My daughter is 9 and learned to ski last season. She’s really into it and we plan to go a lot this winter, but I’m a snowboarder and don’t know much about kids skis. We were planning to do a seasonal rental but it seems like the shops in our area charge as much as or more than buying. I realize she’s still growing but I figure if I can get a couple seasons out of the skis and poles, I’m probably coming out ahead even if I have to buy new boots every season.
Anything in particular I should look for when it comes to the skis? I assume just stick with a known brand and have a shop measure her for the correct size? She’s still very much a beginner and doesn’t need anything crazy.
Parent of a young ski racer here (home mountain is Stratton)
We are in it for at least one pair of skis per season. You are unlikely to get more than a season out of this first pair, particularly because you’ll need to buy it a touch on the short side in order to ensure progression through the sport (shorter skis are going to be easier to get on edge, learn how to carve, maneuver through moguls / glades; longer skis are more stable as speed builds).
For all-mountain skis, I almost always have bought them myself from a discounter like Evo, Powder7, et al. Almost all kids skis are a rail binding system so you can do the basic install, so then it’s a DIN release check / angle thing when you bring it to the shop. Racing stuff is a whole other story.
Boots – do at a high-quality shop, get fitted, pay whatever it costs for a proper fit out of the boot. We’ve been lucky and will be getting a second season out of her current boots. Depending on where you’re at, can probably recommend some quality shops for kids fitting.
Poles are the thing most likely to keep. That said, our every day pair for her are a set of Grass Sticks. They offer the ability to trade up a size without it costing much. You have to re-use the pole straps and baskets but it’s pretty good.
Along the lines of what Ryan wrote: I’d economize on skis rather than boots. If the skis are sub-optimal, that’s not a huge deal for someone in just their second year. But, if the boots don’t fit right, things can get miserable.
Looks like you’re in Mass? When the kids were young, honey had bought some things here on the NH seacoast and they had a trade-in policy for the following year.
She just said that there were a couple places around that would let you progress each year as the kids and their abilites grew. I would look into some shops and see what they can do for you.
Can also give you names of places around here that might help, or in the Lincoln/ Conway/Littleton NH areas. Guess that would depend on your locale and what you use as a home mountain.
We did the used trade up packages where you buy but can trade in when they outgrow til my daughter was 10 or so. Then we got her wider skis for powder- but we live in CO. Most packages don’t come with poles. Buy a pair of adjustable poles and you never have to buy again. Well at 5’9” my daughter had two pairs a cute kids pair with flower baskets and now a black diamond pair that can be adjusted for on-mountain vs touring vs cross country.
Make sure you invest in good socks and gloves. My daughter has the battery pack gloves and is soo much happier.
hanks for all the info. Definitely willing to check out used and/or trade-up options. I’m in MA but most of our skiing is at Gore Mountain in NY. Any recommendations for shops south of Boston would be appreciated!
Possible option - I took my board and wife’s skis to get tuned at the REI in Framingham last weekend, had my 8 yr old son with me.
The returned/used room there had a dozen sets of kids’ size Rossingols that were retired rentals for sale, looked to be in good shape. Think they were $150.
We didn’t get them for wimsey jr because they were a touch too tall for him. But he’s slightly on shorter side for his peer group right now. If your daughter is a year older that might be on target. At least worth a phone call to the store to ask a few questions. I bet if you get one of the ski techs and tell them how tall your kid is, they could give you some useful info.
I have taught 7 of my kids to ski so far and we’ve only ever had used boots and skis for the younger ones. The key with ski boots is whether they fit well enough or not, not how much you pay for them. Over the years I’ve built up a large collection of kids’ size boots and each year my kids try on a few pairs before deciding which will be the best fit for the year. Another tip: putting my kids in boots that were slightly too big (perhaps half a size) and having them wear an extra pair of socks has meant in 15 years of skiing 20+ times per year with them we’ve never had a day when we’ve had to stop because one of them was having boot issues (whether fit or cold related).
For poles, you can get good-quality adjustable poles and they’ll last many seasons (my oldest son has a pair he’s used for the last 7 or 8 years at least).
You can get good-quality used skis and boots from FB for sure, but ski club swap meets are really good too. Enjoy your season!
Thanks for that. I’m close to Framingham and will keep rei in mind in the future.
My kids are 7 and 9 and have been skiing 3-4 seasons. We get the ikon pass and make it to out about 10-15 days per season in New England and one week in Utah.
So far all of our skis have been used from play it again sports nearby which has a good selection of kids skis in the 50-150 range. My kids aren’t ski racers though and my kids pretty much refuse lessons so we just go out and have fun.
Yeah I did some facebooking last night and it seems like there are plenty of used kids skis around for next to nothing. I’ll probably go that route and spend a little more on boots.
Thanks, those look great. I was thinking closer to 120cm but not sure if it makes sense to go a little bigger and maybe get an extra season out of them. She’s 53.5"/136cm tall.
So, super generally: you want the length of the ski to be somewhere just below chin (beginner) to the bridge of their nose (intermediate - advanced).
She’ll progress faster on a ski that is slightly shorter than she will on something that is too large. Skis aren’t something you can really grow into because the skill progression has to match the additional mass / turning radius that comes with going to something longer.
You want to typically go with one of the European brands (Rossignol, Atomic, Fischer, etc.) for Eastern conditions. Some might call it icy. They would be wrong; there’s no fish beneath it, so it can’t be ice. But they tend to specialize in stuff that can hold on boilerplate.
My kid learned on skis from eyebrow to nipple height (I had to fight her for those pink panda skis - I think she used them for three seasons- they were her favorites and she was not giving them up- til she skied her Mantra Jrs that finally replaced them and realized how much better they were and she could ski powder).
Chin to nose is definitely best.
Tonight when your kids gets way too much Halloween candy put some aside for skiing. We always let my daughter throw two pieces in her pocket for skiing. Sometimes when she was struggling eating candy made all of the difference in getting down the mountain.
Funny reading this how skis have changed since I was younger. Although I was racing for what it’s worth. But the trend seems to be much shorter skis these days.
