If you look close enough, you will notice that ski pants are a bit different than your regular everyday pants. One question that is often asked by a lot of people is how long should ski pants be? The length of your ski pants matters because it is going to affect comfort and overall performance when skiing.
Unfortunately, many novice skiers get it wrong when they buy a new pair of pants.
Buying shorter or longer ski pants will compromise your performance and could even cause unnecessary bumps along the way.
How Long Should Ski Pants Be?
Ski pants are typically longer and bulkier than your normal jeans because of the thickness of the padding that goes into them, and they should cover your ski boots. Well, how long should ski pants be? A general thumb rule is to get a pair of ski pants that are 4-5 inches longer than your usual length.
Skiing can be very rigorous on your legs, which is why it’s important to have padding around knees, thighs, hips, shins, and ankles to protect yourself from bumps along the way.
When you buy a pair of ski pants, you don’t have a whole host of different sizes to meet your needs – lengths, waist circumference, and stretch factor. You’ll have to choose from a small, medium, or large-sized pair of pants in most cases.
To ensure comfort and safety while skiing, it is essential not to have pants with a low enough cut that expose your back. You also don’t want the pant length so long they get caught up by their own weight as this could cause severe injury or even death if you’re not careful when taking steps forward/backward while wearing them.
Are Snowboard Pants Supposed to Be Long?
Aside from skiing, it is also common for beginners to wonder how long snowboard pants should be? Just like the ski pants that I buy, I always make sure to go for snowboard pants that are longer by 4-5 inches than my usual pants. The rationale for this is the same whenever I buy ski pants. The reason for longer snowboard pants secures everything by the boot.
But unlike the ski pants, the snowboard pants are baggier than your ski pants. If you’re wondering why, it’s both because of fashion and ergonomics. Snowboard pants are somewhat related to skateboarding which progressed to baggier clothing over the years. And also, the movement is different than skiing, where you get to maneuver with your head facing front.
How Should Ski Pants Fit?
So how should your ski pants fit? If the snowboarding pants are baggy, ski pants tapered. However, the bottom line is that you should feel comfortable moving around with your ski pants.
Whenever I buy my ski pants, I always consider my body shape and how the pants were made. Some brands that produce ski pants now offer options such as pants for those who have larger hips or those who have larger legs.
The ski trousers fit also differ if it’s for men and women. For women, you’ll notice that the hips are much larger.
But whenever I buy my ski pants, I always make it a point that I can bend my knees and squat comfortably. This means that it won’t get in the way of my skiing sessions.
How Long is Too Long for Ski Pants?
As we mentioned, you’d want to have ski pants that are longer by 4-5 inches than your regular pants. So how long is too long if you’re buying ski pants? If it goes longer than 5 inches, that is something that I already consider a bit too long. If you go beyond that number, then it might end up causing a tangled mess every time you try to move your legs.
How Short is Too Short for Ski Pants?
So how short is too short? If you bought ski pants that are just as long as your regular pants, then it’s too short. You need ski pants that will go over the ankles. It should be enough to also go midway to your boots.
If you have the chance to test out the ski pants inside a store, be sure that you also have the boots with you. This way, you will know if it can keep snow from getting inside your pants. Does the fit also allow you to move around?
What do you do if you have snow pants too long?
If you have snow pants that are too long and you don’t want to buy a new one, there are a few fixes that you can do. Here are some of the things that you can do.
First, you want to check if it is something that will bother you when skiing. Get your pair of boots and try it out. From here, assess if it is good enough for your ski trip. If the excess fabric is going to get on your way, then you can always have it fixed. You have two options on how you can fix this problem.
One, you can let a seamstress handle the job. You want to go to a seamstress who is experienced in fixing outdoor gear.
And two, if you have a sewing machine or skills in sewing, you can sew everything together again according to your size.
If you don’t want to bother sewing anything or have no time to bring your snow pants to your local seamstress, you can always fold the pants. This will usually do the trick. Unfortunately, gravity always wins, and it is expected to fall every now and then. If this happens, just fold them again and tuck them in.
Can I Shorten Snow Pants on My Own?
A lot of people who end up with long snow pants are wondering if they can fix everything on their own. A bit of YouTube tutorial on how to sew can get the job done. However, it is not recommended. You might end up destroying perfectly usable snow pants.
Why is it more difficult to fix snow pants on your own? You have the waterproof and breathable material to deal with. It’s something that you don’t have to bother if you are going to fix your own everyday pants. If you destroy these fabrics, you’ll end up with completely useless snow pants.
Rainypass- Best Ski Pants Altering & Hemming Service
A lot of times, people mess up their ski pants if they try to cut and sew everything on their own. It’s usually something that you let the experts do. If you don’t want to spend more on new pants, you can just opt to go to Rainypass to get your ski pants fixed. Their altering and hemming services are the best when it comes to outdoor gear. The company has decades of experience making them a trustworthy company to get your snow pants repaired.
Bottom Line
With all these in mind, we can conclude that you’ll need ski pants that are around 4-5 inches longer than your regular pair of pants. Many people get the length wrong, which is why most people end up thinking that it’s just not for them. It’s worth trying with the right size, and if you don’t like it, then you can always go back to where you got it from or give Rainypass a try.
Thanks for reading! I’m excited to hear your thoughts on this. If there’s anything else in particular that comes up, just let me know and we can chat more about it together.
