Downhill Skiing Calories Calculator: 160 lb Burns 870.9 kcal

What does 870.9 kcal mean?

It means a 160 lb skier on the slope for 120 minutes at MET 6.0 burns eight hundred and seventy point nine kilocalories, which is 435.45 kcal an hour and 7.26 kcal a minute. The weight sets how much body is doing the work, the MET sets how hard that body works each hour, and the minutes set how long it works: one more hour at the same weight and MET adds another 435.45 kcal without changing the rate, and a higher MET adds burn to every hour without adding a single extra run. The only judgement is the MET itself — a MET is a multiple of resting burn, and a day of gentle groomed cruising is not the same MET as a day of hard moguls and powder.

Output · formula · meaning

Three things to check before you trust the number

First, check the minutes honestly: 120 minutes must be minutes actually skiing, not minutes counted twice because the lift rides and lodge lunch were tallied with the descents when only the skiing burns at this MET — a minute counted that was spent on a chairlift adds burn that never happened. Second, check the MET against the day: MET 6.0 must be the effort of the day actually skied, not a guess from a harder day — a day of steep moguls is a higher MET than a day of gentle groomed runs, so mixing the two days breaks the total. Third, check the weight against the skier: 160 lb must be the skier’s weight, not the weight with heavy boots, skis and a pack added on — gear weight is not body weight, and adding it lifts every hour that follows.

Worked example

160 lb, 120 minutes, MET 6.0. Kilograms: 160 × 0.45359237 = 72.57 kg. Burn an hour: MET 6 × 72.57 kg = 435.45 kcal. Total: 435.45 × 120 ÷ 60 = 870.9 kcal. Burn a minute: 870.9 ÷ 120 = 7.26 kcal. In practice that means two hours on the slope burns about as much as a large lunch and a snack, and the 435.45 kcal an hour figure is the one to set against other winter activities, since an hour is the unit every activity shares.

Every branch, checked

At 60 minutes instead of 120, the burn falls to 435.45 kcal — 435.45 kcal an hour, 7.26 kcal a minute. At 190 lb instead of 160, the burn rises to 1034.2 kcal — 86.18 kg, 517.1 kcal an hour, 8.62 kcal a minute. At MET 8 instead of 6.0, the burn rises to 1161.2 kcal — 580.6 kcal an hour, 9.68 kcal a minute. At 90 minutes instead of 120, the burn falls to 653.18 kcal — 435.45 kcal an hour, 7.26 kcal a minute.

The reverses, worked backwards

The minutes behind 870.9 kcal are 120: at 60 minutes the burn is 435.45 kcal; at 180 minutes it is 1306.35 kcal. The weight behind 870.9 kcal is 160 lb: at 130 lb the burn is 707.6 kcal; at 190 lb it is 1034.2 kcal — the weight never touches the minutes, only the burn each hour delivers.

What the defaults assume

The defaults assume 160 lb, 120 minutes, and MET 6.0 for moderate downhill skiing on groomed runs. They do not assume racing, backcountry hiking between runs, or any extra burn from the cold itself — the MET formula counts effort, not temperature, so treat 870.9 kcal as the effort burn for two hours at MET 6.0, not the all-in winter burn.

Who uses this

• A skier planning a day on the mountain: the 870.9 kcal is the figure to budget food around.
• Someone comparing winter activities: the hourly figure compares downhill skiing fairly with skating and snowshoeing.
• A person tracking daily burn: the per-minute figure adds the trip to the day exactly.
• A coach setting a winter programme: the MET lever prices each kind of day exactly.

Accuracy & limitations

The arithmetic is exact for the inputs entered; the judgement is the minutes actually skied, the MET of the real day, and the skier’s true weight. Real days vary with lift time, run difficulty, falls, and cold — so treat 870.9 kcal as the planning burn for 160 lb, 120 minutes at MET 6.0, and check it against a fitter or watch figure before logging it as exact.

Cite this calculator

Bright Side Kit, “Downhill Skiing Calories Calculator: 160 lb Burns 870.9 kcal”, https://brightoolbox.com/downhill-skiing-calories-calculator/, accessed 3 November 2026. Students and researchers: cite the calculator name, the page URL and the date you used it, and quote the defaults (160 lb, 120 minutes, MET 6.0) so the result can be checked.

Frequently asked questions