Women's Skis: How They Differ from Unisex Skis, by the Numbers
Are women's skis really different, or just a different color? We compared 348 women's ski models with the men's and unisex ones on width, length and price.
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Walk into a ski shop and the women's wall usually looks different: other names, other graphics, often lower prices. But how different are the skis themselves? We compared the 348 women's ski models in our catalog with the 1,379 sold as unisex and the 267 sold as men's.
The numbers side by side
| Women's | Unisex | Men's | |
| Models | 348 | 1,379 | 267 |
| Typical waist width | 92 mm | 96 mm | 96 mm |
| Typical shortest size | 153 cm | 164 cm | 166 cm |
| Typical longest size | 171 cm | 185 cm | 186 cm |
| Typical list price | $800 | $899 | $829 |
"Typical" is the middle value of each group. Length figures are the shortest and longest sizes each model comes in.
What's different
- Shorter size runs. This is the biggest difference. The typical women's ski starts at 153 cm and tops out at 171 cm. The typical unisex ski runs from 164 to 185 cm. For a shorter skier, that alone can decide it: many unisex models simply don't come short enough.
- A little narrower. The typical women's ski is 92 mm underfoot, against 96 mm for unisex and men's skis. Of the women's models with a listed width, 42% are under 90 mm and 23% are 100 mm or wider. Among unisex skis it's 31% and 43%.
- Slightly cheaper. The typical women's ski lists at $800, against $899 for unisex and $829 for men's.
Makers also often build women's skis lighter, or with a softer flex for a given length, so they bend more easily for lighter skiers. That's not something we can measure across the whole catalog, so check the details of each model.
Do you need a women's ski?
Not necessarily. The label tells you who a ski was designed around, not who's allowed to ski it. A practical way to decide:
- Find your length first. If your ideal length is under about 160 cm, women's models give you far more choice. Our ski size chart explains how to choose.
- Then choose the width for where you ski, as you would with any ski. Our guide to how to choose skis has the widths by terrain.
- Compare stiffness to your weight and level. Lighter skiers often get on better with a women's ski at a given length, and strong or heavier women often ski unisex models happily.
The women's skis most shops are stocking
These women's skis were in stock at the most US shops on 31 October 2026:
- Blizzard Black Pearl 88, 88 mm: 48 shops, the most widely stocked ski of any kind.
- Nordica Santa Ana 87, 87 mm: 36 shops.
- Nordica Santa Ana 92, 92 mm: 35 shops.
- Blizzard Sheeva 9: 34 shops.
- Blizzard Black Pearl 84, 84 mm: 33 shops.
The other four sit between 84 and 92 mm, right in the middle of the women's range. Boots matter even more than skis, so see our guide to women's ski boots too. Browse every women's ski on our skis page.