What Skis for the ISIA Speed Test

It’s one of the first practical questions instructors ask once they’ve committed to the test: what skis should I actually be on? Choosing the right ISIA Speed Test skis matters more than most people think. The right ski won’t pass the test for you — but the wrong one will quietly cost you time you can’t get back, no matter how well you ski.

Equipment is one of the six factors that decide your speed-test time, and it’s the one that’s easiest to get wrong before you’ve even clicked into a course. Here’s how to think about it.

Choosing your ISIA Speed Test skis: the short answer

For the test itself, the ski you want sits in a fairly narrow sweet spot:

• Length: roughly 175–185cm
• Turn radius: roughly 18–25m

Where you land inside that range depends on your height and weight. In practice this usually means a masters GS ski or a junior GS ski — both tend to fall right in this window. Get into that zone with a well-tuned ski and you’ve removed equipment as a reason you’re missing the time. Stray outside it in either direction and you’re making the test harder than it needs to be.

Why a full FIS-reg GS ski is the wrong choice

It’s tempting to assume that the most serious race ski must be the best one for a race test. It isn’t. A full FIS-regulation GS ski has around a 30m radius, and that’s a lot of ski to bend and steer. For most instructors it makes it harder to carve cleanly, and the usual result is scrubbed, skidded turns where you’re fighting the ski instead of railing it.

A FIS ski rewards a very specific, very committed racing input that takes years to build. On the speed test, where clean carving and consistency win, it tends to work against you. You’ll see more instructors undone by too much ski than by too little.

Why too short or too soft doesn’t work either

The opposite mistake is reaching for something short and easy. A ski under 175cm, or with a radius below 18m, won’t suit the test: it lacks the stability of a longer ski at speed, and crucially it won’t actually be faster. Short skis feel manageable in your hands in the shop, but on a timed GS course that nervousness and lack of stability costs you. The speed test is a giant slalom — you want a ski that holds a line and runs.

Matching the ski to you

Within that 175–185cm range, size to your build. Lighter skiers should sit toward the shorter, tighter-radius end; taller, heavier skiers toward the longer end. If you’re genuinely big and powerful you can sometimes get away with slightly longer than 185cm — but be honest with yourself, because the gains at that end are negligible and the cost is steep. A ski you can’t consistently turn will lose you far more time than a slightly shorter one ever would. When in doubt, err toward the ski you can control.

What if you’re earlier in your journey?

If you’re newer to racing and still building your carving and the movement patterns that race skiing demands, you don’t need a GS ski yet — and forcing one too early can actually slow your progress. A piste-performance or slalom ski is the right tool at this stage: it’s more forgiving and easier to carve, so you can groove clean technique and the right movements before stepping up.

That’s exactly the equipment we use on our Foundation weeks — easier skis, easier sets and lower speeds — so you build the skills on kit that helps you, then graduate to a GS ski for race training when you’re ready. It’s a far more logical path than buying a race ski you can’t yet use.

The ski is only half of it — tuning matters

Even the perfect ski won’t grip if it isn’t looked after. Sharp, clean edges and a flat, waxed base make a real, measurable difference on a firm GS course, and a neglected edge will skid where a tuned one would hold. It’s the cheapest time you’ll ever find — and it’s worth getting your tuning dialled in well before test day, not the night before.

Don’t spend blind

Race skis aren’t cheap, and the wrong purchase is an expensive way to make the test harder. Before you commit, it’s worth getting eyes on your skiing from someone who can tell you what will actually suit you — your level, your build and the way you ski.

That’s something we’ll happily do at a Podium camp: we’ll look at where you are across all six factors, advise on the right setup for you before you spend, and make sure your kit is helping rather than hurting your time. If you’re weighing up the spend, it’s also worth reading our guide to how many camps you’ll need to pass. Our ISIA Speed Test training camps run at snow-sure venues including Saas-Fee and Zinal.

Get in touch if you’d like a hand choosing the right ski before your next block — it’s one of the easiest wins there is.

Racing as a masters competitor rather than sitting the Speed Test? The kit priorities shift — see our guide to the best GS skis for masters racing.