Ski Pole Length Calculator

For ski touring and freeride they are close to essential: you can lengthen them for flat approaches, shorten them for steep skin tracks, and drop them 5 to 10 cm for the descent. For pure piste skiing a fixed-length pole is the better buy, since it is lighter, stiffer and has no locking mechanism to slip or ice up. Travellers who share one pair between family members are the other group who benefit from adjustables.

The same 90-degree elbow rule applies: with the grip in hand and the tip on the ground, the forearm should be parallel to the floor. Children's poles are sold in small steps from about 70 cm, so size for the child's height now rather than buying room to grow, because an oversized pole forces the hands up and ruins balance. Many instructors keep young beginners without poles entirely until they can link parallel turns.

Yes, if you regularly ski deep snow. A standard 5 cm piste basket slices straight through soft powder, so the pole gives no support for pole plants or for pushing yourself up after a fall. Powder baskets of 8 to 11 cm diameter fix that, and on most modern poles the baskets simply screw or click off, so you can swap them in seconds.

Mogul skiers usually size down around 5 cm from their alpine length, similar to park skiers. In bumps you ski in a lower, absorbing stance and need very quick, light pole touches down the fall line, and a shorter pole keeps your hands forward and swings faster. Competitive mogul skiers often go shorter still.

Not on day one. Most instructors start first-timers without poles so they can concentrate on stance, balance and edge control. Poles become genuinely useful once you are linking turns: they give each turn its timing signal and help you push along flat sections and lift lines. When you do buy a pair, correct length matters more for a beginner than for anyone else, because an overlong pole tips you into the back seat.

Slightly too short. A pole that is too long pushes your hands up and your weight back onto your heels, the classic back-seat position. A slightly short pole keeps your hands low and your mass centred over the skis. If the formula puts you between two 5 cm sizes, round down for piste, moguls and park, and round up only if powder is your priority.

You do not need to. Ski boots add roughly 4 to 5 cm of height, but on the mountain the pole tip and basket sink a similar amount into the snow, so the two effects largely cancel out. That is why height times 0.70 in bare feet, or the shop test in street shoes, translates accurately to real skiing.

No. Cross-country poles are dramatically longer: about 83% of body height for classic and 89% for skate, versus 70% for alpine, which means a 20 to 35 cm difference for a 175 cm skier. They are also far lighter, with small asymmetric baskets and harness-style straps built for a propulsive push rather than a quick plant. Short alpine poles on a nordic track kill your glide.