Home / Ski size by height / 5 ft 6 in
5'6" · 168 cm · 3 brand charts
Ski length for a 5 ft 6 in skier
For a five-foot-six skier (168 cm), the evo, K2, Faction charts all include 165 cm for an intermediate skier and between them run 155–175 cm. Beginners read 148–175 cm; advanced and expert skiers 155–183 cm. Put plainly: one hundred sixty-eight centimetres of skier, and one hundred sixty-five centimetres as the shortest intermediate length every chart includes.
- 1Skier 5'6" · 168 cm
- 2Intermediate 155–175 cm
- 3Advanced, all charts 155–183 cm
Each chart for a five-foot-six skier
| Ability | evo | K2 | Faction | All charts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 155 cm | 148–168 cm | 155–175 cm | 148–175 cm |
| Intermediate | 165 cm | 158–174 cm | 155–175 cm | 155–175 cm |
| Advanced / expert | 173 cm | 163–183 cm | 155–175 cm | 155–183 cm |
Rows read for five-foot-six: evo 5'6"; K2 5'4" and 5'8"; Faction 165 cm and 170 cm. Charts: evo men's ski size chart, K2 ski sizing guide, Faction skis size guide. Last checked 2026-10-20.
Where the brands agree and where they do not
For an intermediate five-foot-six skier, evo reads shortest and K2 longest. The charts meet at a single length, 165 cm, which every one of them prints or includes. The spread is widest at the advanced level, 155–183 cm from the shortest to the longest reading.
evo prints a row for exactly 5'6", with one length per ability rather than a range. K2 prints a row every 4 inches; 5'6" sits between its 5'4" and 5'8" rows, so this page spans both rows' values rather than guessing a point between them. Faction lists heights in centimetres every 5; 168 cm falls between its 165 cm and 170 cm rows, which together give 155–175 cm, one range for all abilities.
Against a five-foot-six skier's own height, evo's intermediate length sits 3 cm below 168 cm, and its beginner length 13 cm below it. evo and K2 both start from a ski that lands between the chin and the top of the head; Faction starts nearer the nose or eyebrows. K2 then splits it by ability: beginners at chin height or shorter, intermediates between chin and nose, advanced skiers near or above head height.
Adjusting for terrain, weight and speed
The brands move the chart answer for how and where you ski. Applied to the intermediate window for a five-foot-six skier:
- Powder or freeride: K2 adds 2 to 5 cm, which turns 165 cm into about 167–170 cm.
- Park or groomers: K2 takes 2 to 5 cm off, about 160–163 cm.
- Heavier than average for five-foot-six: K2 adds 1 to 3 cm (166–168 cm); evo and Faction also say to go longer.
- Lighter than average: K2 takes 1 to 3 cm off (162–164 cm).
- Tip rocker: evo says a ski with significant tip rocker can be sized longer; K2 says more camber suggests shorter.
Either side of five-foot-six
Two inches shorter, a five-foot-four skier, the intermediate readings run 150–170 cm, sharing 160 cm. Two inches taller, a five-foot-eight skier, they run 160–180 cm, sharing 170 cm. Between rows the answer only changes where a chart prints a new row, which is why some neighbouring heights read the same.
For a five-foot-six skier these are the brands' published starting points, not a fitting. A specific ski's own size run, your boots and a shop fitting decide the final length. Last checked 2026-10-20; see the methodology.
Other gear for a five-foot-six rider
- Bike frame size for 5 ft 6 in
- Snowboard size by weight
- Kayak size by weight
- Paddleboard size by weight
- Backpack size by trip length
Heights near five-foot-six
5 ft · 5 ft 2 in · 5 ft 4 in · 5 ft 8 in · 5 ft 10 in · 6 ft · all heights
Guide: how ski length changes with ability · size every category at once