How to choose cross-country skis for your height?

Active recreation on the snow has a lot of advantages, every year a huge number of adults and children go snowboarding and skiing. The most favorable and less dangerous is the use of skis, and therefore it is important to be able to choose the right equipment. To quickly learn to ride, ride easily and not get injured, you need to choose cross-country skis according to your height.

Skiing is a fun, but rather difficult activity for which you need to master certain techniques, learn how to perform basic elements, after which you can try skiing on the slopes. To make the learning process as convenient, simple and fast as possible, it is very important to choose the right equipment. Of greatest importance is the length of the skis, which is selected individually, taking into account different characteristics.

The choice of length is made based on the type of riding that the athlete will master. Allocate:

• ridge;
• classical;
• combined options.

If an athlete will master the skating course, in which it is supposed to advance with a herringbone, as when skating, then the skis must be stiff. In the classic version, the skier moves, rearranging his legs parallel to each other, in this case, the skis are used more flexible. In the combined form of riding, both types of movement are used, therefore the equipment must be appropriate.

As soon as the athlete has decided on the discipline that he wants to master, it is necessary to choose skis in accordance with his anthropometric data. The most indicative is the height of the skier, the second criterion will be his weight.To determine the optimal ski length, it is necessary to place the equipment next to the person. For the classic version, the skis should be 20-30 cm higher than the athlete, and 15 cm for the skating one. This method is suitable for amateurs who do not plan to go down high slides or ride long distances.

More experienced athletes need to use the table in which the length of the equipment has already been calculated in accordance with the different types of skiing and the height of the skier.

If for men it is necessary to add 5-10 cm to the height in order to obtain the optimal ski length, respectively, with an increase of 160-165, the height of the ski will be 180-185 cm, and with an increase of 170-180, the height will be 180-190 cm, then for women this figure is slightly higher and is 10-15 cm. In order not to be mistaken, and to purchase or rent high-quality and correct equipment, it is better to ask the advice of a professional who will accurately determine the necessary equipment. Beginners are advised not to use skis that are too long; their length should not interfere with learning the basics of technology.

The longer the skis, the more difficult it is for a beginner to enter a turn, maintain balance and complete the coach's task. Beginners should buy or rent not too expensive equipment, as there is always a risk of an unsuccessful fall and breakage of equipment, which costs a lot of money. More experienced athletes must choose their ski length, short equipment will not allow them to gain optimal speed, which is important for downhill skiing and passing the distance for a while.

When planning a family trip to a ski resort, it is worth taking care of equipment not only for adults, but also for children, since the length of the skis for them will differ significantly from the adult equipment. In order to independently identify children's skis in the store, you should look for goods labeled "Junior", which will tell inexperienced skiers where is children's and where is adult's equipment.

The length of the skis will vary according to the height of the young skier. The size of the equipment for preschoolers should correspond to the height of the child himself, since at this age only skiing is mastered, which is most convenient to do on short skis. For younger students, it is also not worth buying equipment that is too large, its size should be about 5 cm larger than the height of the skier. Skis for middle school children and adolescents should be long enough to ensure comfortable use and learning different types of riding.

To choose cross-country skis for a child's height, you must use the same parameters as for an adult. The size for children looks like this.

For beginners, there is a simpler classification, in which children, up to one meter tall, need to choose equipment equal to their height, those with a height of 110 cm add 5 cm to the length of the ski, for children 125 cm tall, add 10 cm, teenagers with a height of 140 cm need to add 20 cm, and young athletes with a height of 150 cm need to add 30 cm to the total length of skis in order to get comfortable and safe equipment for skiing.