will be easier to whip around in tight terrain like bumps and trees.

Instead of converting your height to centimeters and doing mental math, use our handy ski size calculator to get a recommendation. Size doesn’t need to be perfect, but being in the right ballpark will help immensely.

2) Choosing Ski Width

Ski width is designated by the ski’s “waist width”, or the most narrow part of the ski (right underneath your ski boot). Here’s the skinny: the more narrow you go, the more nimble and suited for on-trail skiing a ski is. Wider is better suited for soft snow conditions.

Arguably, choosing ski width is just as important as length. To have the best time, you’ll want to be on a ski that’s best suited for the terrain and conditions you’re skiing in most of the time. For the most versatility, look for something in the all-mountain range (around to 88mm-102mm underfoot). If you ski on-trail most of the time, go a little more narrow. If you’re looking for more float in soft snow, go wider. Powder skis start around ~112mm, but the wider you go, the harder to carve and less agile they’ll feel.

If you’re looking for more detail, read our choosing ski width guide.

3) Dynamic Ski Length Sizing

This is for the folks who might be adding to their quiver with more niche skis for niche purposes. If you’re purchasing a powder, freeride, or carving/frontside ski, you might consider deviating from your normal sizing.

This comes up most often for soft snow skis. Some skiers prefer to size up their powder ski to increase float in deep snow. The more surface area, the more float. This is a very logical line of thinking, and just depends on the skier and what terrain you’ll be in. Open terrain accomodates the long sweeping turns of a long ski more readily, but may feel bulky to turn in tight chutes or trees. It just depends on where you’ll be skiing that ski.

You might also consider sizing down a carving ski. With less rocker and a significantly less forgiving rocker profile, a shorter ski may provide all the stability you’re looking for. If you’re a more experienced skier and are prioritizing stability, you might stay with your current sizing. Again, it depends on what your goals are, and style of ski you’ll be riding.

Deciding on a Ski Shape

1) Rocker Profiles

It wasn’t that long ago that rocker became mainstream. Older skiers will recognize the skis we call “traditional” as all the skis, while newer skiers will recognize twin-tip skis as more modern shapes. We categorize rocker profiles in roughly three categories: traditional, all-mountain rocker, symmetrical/freeride rocker, and full rocker/reverse camber. Not all skis fit perfectly in a box, but this gives you a rough outline of what each ski will excel in and how it feels on snow. Look at the image below to a compassion of their profiles.

Traditional camber

Traditional skis are best for carving on firm snow. With minimal rocker in the tip and tail, these skis have an elongated effective edge for maximum grip on snow. But, because of that, it’ll be hard to release or initiate a turn outside of that ski’s turn radius. These skis are best for experienced skiers, or folks who spend almost all of their time carving on trail and on firm snow.

All-mountain rocker

These skis have a more modern shape with rocker lines added, but the skis are often still in a “directional” shape, with deeper rocker in the tip and just some rocker at the tail. This gives you more versatility across all terrain types (that’s where the term “all-mountain” comes from), while still having good edge hold for carving on trail. The idea is the best of both worlds. We like these skis for first-time ski owners who want “one ski to do it all”. They’re great for progressing skiers who want something that helps them advance their skills, without punishing them for exploring off-trail.

Symmetrical/Twin-tip rocker

Skis with early rise in the tip and tail are typically the most playful. They’re easier to get sideways and like a skier with a more centered stance. We often recommend these skis for skiers who want to ski backwards or ski in the park. But plenty of skiers who don’t spend time working on their corks enjoy this ski shape. If you ski with a more centered stance and like to slash the ski sideways to avoid an obstacle (like a bump or trees), these skis give you the most maneuverability to do that.

They also work well for beginners, or folks wanting to progress off-trail, because of their maneuverability. But with their rocker lines, sometimes these skis can feel “loose”. If you’re applying more pressure to the front of the ski, sometimes the tails can wash out on firm snow. This is less confidence-inspiring on hard snow conditions.

Full Rocker

Flat camber or full rocker skis are another general ski shape that skiers love for their maneuverability and unique “pivot-y” feel on snow. But they aren’t incredibly popular, for their lack of versatility for newer skiers. When running flat (i.e. not on edge), because there’s just one contact point under your feet, the skis feel quite twitchy and loose. They want to be on edge all the time. More experienced skiers will enjoy them for their unique ride, especially if you like that “drifty” feel, and don’t mind keeping your skis on edge all the time.

2) Rocker Splay + Camber

Not only does a ski designer add rocker, but they determine how much splay that rocker has. Splay refers to the height of the rocker off the snow. As you might imagine, the higher the splay, the more maneuverability. You’ll notice this most in the tail rocker—higher splay means the tails will be even easier to release in tight terrain. In the images below, you can see the tail of the Volkl M7 Mantra on the left and Atomic Bent 100 on the right. If you look closely, the points of contact of where the skis meet the snow are similar, but the Mantra has extremely low splay compared to the Bent’s. The Mantra will give you more maneuverability than if that contact point was closer to the tail, but will be more locked in than skis with more splay.

Camber height is not often discussed in a brand’s ski specs, but can be something to note when checking out a ski. Generally, the higher the camber, the more energetic, springy, and more “rebound” a ski will have. That’s because after being flexed to flat, the ski’s camber rebounds to its natural state, giving you more pop as you come out of a turn. If a ski is “poppy”, there’s a good chance there’s a good amount of camber in there. Some good examples of high-camber skis are the Atomic Bent 100 and the Black Crows Camox.

3) Taper + Sidecut

Ski sidecut is sort of the black magic wizard-y in ski design. Most skiers don’t need to worry too much about this, but for the ski nerds out there, here’s some basic info on analyzing a ski’s sidecut and taper, and what that means on snow.

The smaller the radius, the tighter the turn the ski generally likes to make when on edge. The longer the radius, the longer, more sweeping turns the ski likes to make. Shorter radius skis have pronounced sidecuts, with large differences between their tip/tail width and waist width, while longer radius turns are often considered more “straight” looking.

When it comes to taper, taper refers to the actual location of the widest point of the tip and tail. Is it closer to the ends, or the midfoot of the ski? Skis with more taper are more surfy and will float more easily in soft snow. Skis with limited taper (closer to the ends of the ski) are often more precise, and less forgiving. A good example of this is the Salomon QST series, with its deep taper lines. This ski is known for its easy, loose turning, but is not the most precise for skiing on hard snow.

Choosing Ski Construction

1) Flex

Finding the right flex is the most important when shopping for your first ski. Don’t feel the need to dive deep into what wood is the best wood or if it has Magic Carbon Fingers or VibeStop. Focus on whether it’s soft flexing or stiff.

Soft skis are more forgiving and easier to turn in tricky situations. As a result, they’re usually less shock-absorbant and don’t do as well at high speeds or pushing through choppy snow. Stiff skis are more stable at speed and push through challenging snow conditions, but require more input to engage. If a ski is too stiff, it has a habit of skiing you.

For beginners and intermediates, the answer is normally somewhere in the medium-soft range. A ski that’s a little softer at the tip and tails, but stiffer in the midfoot (under your boot), will give you the best of both worlds. Stiffness where you need it, but more forgiving ends for navigating tight terrain and maintaining control. Of course, your terrain plays into this too. If you ski on firm snow and hard ice conditions more often, going stiffer will often feel more confidence-inspiring, even if you’re entry-level.

2) Weight

After you’ve skied for some time, you might have a better idea of what kind of weight you like in a ski. Lightweight always sounds better (less work, right?), but can sometimes not provide the right amount of support depending on the conditions you’re skiing. That said, light skis are more agile, flickable, and quicker in tight terrain. They are, also, less work on the legs for bell-to-bell days.

Just know the pros and cons of which direction you go in. Heavier skis will give you better performance at speed and feel more planted in tough snow conditions like chop or firm trails. Lightweight skis will give you more agility, at the expense of some stability.

3) Materials

Wood type

Wood type is an obvious one, but most manufacturers can tweak the flex of a wood core based on thickness and how it is layered in the ski. Of course, some wood types have different properties. You’ll find most all-mountain skis focus on poplar for its balance of liveliness and reasonable weight. If you see something like beech, or maple, those are often stiffer woods. Aspen is light and fairly bendy, and pawlonia is a very light wood often used in touring skis. You’ll often see designers layering strips of different woods to create a balanced flex (softer towards the ends, stiffer underfoot), like Blizzard’s True Blend design.

Damping agents

You’ll also see a variety of “damping” materials, like metal, carbon, and varieties of rubber and natural materials like flax. These materials help keep a ski planted and smooth riding when conditions are tough or you’re hitting higher speeds.

Metal is stiff, adds weight, and gives you great rigidity through the ski for better torsional stiffness. Carbon adds pop, liveliness, and some dampening without the weight penalty of metal. Rubbers are typically heavier but very damp. These feel the most shock absorbent and “damp”, but can make a ski ride on the more “planted” side. Materials like cork and flax are a more sustainable alternative, are lighter, and offer good dampness without losing too much energy.

You may not seek out a ski with a certain material, but this should help guide you on to how these different materials provide different “snow feels”. Most of us would still prioritize shape and general flex compared to seeking out a specific material.

Bottom Line

The most essential thing to know while shopping for skis is what your goals are. Do you want to ski fast and take long turns? Go for something stiffer, longer, and maybe with a straighter sidecut. Are you more of a quick turner, and like an intuitive ride that works across the mountain? Look for a versatile shape, with carbon and lots of camber. Are you a freeride skier, looking for side hits and places to slash snow up in the air? Look for a twin-tip style ski with lots of dampening and a stiff-ish flex to support landings.

If you’re honest with your goals, skill level, and where you ski, you’ll fall into the right ski for you.

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