Calories burned
ski ergometer
1,047 kcal / hour Ski ergometer burns approximately 1,047 calories per hour for a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, and 524 calories in 30 minutes. Across the normal adult weight range the hourly figure runs from about 748 to 1,796 kcal.
It carries a MET value of 14.25 in the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, which lists 2 measured variations of this activity from MET 10.5 to 18.
Calories burned ski ergometer by body weight
Energy cost scales with the mass you move, so body weight changes the answer more than anything else.
| Body weight | 15 min | 30 min | 45 min | 60 min | 90 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 kg (110 lb) | 187 | 374 | 561 | 748 | 1,122 |
| 60 kg (132 lb) | 224 | 449 | 673 | 898 | 1,347 |
| 70 kg (154 lb) | 262 | 524 | 786 | 1,047 | 1,571 |
| 80 kg (176 lb) | 299 | 599 | 898 | 1,197 | 1,796 |
| 90 kg (198 lb) | 337 | 673 | 1,010 | 1,347 | 2,020 |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | 374 | 748 | 1,122 | 1,496 | 2,244 |
| 110 kg (243 lb) | 411 | 823 | 1,234 | 1,646 | 2,469 |
| 120 kg (265 lb) | 449 | 898 | 1,347 | 1,796 | 2,693 |
Figures in kilocalories (the "calories" on food labels). The highlighted row is the 70 kg reference adult used in the headline figure; the highlighted column is one hour.
Every official intensity of ski ergometer
The Compendium lists 2 separate ski ergometer entries, each with its own measured MET value — from 10.5 to 18. Most calculators collapse all of this into one number. Pick the row that matches what you actually did.
| Variation | MET | kcal/hr at 70 kg | kcal/hr at 90 kg | Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cross country, double poling, slow to moderate speed | 10.5 | 772 | 992 | 02103 |
| cross country, double poling, fast to maximum speed | 18 | 1,323 | 1,701 | 02107 |
Codes are 2024 Adult Compendium activity codes. A dash means the code could not be read unambiguously from the published table, so it is left blank rather than guessed — the MET value and description are unaffected.
What 1,047 calories an hour actually means
At MET 14.25, ski ergometer counts as very vigorous activity — it uses about 14.25 times the energy your body burns sitting still. For a 70 kg adult that works out to roughly 17 kcal per minute, or 1,047 kcal across a full hour.
Within conditioning exercise, that ranks 1st of 53 activities by energy cost — the highest in its group and above blackbox immersive virtual reality exergaming… (MET 13).
Put differently: one hour of ski ergometer costs about the same energy as 214 minutes of ordinary walking.
On the food side, a slice of pizza (about 285 kcal) takes roughly 16 minutes of ski ergometer to offset at that body weight. That framing is useful for scale, but it is worth saying plainly: exercise and diet are not a ledger that cancels neatly, and appetite tends to rise with activity.
Questions
How many calories does ski ergometer burn per hour?
About 1,047 kcal per hour for a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, using the Compendium MET value of 14.25. A 90 kg adult burns closer to 1,347 kcal in the same hour, because energy cost scales almost directly with body mass.
How many calories does 30 minutes of ski ergometer burn?
Roughly 524 kcal at 70 kg, 449 kcal at 60 kg and 748 kcal at 100 kg. Halving the time halves the calories — the relationship is linear.
What is the MET value of ski ergometer?
14.25, taken as the median of the 2 ski ergometer entries in the 2024 Adult Compendium, which range from 10.5 to 18 depending on intensity. One MET is the energy you use sitting quietly, so MET 14.25 means 14.25 times that rate.
Is this an exact number of calories?
No, and no calculator can give you one. MET values are population averages measured in laboratory conditions; your own figure varies with fitness, technique, terrain, temperature and body composition. Treat these numbers as a solid estimate for planning, not a precise measurement — and treat any device or site claiming three-digit precision with suspicion.
Related activities
Three more from conditioning exercise, and three with a similar energy cost from elsewhere in the Compendium.
MET value from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (activity code 02103). Calories computed as MET × 3.5 × weight kg ÷ 200 per minute. General information only — not medical, fitness or nutrition advice. Calorie figures are population estimates and vary between individuals.