Buying Boots for Kid - Fail

[aubergine]

So I went looking for new ski boots for my 8 year old kid today.

First stop - REI and they won't be putting any of their winter gear out til October. I took her measurements there at least, and will swing by next week at the garage sale. Maybe something will be available then.

Second Stop - Helm of Sun Valley. Ominous black plywood boars covering all their windows. Sign saying they'll reopen in October, but that seems odd to me. It's in a rough part of town and I've wondered how they stay in business. We've gotten a couple pairs of boots here the last couple of years, and it was a slow process, so I didn't really even want to stop in.

I guess I'll look online.

 

[Tricia]

Where are you located?

 

[jack97]

Hear good and bad things about Roces Adjustables...... the good, they are adjustable (duh). The bad, the buckles are made of plastic and will break if they get tossed around or take falls at these areas. If it was me, since they are cheap, I would buy two pairs and cannibalize the second pair for parts.

https://www.levelninesports.com/roces-2018-idea-adjustable-kids-ski-boots

 

[Guy in Shorts]

Yes Fall is better. Summer is fail.

 

[aubergine]

I'm in SMF.

Our Sports Authority shut down too! It must be getting tougher to sell hard goods outside mountain areas!

I've bought a bunch of skis from L9 over the years, but had not tried them for boots (yet).

I'll poke around their site.

Kid #1 has been a pretty good sport about her boot. They were tight last season, and already hand me downs from our other kid. (she got a new helmet as compensation for taking them, when the other kid got 'new' boots)

 

[x10003q]

I always seasonally rent boots/skis for my kids until their feet stop growing. We rent from a place that will replace the boot and readjust the bindings mid-season for no charge. I have had to replace their boots due to growing feet multiple seasons for both kids.

 

[WheatKing]

Both my kids are in Roces.. and no issues. The oldest has outgrown hers and needs a regular boot.. but they've held up well.

Unless they're racing at a highly competitive level they should be fine.

 

[Wilhelmson]

So far I'm batting .333 getting kid's boots online. Hopefully the package in the mail gets me up to .500. A sort of local place has an exchange program but their girls' boots are junk so we won't be using them anymore. Seasonal rentals can be good but you come out ahead buying on sale and selling. More effort means less money, more money means less effort and a better fit if you go to the right place.

 

[Plai]

I always seasonally rent boots/skis for my kids until their feet stop growing. We rent from a place that will replace the boot and readjust the bindings mid-season for no charge. I have had to replace their boots due to growing feet multiple seasons for both kids.

+1 on the season rental with adjustments and upsizing as needed. It's just too convenient to do otherwise. Buying and trying to unload gear can be a hassle unless you really like sort of thing.

 

[aubergine]

I looked around our area a while ago for seasonal rentals, and it doesn't seem to in vogue out here. Maybe we're too far from the mountains. I also thought (last time I checked in New England) that the seasonal rental pricing wasn't really that different from buying new gear.

Ended up getting some kids Atomics boots at L9, were shipped out today. At least when at REI I measured kids feet (and took pictures with whatever that tool is called) so I could pick something out.

She's gone from a 17, to a 17.5 so I ordered a 18/18.5. Going from 220 to 237mm as well.

Still it looks like there's a fair return policy in case we need that, although I think it should be ok.

Thanks for the comments. I looked at the Roces too, but they seemed a bit odd looking.

 

[Karl B]

I give up. Where is SMF?

 

[aubergine]

SMF is airport code for Sacramento...

Boots arrived last night but haven't tested for fit yet.

Thanks everyone for comments.

I think the other kid is a little jealous now!

 

[Gatopescado]

I've got 5 pairs (3 real nice race boots) of kid's boots, size 23 up to 42. Free! Near Tahoe!

Who needs kid's boots? Come get 'em!

 

[pchewn]

I bought used online and got 2 pair for $60 and they fit well.

 

[aubergine]

I got the kid some Atomic's from L9 for $79. She's an 18 to 18.5 and seems happy with the fit.

 

[EricG]

I think until our boys are a bit bigger and aren’t competing I’ll just do the season rental program here for $119 a kid. I was looking at the stuff last weekend at the shop and it’s actually pretty decent, it will be fine till the kids enter a program or something. . With having twin boys we don’t get the benefit of hand me downs.

 

[Chef23]

I found that the kids boots have a much larger range for the kids to grow before changing sizes. We seemed to frequently get two seasons out of boots for our kids. If they are in the more entry level boots there isn't a big difference between them so buying online should work okay.

 

[Dwight]

I've have good luck at these sites for used kids boots. https://www.liquidationsports.com/Snow-Skiing , https://galacticsnowsports.com/

Looking again for young adult boots and may be going else where. Might try my hand and self fitting with some local help.