Home / Ski size by height / 5 ft 8 in
5'8" · 173 cm · 3 brand charts
Ski length for a 5 ft 8 in skier
For a five-foot-eight skier (173 cm), the evo, K2, Faction charts all include 170 cm for an intermediate skier and between them run 160–180 cm. Beginners read 158–180 cm; advanced and expert skiers 160–183 cm. Put plainly: one hundred seventy-three centimetres of skier, and one hundred seventy centimetres as the shortest intermediate length every chart includes.
- 1Skier 5'8" · 173 cm
- 2Intermediate 160–180 cm
- 3Advanced, all charts 160–183 cm
Each chart for a five-foot-eight skier
| Ability | evo | K2 | Faction | All charts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 160 cm | 158–168 cm | 160–180 cm | 158–180 cm |
| Intermediate | 170 cm | 168–174 cm | 160–180 cm | 160–180 cm |
| Advanced / expert | 178 cm | 172–183 cm | 160–180 cm | 160–183 cm |
Rows read for five-foot-eight: evo 5'8"; K2 5'8"; Faction 170 cm and 175 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-eight skier, evo reads shortest and K2 longest. The charts meet at a single length, 170 cm, which every one of them prints or includes. The spread is widest at the advanced level, 160–183 cm from the shortest to the longest reading.
evo prints a row for exactly 5'8", with one length per ability rather than a range. K2 prints a row for exactly 5'8", and gives a range for each ability, with two advanced columns: a playful skier and a charger. Faction lists heights in centimetres every 5; 173 cm falls between its 170 cm and 175 cm rows, which together give 160–180 cm, one range for all abilities.
Against a five-foot-eight skier's own height, evo's intermediate length sits 3 cm below 173 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-eight skier:
- Powder or freeride: K2 adds 2 to 5 cm, which turns 170 cm into about 172–175 cm.
- Park or groomers: K2 takes 2 to 5 cm off, about 165–168 cm.
- Heavier than average for five-foot-eight: K2 adds 1 to 3 cm (171–173 cm); evo and Faction also say to go longer.
- Lighter than average: K2 takes 1 to 3 cm off (167–169 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-eight
Two inches shorter, a five-foot-six skier, the intermediate readings run 155–175 cm, sharing 165 cm. Two inches taller, a five-foot-ten skier, they run 165–185 cm, sharing 175 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-eight 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-eight rider
- Bike frame size for 5 ft 8 in
- Snowboard size by weight
- Kayak size by weight
- Paddleboard size by weight
- Backpack size by trip length
Heights near five-foot-eight
5 ft 2 in · 5 ft 4 in · 5 ft 6 in · 5 ft 10 in · 6 ft · 6 ft 2 in · all heights
Guide: how ski length changes with ability · size every category at once