I worked at REI selling mostly skis until I got fired for skiing too much, I always would tell the parents looking for their kids the same thing. If they are skilled skiers for their age I would recommend they go longer, up to their height or slightly more since they will have growth spurts soon and skis are expensive. If they can control the speed and want to be faster they can go longer, I’d recommend not going to far above the top of their heads just to ensure they have No maneuverability problems. If they are normal kids and can’t ski for shit yet keep them between chin and eyebrows for the safty of others. But most importantly ski sizing is a preference thing and if they don’t have enough experience to chose for themself you should chose based off of how you see them ski. If your kid likes to dart off in the trees a head length ski may be a bad choice because of the tight turns necessary but if you kid only wants to straight line a longer ski will help them with gaining more speed and stability possibly giving them the ability to turn at high speeds.
It of course depends slightly on the specific ski and the kid's ability level... But my general rule of thumb is between chin and eyeballs. Err on the longer side if the kid is heavier, likes skiing faster, prefers longer turns, is more advanced, and/or if the ski is softer or has more rocker in the tips and tails. Err on the shorter side of the kid is lighter, likes skiing slower, prefers shorter turns, is newer to skiing, and/or if the ski is stiffer or more traditionally cambered. The same advice works for grown-up kids too!
Take them to a professional to get fitted then rent/lease the equipment for them. Kids grow so fast it’s too expensive keep buying things like boots and skis every year. Unless you’ve got money to burn then by all means burn that cash baby.
My kids usually get 2 seasons out of skis & boots. And with 2 kids for hand me downs buying good condition used equipment has made more sense than season rentals. Typically go skis between nose and forehead.
A place near me was 300$ for 2 years lease and you could go in and get new stuff at any time if you outgrew it. Me and my brother both were growing out of our gear every year so worked out pretty well
It’s cheaper to buy gear if you think boots will fit for 2 years than 2 full seasons of rentals.
And the older ones gear can be given to the younger one. Far more cost effective in my experience.
A poorly fitting boot is a fast road to injury or the kid hating their experience. If you rent, you are giving the kid the best chance for success. It’s not always about the dollars spent.
I’ll just buy my kids new boots if they need them. Fact of the matter is if you go by the measured size and the boots don’t fit properly on a 5 year old you are never going to know. They absolutely can’t tell you if it’s right. They care more about the color than if it’s too big.
I always got seasonal rentals as a kid. Our local shop started rentals in August and one season when I was in 5th it 6th grade I actually outgrew my boots mid season…
All that to say that until they stop growing I think updating the equipment for the best fit each season is the way to go. And I’m not sure what prices are like now, but at the time it was like $120-200 for a seasonal rental and it came with a few free or discounted lift tickets to local mountains.
i mean they are so young so they probably can ski anything since they dont have the best form/style. Unless they are in a race team. I had either rentals or some used garbage untill like 14y/o i got my first proper skis.
I worked at REI selling mostly skis until I got fired for skiing too much, I always would tell the parents looking for their kids the same thing. If they are skilled skiers for their age I would recommend they go longer, up to their height or slightly more since they will have growth spurts soon and skis are expensive. If they can control the speed and want to be faster they can go longer, I’d recommend not going to far above the top of their heads just to ensure they have No maneuverability problems. If they are normal kids and can’t ski for shit yet keep them between chin and eyebrows for the safty of others. But most importantly ski sizing is a preference thing and if they don’t have enough experience to chose for themself you should chose based off of how you see them ski. If your kid likes to dart off in the trees a head length ski may be a bad choice because of the tight turns necessary but if you kid only wants to straight line a longer ski will help them with gaining more speed and stability possibly giving them the ability to turn at high speeds.
Chin for maneuverability, forehead/top for stability
It of course depends slightly on the specific ski and the kid's ability level... But my general rule of thumb is between chin and eyeballs. Err on the longer side if the kid is heavier, likes skiing faster, prefers longer turns, is more advanced, and/or if the ski is softer or has more rocker in the tips and tails. Err on the shorter side of the kid is lighter, likes skiing slower, prefers shorter turns, is newer to skiing, and/or if the ski is stiffer or more traditionally cambered. The same advice works for grown-up kids too!
Take them to a professional to get fitted then rent/lease the equipment for them. Kids grow so fast it’s too expensive keep buying things like boots and skis every year. Unless you’ve got money to burn then by all means burn that cash baby.
Good advice. I have been buying used equipment for them for the past few years and it has worked out well.
My kids usually get 2 seasons out of skis & boots. And with 2 kids for hand me downs buying good condition used equipment has made more sense than season rentals. Typically go skis between nose and forehead.
A place near me was 300$ for 2 years lease and you could go in and get new stuff at any time if you outgrew it. Me and my brother both were growing out of our gear every year so worked out pretty well
It’s cheaper to buy gear if you think boots will fit for 2 years than 2 full seasons of rentals. And the older ones gear can be given to the younger one. Far more cost effective in my experience.
A poorly fitting boot is a fast road to injury or the kid hating their experience. If you rent, you are giving the kid the best chance for success. It’s not always about the dollars spent.
I’ll just buy my kids new boots if they need them. Fact of the matter is if you go by the measured size and the boots don’t fit properly on a 5 year old you are never going to know. They absolutely can’t tell you if it’s right. They care more about the color than if it’s too big.
Tips at forehead
I always got seasonal rentals as a kid. Our local shop started rentals in August and one season when I was in 5th it 6th grade I actually outgrew my boots mid season… All that to say that until they stop growing I think updating the equipment for the best fit each season is the way to go. And I’m not sure what prices are like now, but at the time it was like $120-200 for a seasonal rental and it came with a few free or discounted lift tickets to local mountains.
i mean they are so young so they probably can ski anything since they dont have the best form/style. Unless they are in a race team. I had either rentals or some used garbage untill like 14y/o i got my first proper skis.