Kids’ Ski Size Chart: Skis, Ski Boots, Snowboards and Poles

The first time we bought skis for Cy, he was 3. We walked into a little mom-and-pop ski shop, but there was a problem: I’m a snowboarder. I had absolutely no idea where to even start with ski sizing.

The folks behind the counter could not have been kinder. They walked us through all of it, piece by piece. If they hadn’t been there, we would have walked out with completely wrong gear, sent him down the mountain anyway, and it probably would have been a total disaster.

So this guide is for walking in with some idea of what’s going on. It is not a replacement for those shops. Use the charts below to get close, then let your local shop get you the rest of the way. They’re really helpful, and really kind.

Below are the four charts we use: skis by height and weight, ski boots by foot length, snowboards by weight, and poles by height. Every number comes from a named retailer or a manufacturer’s listed specs, cited under each table. Cy is 5 now, Oren is 2, and we still measure both of them every fall.

Jump to: Skis | Ski boots | Snowboards | Poles

Kids’ Ski Size Chart by Height and Weight

Kids’ skis are sized by height first and weight second. The quick rule from evo, a ski shop with stores in Denver, Seattle and Salt Lake City: a kid’s skis should come up somewhere between their chest and their nose.

Source: evo, How to Choose Kids’ Skis & Kids’ Ski Size Chart. evo bases each height and weight on the 50th percentile for that age, so treat the age column as a rough guide. Size off your kid’s actual height and weight.

How to Size Kids’ Skis (Chest or Nose?)

Measure your kid’s height and weight, find the height on the chart, and read across to the ski length range. Then pick which end of the range fits your kid.

Go shorter, closer to the chest, if your kid:

• Is a beginner or a cautious skier
• Is light for their height
• Likes short, quick turns and rarely skis fast

Go longer, closer to the nose, if your kid:

• Skis fast and aggressively
• Is heavy for their height
• Needs a little room to grow (a little, see below)

Between two heights? Use weight as the tiebreaker. Light for their height means the shorter size. Heavy for their height means the longer one.

Real talk on sizing up: we get the temptation. Kids grow like it’s their job. But evo specifically recommends against sizing kids’ skis much bigger than the chart’s range, and it puts beginners at the short end for a reason. Boots and jackets can have growing room. Skis mostly can’t.

Kids’ Ski Boot Size Chart (Mondopoint)

Ski boots use a system called Mondopoint, and it might be the easiest sizing system in all of kid gear. The Mondo size is the length of the foot in centimeters. A foot that measures 18.5 cm wears a size 18.5 boot. That’s it. That’s the whole system.

If you only know your kid’s shoe size, this chart gets you close.

Source: evo, Ski Boots Size Chart & Mondopoint Conversion. evo calls the shoe-to-Mondo conversion approximate, and so do we. Shoe sizes vary by brand, which is why we built a whole kids’ shoe size chart by brand.

How to Measure Your Kid’s Mondopoint Size at Home

1. Stand your kid with their heel against a wall.
2. Measure from the wall to the tip of their longest toe, in centimeters.
3. No metric tape? Measure in inches and multiply by 2.54.
4. That number is their Mondopoint size.

If you already trace feet for shoes (here’s our heel-and-toe method), you’ve done the hard part.

For beginners, evo recommends a boot close to the measured Mondo size or slightly larger. New boot liners compress and feel roomier after a few days of skiing, so a boot that feels snug in the shop isn’t automatically too small.

What doesn’t work: guessing from shoe size and calling it good. Skiing asks a lot more of a boot than walking does, which is evo’s whole case for measuring instead. If growth is the worry, look at adjustable kids’ boots, which some season rental programs (evo’s included) build in.

Kids’ Snowboard Size Chart by Weight

Kids’ snowboards are sized by rider weight, and every brand sets its own ranges. Here’s what two beginner kids’ boards sold at REI list for recommended rider weight.

Source: recommended rider weights from REI’s listings for the Burton Mini Grom Rocker (2026/2027) and the Arbor Cavet (2025/2026) kids’ snowboards. Notice how differently the two brands set their ranges. That’s why you check the numbers for the exact board you’re buying, or ask the shop.

REI lists both as soft-flexing, all-mountain kids’ boards. One more thing worth knowing before you shop: the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that snowboarders wear gloves with built-in wrist guards. We get into that in our mittens vs. gloves guide.

Kids’ Ski Pole Size Chart

Poles are the easy one. Flip a pole upside down and have your kid grab it right under the basket. If their elbow sits at about 90 degrees, the length is right. No poles handy? Measure from their hand to the floor with the elbow bent at 90 degrees, then add about 2 inches.

Source: evo, How to Choose Ski Pole Length & Ski Pole Size Chart. The overlap in the two shortest rows is in evo’s chart. evo also points to adjustable poles for kids who grow fast.

Here’s a surprise: you don’t have to buy the exact right pole length for the next five years. Some brands run grow-with-me programs. Grass Sticks, a pole maker in Steamboat, Colorado, sells bamboo Kids Sticks (42 inches or shorter) that you can exchange for a new length up to five times for a small fee. Buy the size that fits now, swap it when your kid shoots up, and skip the guessing.

Our Rules for Sizing Kids’ Ski Gear

• Measure the kid, not the age. Every chart above lists heights and weights for a reason.
• Re-measure every fall. Last season’s numbers are fiction by November.
• Skis stay inside the range. Boots go close to the measured Mondo size, or slightly larger for beginners.
• Get the bindings checked. The AAP says ski bindings should be adjusted at least every year.
• Helmets, every run. The AAP recommends helmets for all skiers and snowboarders.
• Book a lesson. The AAP recommends kids learn from a qualified instructor in a program built for children.

And when in doubt, go see your local shop. The people who walked us through Cy’s first setup taught us more than any chart could. These charts get you close. They get you the rest of the way.

And dress them right under all that gear. Our guide to layering kids for cold weather covers everything that goes on before the ski boots do.

Frequently Asked Questions About Kids’ Ski Sizing

Sources: How to Choose Kids’ Skis & Kids’ Ski Size Chart (evo); Ski Boots Size Chart & Mondopoint Conversion (evo); Ski Pole Size Chart (evo); Burton Mini Grom Rocker Snowboard, Kids’ 2026/2027 (REI); Arbor Cavet Snowboard, Kids 2025/2026 (REI); Playing Outside in Winter: Tips to Keep Kids Warm & Safe (American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org).