All mountain or traditional ski for 9 y/o quickly advancing intermediate?

[laine]

What about a Volkl Yumi? Comes in a 147 and would work for the off-piste exploration.
https://www.evo.com/outlet/skis/volkl-yumi-womens-2017

 

[Slim]

I find a mid 80s width to be great for stronger kids. I think somebody did some math and it would be equivalent to a mid 90s width for adult.

If I do the math for surface pressure, using a simple formula of waist width x length for ski surface I get the following:

Let’s assume:

• 50 lbs, kid 1 on 130 cm skis
• 100 lbs kid 2 on 150 cm skis
• 150 lbs adult 3 on 170 cm skis
• 200 lbs adult 4 on 190 cm skis

Then the surface pressure/ski width would compare as follows:

• 1 on 50 mm waist width=
• 2 on 86 mm =
• 3 on 115 mm =
• 4 on 136 mm

Or,

• 1 on 80 mm waist width =
• 2 on 138 mm
• 3 on 185 mm
• 4 on 219 mm!

I guess this should not really be a surprise, since weight goes up with the cube of the dimension, while ski surface only goes up as a square.

The moral of the story is that for the very lightest kids, waist width is often sufficient, I think the bigger issue for them in soft snow etc is having some tail rocker to be able to release the tail( especially since they don’t have much strength to force it around).

 

[Slim]

What about a Volkl Yumi? Comes in a 147 and would work for the off-piste exploration.
https://www.evo.com/outlet/skis/volkl-yumi-womens-2017

I’d worry that at 75 lbs, a women’s ski would be way to stiff for him.

 

[Dwight]

I would be more incline to get the Volkl Pyras. He's a boy, probably won't link pink so there is that.

Personally for kids that age, I find a pair of used twin tips that he likes and just go ski. He'll be out of them in a season anyways.

Also why seasonal rentals are always a nice option.

 

[Wilhelmson]

I'm lost. We're talking about a 76 pound, 142 centimeter nine year old advanced intermediate who skis ?? days a year and people are suggesting 148 cm skis and women's skis? I'll acquiesce the camber debate though from the original post I'm not sure what type of race program the kid from NC has been participating in.

One thing I am sure of is one month in Colorado = rad!

 

[Wilhelmson]

Don't know why my edit turned into a double post, but Phil knows his stuff. No reason to overthink it, go on ebay and grab some Pinnacles or Ripsticks, or other children's skis suggested by others. Somewhere around nose height should be good for another year without being unwieldy in the woods.

 

[surfandski]

Well, I found an incredible deal on a pair of new, still in plastic, Nordica El Capo skis with bindings for 1/2-1/3 of what new Rangers, Ripsticks, Pinnacles and Armadas were going for. They are a little wider than I was looking for at 93mm but for the price I paid I can certainly justify getting him a 2nd pair if necessary, especially since he, his sister and my wife can all share their quiver of skis at the moment. Plus it's looking like we will spend next winter in Utah and this kid loves powder and trees so these skis may work out nicely.

One question I have though is if this ski is considered wide enough that I should have him skiing skinnier skis every so often. It is crazy to me how wide kids skis are compared to adults and Slim's post above does a good job of showing that but it must not be a linear relationship as I assume the ski companies actually put some thought into this.

I appreciate everyone's input!

 

[surfandski]

Are any of you familiar with the Elan RC Race Jr ski? As I mentioned, I bought my son a good all mountain ski at the end of last season but I've been thinking of adding a 2nd carving ski for groomer days since he grew out of last season's narrow ski. The RC Race has an all wood core and the specs are 116/72/101 with a 10.3 M radius, which on paper could pair nicely with his 93mm underfoot Capos. Thanks!

 

[Andy Mink]

New for 19 is the DPS Grom. Not inexpensive but perhaps worth taking a look?

 

[Dwight]

Are any of you familiar with the Elan RC Race Jr ski? As I mentioned, I bought my son a good all mountain ski at the end of last season but I've been thinking of adding a 2nd carving ski for groomer days since he grew out of last season's narrow ski. The RC Race has an all wood core and the specs are 116/72/101 with a 10.3 M radius, which on paper could pair nicely with his 93mm underfoot Capos. Thanks!

I have a pair of Elan SLX skis and really like them. They are adult skis, but I don't think you can go wrong with the Elans you are looking at. It is always good to have a set of dedicated carving skis to improve ones fun.

 

[Philpug]

Are any of you familiar with the Elan RC Race Jr ski? As I mentioned, I bought my son a good all mountain ski at the end of last season but I've been thinking of adding a 2nd carving ski for groomer days since he grew out of last season's narrow ski. The RC Race has an all wood core and the specs are 116/72/101 with a 10.3 M radius, which on paper could pair nicely with his 93mm underfoot Capos. Thanks!

Elan does one of the best jobs with junior skis, they are very conscience of how a ski flexes for the lightness of a junior skier.

 

[martyg]

Here's my two cents....

For adults, once you get into a ski much over mid 80's, you stop skiing with movements originating from your feet. You need to engage your hips to edge a ski that wide. That's OK, but it is inefficient: you tend to use a big body motion to edge, you tend to use a big body motion to counteract that big initial motion - you have used two, big dramatic motions instead one subtle motion to edge your skis.

The motion, being big & dramatic, tends to weight the outside ski too early, and all at once. Turns tend to not exhibit progressive pressure, Turns tend to be all or nothing, with skiers working their asses off for each turn , and arriving at the bottom of the ]mountain breathing like a race horse after a 2,000' or more descent, instead of skiing being effortless.

For adults the driver appears to be tib / fib length, not overall body height. Would love to know more about the biomechanics for young adults. In teaching a number of young adults who have developed significant skills, their morphology and biomechanics seem to mimic those of adults. However, that is my casual observation and not backed up with bio metrics.

 

[surfandski]

Thanks! I went ahead and ordered a pair of the RC Race and will give them a try. His Capos are 93 mm underfoot so I think he'll have a good quiver with those and the 72 mm RC Race.

 

[AmyPJ]

Giving a bump here: Nordica has introduced a new line this season--the Enforcer/Santa Ana 80 S, for kids. Wood core, 80mm under foot (78 for shorter lengths) with the same shape as the Enforcer/Santa Ana. I picked up a pair of the Santa Ana 80 S for my daughter.

 

[Andy Mink]

As this thread has new life breathed into it, don't forget the big ELAN U-Flex contest. See HERE for details.