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At what age would you let your child(ren) ski without adult supervision?
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Given if all your other conditions are met. Can get on/off lifts, equipped with air tags, phones, or radios, can ski black runs confidently, there are other children same age with them.
Top Comment: Size of resort is probably also a big factor, a little resort is a lot different scenario than the big ones
Skiing with very young kids
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I'm hoping to get my 3-year-old on the mountain this winter. Does anyone have experience going out with a kid that young, and any tips? The primary issue giving me pause is thinking about him on a chairlift.
Top Comment: What an exciting time! I also appreciate you thinking it through. I primarily teach adults, but I have child specialist certifications and occasionally work with little skiers. ... a few things come to mind: its more important to make the experiences fun than anything else. A snow ball fight on snow is as valuable, if not more so, than putting skis on. At least at first. games are your friend! Make everything a game. the gear is sooooo much more awkward when you are that age. Find a way to make that fun too. EG: let's make rainbows with our boots in the snow Under 5-6, we almost always see bilateral movement - tell them to raise one arm and they usually lift both and would lift their legs too if they could :) ... So if you want them to make a pizza, you can often get them to make a wedge shape with their arms and their little legs will follow :) under 6-10, their center of mass is usually their head, not their torso. So we often see kids waaayyy far back with their heads leaning forward. That's totally ok. Remember, being cold and hungry sucks for them as much as it does for us, but they don't have the vocabulary and agency to express it .... hot coco breaks are the currency of a successful outing :) Don't be afraid to give them a ride - you can do a LOT of good by simply picking them up and holding them while you wedge down a bunny slope once or twice. Do that a few times before you ever put them on skis. Now, all that said, I don't personally have kids and you certainly know yours better than anyone else so make sure you meet them where they are. Are they an analytical little person? Give them more info. Tell them how skis work. Are they a feeler? Let them experience the cold, the snow, the feeling of the gear, etc. edited to add - info on lifts if you have the option, sticking to the magic carpet will make it easier to go in side for coco and warmth and it'll feel much safer. If you need to ride a lift, invest in a vest with a handle in the back like this. They sell them in lots of shops and online. The handle will help you ensure you are able to lift them onto the seat. Their legs, obviously, aren't long and so they'll likely want to sit much closer to the edge than you want them to... the vest at least helps you keep hold of them. Frankly a vest also makes picking them up off snow easier too :) keep us posted on how it goes!
Will it make a huge difference if I buy kids' ski boots or women's ski boots?
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Hi, Reddit friends. I have two quick questions, which I’ll post here towards the top. I’ll give some background below, in case it helps for context.
** MY QUESTIONS:
1- Would it make a drastic difference for a 5 foot tall, 130-135 pound, size 6/6.5 woman to use a kids’ ski boot vs. a women’s ski boot? (Kids’ boots are so much cheaper, so if I can get away with those, I'd prefer to buy kids' boots, but def not at the risk of my safety.)
2- Does anyone have experience mixing adult bindings with kids’ boots? I’m wondering if this would affect safety/functionality, because I’ve gotten mixed opinions from “experts.”
** BACKGROUND: I’ve recently moved back to Utah and would like to learn how to ski properly (I was probably a teenager last time I ski’d, so it’s been at least 10+ years. I’m looking to take proper lessons and buy proper gear now that I’m back in the Beehive State). I visited the Backcountry SLC warehouse today (I’m set on purchasing from Backcountry, bc I can get a significant discount there through a friend’s employer.) on a quest to find myself some good ski gear, and unfortunately, the warehouse closed before I could make final decisions. (The one thing I did buy were the Rossignol Sassy 7 skis, 150 cm http://www.backcountry.com/rossignol-sassy-7-ski-womens?s=a. I didn’t realize at the time that I should have focused on boots first. :-/ #rookiemistake)
Since I’m only a beginner skier, and I'm 5 feet tall and wear a size 6/6.5 shoe (generally, size 6 in heels/sandals, size 6.5 in boots/sneakers bc my foot runs wide), the Gearhead who helped me in the store said I could probably get away with kids’ boots. I tried on the Dalbello Sports Gaia 4 boots (http://www.backcountry.com/dalbello-sports-gaia-4-ski-boot-girls?skid=DBL001K-TRA-S215&ti=U2VhcmNoIFJlc3VsdHM6ZGVsYWJlbGxvIGJvb3RzOjE6MTA6ZGVsYWJlbGxvIGJvb3Rz) in a 24.5. The Gearhead said they were a smidge big but that the next size down would likely be too small. (Which is odd, bc that measures out for a size 7, not 6 or 6.5). He recommended the Salomon Z10 bindings (http://www.backcountry.com/salomon-z10-ski-binding?s=a).
The store was closing, so I didn’t get to ask my last few questions, and I figured I’d chat a Backcountry Gearhead (GH) online to get help. Unfortunately, the online GH told me I should mix an adult binding with a kids’ boot, which was the complete opposite of what the IN-STORE GH said. I decided to get a third opinion, so I called the Backcountry customer service line, and the phone GH also said I should either get kids’ bindings and kids’ boots OR adult bindings and adult boots. And she strongly leaned towards adult bindings/boots for the sake of functionality. She said I shouldn’t have any room in my boots and recommended sizing down to 23.5 (which I didn’t get to try on).
Thank you in advance for any advice/insight/help!
Top Comment: I am 5"2 and 90lbs. All my skiing set ups are adult women's (23.5 fitted boots with intuition liners, Blizzard Black Pearl in 159cm, Rossignol Saffron in 162cm). However, my snowboard and bindings are junior's. I know a few petite women and they all ski in adult set ups. Junior Norms vs. Adult Norms for Alpine Ski Bindings and Ski Boots All current alpine boot manufacturers make ski boots with different adult and junior norms that meet ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) specifications. Alpine ski boots are typically stamped with “ISO” or “DIN” to indicate that they conform to these norms. Generally, adult ski boot sole dimension norms begin at size mondopoint 22 (US Men’s Size 4) and go up to 31.5 or even higher. Junior ski boots run from mondopoint 14.5 to mondopoint 22.5. This is critically important to note, as you'll need a ski binding that conforms to either the adult norm or junior norm. You cannot use a junior norm ski boot with an adult ski binding. Most junior bindings, which have lower release settings, can accept adult boots but almost no adult bindings will accept junior boots. There are a few exceptions of junior bindings that will accept either type of boot, and if your child is at the stage where he or she is in between junior and adult products it may make sense to check out one of them. Before making a purchase or mounting decision, always confirm that the binding you select for a junior is, in fact, a junior-specific binding.
Ski Films for Kids : skiing
Main Post: Ski Films for Kids : skiing
What's the youngest you'd start your child on skis?
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I just had my first kid and I'm keen to get us out on the slopes as a family. I normally do 1 week of boarding a year in Europe and I'd almost certainly want a professional instructor to teach the young'un as I'd be a hopeless teacher.
I understand that lessons and hiring gear may be as much of a limiting factor that my child's ability in it's own right.
Top Comment: I’m a former instructor. We waited until three and started her then. Now, having said that, her “skiing” amounted to wearing her gear, playing in the snow, and learning to walk and glide on her skis. We didn’t do anything more because most kids lack the muscles necessary to actually ski at that age. Our goal was to get her to enjoy being outside and to enjoy wearing the gear. At four she was able to ski down greens with her harness. By the end of the season she was skiing down greens without her harness. She’s five now and can ski most Colorado greens and select blues without her harness without a problem.
Children's ski boot fitting
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My 7 y/o sons feet measure almost exactly 22.5 cm barefoot. Would it be appropriate to size up to 23.5? Ideally I would like to get a couple seasons out of them, but I have also heard to be careful about sizing up.
Top Comment: Lease your kids skis and boots. Way cheaper and my shop will even get them different boots if their feet grow in season
Need helmet for 8 year old - any reason not to order a Adult Small Smith Vantage vs a Kid specific helmet like Prospect Jr. if their head size is in the range for the adult helmet?
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Shopping for a new helmet for my kid and looking at the Smith lineup. If I indulge the kid's preference on colors :rolleyes:, I'm looking at the Smith Vantage MIPS for a bit of a extra $$. Head circumference is 53cm so in the range of the 51 to 55cm of the helmet. Wondered if there is anything that should push me to go toward the Prospect Jr. or other Kid helmet other than price? Tailored to kid head shapes?
Top Comment: Just cost. Otherwise, no. If you're ordering online, I do think it's worth noting it's entirely possible the fit is a bit off, regardless of whether or not they're a kid. Finding a good fitting helmet isn't a science, but some of them just don't work for some people.
Kids snow pants
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I’m trying to find an option for snowpants with suspenders for my daughter. She is unfortunately built like me with a bit of a gut. She has been wearing bibs and she always complains that they aren’t comfortable. She relatively tall but even so anything that fits around her wait mid section is way too long in the legs. Any suggestions on snow pants that might give a little more room in the waist and not be a mile long. She is about 4’3” and about 90lbs. Thanks in advance.
Top Comment: Damn girls really be limited, sad to see it. Glad she's got a Dad to help her get suited up! The Lands End Husky size 10L seems like it would be a good fit. Also, TREW gear makes pretty baggy kids bibs that I think she would find comfortable. Another idea is to just go the snowpants route and a pair of suspenders, or get her bibs and have the bottoms hemmed. Anything to help the girl feel like she belongs on the mountain!!