Skis: Types, How to Choose Them and Where to Rent Them

Skis are the two long, narrow boards that, attached to your boots by bindings, let you glide over the snow and turn by pressing on their steel edges. But there's no single type of ski: some are designed for carving turns on groomed piste, others for floating in powder, climbing mountains with skins or gliding along cross-country trails. In this guide you'll see the types of skis that exist, how to choose the length based on your level, height and weight, what turn radius and width mean, and when it's worth renting instead of buying.

Types of Skis: Which One Suits the Way You Ski

Almost everything skied at a resort is alpine skiing: descending the slopes with the boot held to the ski at the toe and the heel. Ski touring and cross-country use their own equipment.

Piste or Carving Skis

Designed for groomed snow. They have a narrow waist (the area under the boot), roughly between 65 and 80 mm, and edges that bite well on hard snow. There are two variants: short-radius skis, for tight, quick turns, and long-radius skis, for wide turns at higher speed. They are the most common rental skis in Spain and Andorra.

All-Mountain Skis (Versatile)

The "one pair for everything" ski. They usually have a waist of about 80 to 100 mm and a hybrid profile: camber underfoot for grip on piste and rocker in the tip so they don't sink in soft snow. They work on piste, in spring snow and on the odd off-piste stretch: the safest choice if conditions change.

Freeride and Powder Skis

Their waist is over 100 mm and they have pronounced rocker to float in deep snow. On hard piste they are less precise and it takes more effort to switch from one edge to the other. They are designed for advanced skiers. Remember that off-piste skiing requires safety equipment (avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe) and knowing the terrain or going with a guide.

Touring and Ski Mountaineering (Skimo) Skis

They are light and come with bindings that free the heel for climbing and lock for the descent. For the ascent, skins are stuck to the base; they grip backwards and glide forwards. The boots are specific too, with a walk mode. Race models are very narrow and light; descent-oriented touring models are wider and heavier.

Freestyle or Park Skis

They have a raised tip and tail (twin tip) so you can ski backwards and land in both directions, a softer flex and a more centred binding. They're for the snowpark, jumps and features.

Cross-Country (Nordic) Skis

Long, very narrow and light, with a binding that only holds the toe. They are used on trails with two techniques: classic, in tracks, and skate skiing. If you're interested, read our guide to getting started in cross-country skiing.

How to Choose Skis Based on Your Level, Height and Weight

To choose a good pair of skis, the order of importance is this: first your level and the terrain you'll be skiing, then your weight and, finally, your height. Height is a reference for length, but weight is what actually flexes the ski. This rule of thumb applies to piste and all-mountain skis:

Adjustments worth making to that table:

• Weight: if you weigh more than usual for your height, go up about 5 cm; if you weigh less, go down.
• Style: if you like short turns and skiing at a relaxed pace, stay at the lower end of the range; if you ski fast and make long turns, go for the upper end.
• Rocker: a ski with a lot of rocker behaves like a shorter one, which is why freeride skis are chosen longer.
• Kids: as a reference, between chest and nose, shorter the lower their level.

Men's, Women's and Kids' Skis

Women's skis are usually lighter, with a softer flex and, on some models, a binding mounted slightly further forward. Even so, weight and level are what count, not the label. Kids change size every season, which is why almost every family rents.

Ski Radius, Width and Profile: What the Numbers Mean

• Dimensions: skis show three measurements in millimetres (tip, waist and tail). The middle one is the waist width: the narrower it is, the faster you switch from edge to edge and the better it grips on hard snow; the wider it is, the more it floats.
• Turn radius: in metres. Below about 14 m, the ski wants short turns; between 14 and 18 m it's versatile; above 18 m it prefers long turns and speed.
• Profile: camber (the arch underfoot) gives grip and responsiveness on piste; rocker (raised tips) makes turning and floating easier; hybrid profiles combine both.
• Stiffness and construction: soft skis forgive mistakes at low speed; stiff ones, often with metal layers, are more stable at high speed but demand more technique.

Boots, Bindings and Poles

Boots affect your day more than the skis themselves. They should hold your heel with no play; standing up, your toes brush the front of the boot, and when you flex your ankle they pull back slightly. Beginners, soft and comfortable boots; advanced skiers, stiffer ones. Wear a single ski sock.

Bindings are adjusted by a technician according to your weight, height, age, level and the boot sole length (the so-called DIN setting, standardised by ISO 11088). Don't adjust them yourself. For poles, turn them upside down, grip them under the basket and check that your elbow is more or less at a right angle. And don't forget a helmet: we explain how to choose one in our ski helmet guide, and you can rent it with the rest of your equipment in ski helmets.

Buy or Rent Skis?

Renting skis is worth it if:

• You ski a few days per season or you're still learning.
• You're flying and don't want to check in your equipment.
• You ski with kids or want to try different types before deciding.
• You'd rather not deal with maintenance: rental equipment comes waxed, with sharpened edges and checked bindings.

Buying is worth it if you ski many days a year, have a defined level and style and it's worth it to you to look after the equipment. If you buy, wax every few days of use, sharpen the edges when they lose grip and store them dry. For guidance, see the selection of skis of the season.

Well-known brands: Atomic, Fischer, Head and Blizzard (Austria), Rossignol, Salomon and Dynastar (France), Völkl (Germany), K2 (USA) and Elan (Slovenia). See Atomic skis.

Ski Rental by Level: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced

When you rent skis you don't choose a specific model, but a tier based on your level, and the shop assigns you the right pair for your measurements:

• Beginner: short, soft skis that are easy to turn, with comfortable boots. For your first days and for anyone still skiing in a snowplough.
• Intermediate: more stable piste or all-mountain skis, for skiers who already link parallel turns on blue and red runs.
• Advanced: higher-performance tiers, stiffer and more precise at speed, for skiers who are comfortable on red and black runs.

Here's how it works: you book online, choosing the resort, dates and level; when you pick up, the shop adjusts the length, bindings and boots to your height, weight and level, with no paperwork queues. Give your real weight and level: whether the binding releases when it should depends on it. If the boot hurts, ask to change it that same day. You can add a helmet and snow clothing in the same booking.

Where to Rent Skis: Spain, Andorra, Chile and Argentina

Spain and Andorra

• Ski Rental in Sierra Nevada (more options in Sierra Nevada).
• Ski Rental in Baqueira Beret (all of Baqueira).
• Ski Rental in Formigal (Formigal-Panticosa).
• Ski Rental in La Molina (La Molina).
• Ski Rental in El Tarter, Andorra, in the Grandvalira sector.

Chile

• Ski Rental in Santiago, so you head up fully equipped.
• Ski Rental in Valle Nevado and transfer from Santiago to Valle Nevado.
• Snow Clothing Rental in Santiago and everything else in Santiago de Chile.

Argentina

• Ski Rental in Cerro Catedral and snow clothing in Cerro Catedral.
• Lessons, transfers and more in Bariloche.

Frequently Asked Questions About Skis

Is the Spanish Plural "Esquís" or "Esquíes"?

Both forms are correct according to the RAE (Royal Spanish Academy): the plural of "esquí" can be "esquís" or "esquíes". The most widely used is "esquís". In the singular it's "el esquí" or "un esquí". Writing it without the accent, "esquis" or "esqui", is very common in searches, but the correct spelling has the accent.

What Is a Ski?

In Spanish the correct form is "un esquí" (a masculine word) and, in the plural, "unos esquís". A ski is each of the two long, narrow boards attached to your boots so you can glide over the snow. The same word also names the sport: "doing skiing" or "going skiing".

How Do I Choose a Good Pair of Skis?

Start with the type based on where you ski (piste, all mountain, freeride), then the tier based on your level and, finally, the length: to the chin if you're a beginner, between chin and nose if you're intermediate and longer if you're advanced, adjusting for your weight. If you only ski a few days a year, renting lets you always have the right ski for your level without buying it.

What Is Alpine Skiing?

It's resort skiing: descending the slopes with the boot held at the toe and heel and going up on the lifts. In racing it includes slalom, giant slalom and downhill.

How Many Types of Skis Are There?

Six main ones: piste or carving, all mountain, freeride, touring, freestyle and cross-country. In rental, the usual options are piste and all mountain by level.