Buyer’s guide

Length at the chin, or about 10 to 15 cm below your height. A carving or frontside width of 78 to 88 mm, which is where most rental skis sit, with a short 13 to 14 m radius, a little tip and tail rocker over traditional camber, and a soft flex. Wood cores give more life than foam; either is fine for a first ski.

Flex in the 60 to 80 range for men and 50 to 60 for women, at your measured Mondopoint or slightly longer. Do not buy the roomiest boot in the store because it feels best in the shop; liners pack out and every boot gets looser. Boots come before skis.

See the snowboard section: soft flex, rocker or flat profile, a true twin.

Buying skis first and boots last. Sizing boots for shop comfort. Choosing a stiff expert ski because it was on sale.

The same chin-to-nose length and frontside width as a first-timer, with a short radius so the ski turns on its own. Lighter, no-metal constructions suit cruisers who never push into refrozen chop; the trade is less grip when the groomers turn to ice, which is worth a conversation on the floor before buying.

A beginner-to-intermediate flex and a fit chosen for warmth and ease of entry. Softer boots forgive imperfect technique. If your feet run cold, ask about insulated liners and heated socks before sizing up.

Being talked into a two-sheet-metal ski meant for speed. Choosing a 130 flex boot for status.

A relatively soft flex so the sidecut engages with little effort, in a frontside width, sized chin to nose. Lighter skis reward the athletic skier who now prefers to take it easier; demo before buying.

Look at ease of entry and exit first: rear-entry designs, wide-opening shells and walk modes make a difference on a cold morning. Padded, insulated liners and grippy walkable soles matter. Nordica’s HF rear-entry line (102 mm, flex 75 to 120) and Sportmachine (102 mm with a soft-flap entry) and Atomic’s Hawx Magna 100 (102 mm) are built for this. No maker publishes an age-specific flex; use the weight table and go softer.

Riders with joint concerns tend to do better on a softer, forgiving profile than on full camber.

Assuming the boot that was right at 40 is right at 65. Skipping the demo.

Chin-to-nose length, 80 to 95 mm for Eastern snow, a 16 to 20 m all-round radius, moderate stiffness for stability at speed, a stronger wood core and sidewall construction, and a hybrid rocker-camber profile. Metal is optional: it adds damping and edge hold on ice, not much weight, and some intermediates prefer it.

Flex 85 to 100 for men and 65 to 80 for women, and a closer fit than the first pair. This is the stage where a proper footbed pays for itself.

Staying on a chin-height beginner ski and a soft boot after the technique has moved on. Assuming metal is required.

Nose-to-head length or longer, 88 to 102 mm, a full range of rocker profiles with rocker-camber-rocker the most common, and one or two sheets of Titanal at the top end for damping and grip.

Flex 110 to 120 for men and 85 to 100 for women, downsized in length and volume with a fitter. Stiffer is not better: a 2,510-skier poll found 39 percent in 130-plus boots and the editors questioned whether most need them.

Stiffer directional or directional-twin boards; see the snowboard section.

Chasing the 130 flex. Going wide for one powder day a year.

For an Eastern skier a 95 to 105 mm daily driver or a 105 to 110 mm powder-day ski; the broad sweet spot for dedicated powder skis is 105 to 120 mm. Tip and tail rocker for float and easy release, a radius over 22 m, and a longer length than the chart to offset the rocker.

A touring-capable boot with a walk mode and tech inserts if the skin track is part of the plan; the Atomic Hawx XTD, Salomon Shift Alpha and Nordica Unlimited all keep a 98 to 99 mm downhill fit.

Stiffer, longer, directional boards with setback stance float best.

Buying a 112 mm ski as the only ski in New Hampshire.

Under 80 to 82 mm, a radius under 16 m, sized shorter than an all-mountain ski, with camber underfoot and metal for edge hold when the groomers refreeze.

A performance fit on a narrow or medium last, downsized with the fitter, and a flex at the top of your band.

Full camber and a stiff boot are what hold an edge on hardpack.

Buying an all-mountain ski for a skier who never leaves the groomers.

Length between the chest and the nose: chest for beginners, cautious or light kids, nose for confident ones. No more than about 10 cm over the suggested length for growth. If the child is at the top of a binding’s DIN range, the binding gets upgraded with the skis.

Fit for the current season. Oversized boots bought for growth are the most common reason a child cannot steer.

A short, soft, forgiving board; the Lincoln counter rents snowboard packages for kids.

Buying two sizes up. Hand-me-down boots with packed-out liners.

Discipline and age class set the ski. Rough lengths: U8 slalom 100 to 120 cm and GS 120 to 130; U10 SL 115 to 130 and GS 125 to 140; U12 SL 130 to 140 and GS 135 to 150; U14 SL 140 to 150 (130 minimum) and GS 150 to 170; U16 SL 150 to 165 and GS 170 to 183. US Ski & Snowboard sets a 130 cm slalom minimum and a 188 cm GS maximum with a 17 m minimum radius for U14 and U16, and a 50 mm stand-height limit. Bindings must match the plate. On used gear, check binding indemnification and boot-sole compatibility, because rule changes retire old equipment.

Junior race flex by age: U8 60 to 65, U10 65 to 70, U12 70 to 90, U14 90 to 110, U16 110 to 130, on a race last. Fit for this season, not next.

A full-height GS ski for a U10. A 130 flex boot on a 100 lb U14. Skipping the plate-to-binding check.

Women’s skis are usually lighter, softer and shorter, with the mount point a centimeter or so forward; lengths can run 20 cm shorter than a men’s chart. A strong female skier can ski a men’s ski without penalty.

The real differences are a shorter cuff that sits below the widest point of the calf, more cuff flare and a narrower heel pocket. Flex needs track weight and strength more than gender; a women’s advanced boot runs about 105 to 115 against a men’s 120 to 130. Warmer liners are mostly marketing. Above about a 27.5 Mondo, or for a stiffer flex, a unisex boot is often the better fit.

Assuming a women’s boot is just a softer men’s boot, or that every woman needs one.