High end Junior skis

[dovski]

Hi All,

Curios as to whether anyone knows anything about the following two junior skis

Head Kore 87 JR Skis and Blizzard Rustler Team Skis

Exploring what my sons next pair might be and these both looked interesting but I cannot find any reviews for them online. Our fall back is the Mantra Jr, but he wanted a wider skis so I thought one of these might be an options. They both also have camber vs. the Mantra's full rocker which I like. Appreciate any insights the community can provide

 

[DanoT]

I am pretty sure that the Kore 87 is just a shrunk version of the Kore 93 but I would think that they would want to soften it a bit for kids.

 

[Eric267]

Another one to think about is the Atomic Bent Jr. Couple of the local shops around here had it along side the mantra Jr. and it's defiantly fatter. Not going to lie I picked it up and flexed it. Seemed well made and pretty sharp looking ski https://www.evo.com/skis/atomic-bent-chetler-mini-boys?

 

[RBjammin]

J skis does a nice junior ski as well. I’ve had the 140 and 150 for my kids. Graphics are cool too which matters to them.

 

[Alexzn]

Be careful with making a parallel to the adult models. Often the jr versions have nothing to do with them except he name and graphics. A friends kid is on the Kore and loves it. That’s would be my choice. Mantra Jr is ahem not a great ski because of the full rocker. Not sure about the Blizzards, but I remember Cochise Jr being very noodle unlike a real. Cochise. For Jr skis I would go to Head or Fischer.

 

[Philpug]

The Fischer 85 FR is very good as is the Elan Ripstick 86. Lets not also forget the DPS Foundation Grom, another viable option.

 

[Wade]

I bought my 8 year old son the Faction CT 1.0 Junior skis for this season. Poplar beech core and sidewall sandwich construction. He has 20 or so days on the skis and hasn’t taken it easy on them, but they’ve held up great from a durability perspective.

He skis fast and jumps off everything he can find and they’ve performed well - they’re not so stiff that he can’t bend the ski, but stiff enough that they don’t fold up on him in crud and hold an edge for high speed carving. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another pair.

https://us.factionskis.com/products/ct-1-0-jr

 

[hbear]

Moment Carson Jr as well.
Armada makes some good stuff at the 135+ cm range

 

[dovski]

Hi All,

Completely agree with everyone on this thread. Most kids skis are cheap cap construction made in a factory in China with the lowest quality materials. That said there are a couple brands who make real skis for kids. I started my kids all on Jr Racing skis that had full sidewalls and real construction. This has paid off in dividends as all my kids are hard charging. Below is a pic of what I skied yesterday with my 8 year old at Alpental. International or Nash as we like to call it is a nice double black with an intimidating rocky entrance. We typically ski upper Nash to Adrenaline, a super steep double black or Snake Dance another steep gladed double black. Needless to say your typical kids skis just don't cut for my little guy

Currently his quiver has the kids Mantra Jr and a Fischer multi-event racing ski. For next year I already have a Head iRace for him passed down from his older sister and am looking at replacing his Mantra Jr. Found some great deals on the Head Kore Jr and the Blizzard Rustler team JR skis. Both look to be solid skis from their specs but I don't know anyone whose kids have skied them and cannot find any online reviews so trying to find out more about these two skis in particular as I think they could be good choices. Really want to move him to something with camber as opposed to the full rocker in the Mantra and both these skis offer that. Will say that despite the full rocker the Mantra Jr has skied really well and he had no problems with edge hold but realize that as he skis more of the steeps he is going to need the camber underfoot.

So with this in mind do appreciate all the other suggestions and am looking to see what is available locally and online with those, but really would love some feedback on the two skis I have immediate access to

 

[dovski]

Be careful with making a parallel to the adult models. Often the jr versions have nothing to do with them except he name and graphics. A friends kid is on the Kore and loves it. That’s would be my choice. Mantra Jr is ahem not a great ski because of the full rocker. Not sure about the Blizzards, but I remember Cochise Jr being very noodle unlike a real. Cochise. For Jr skis I would go to Head or Fischer.

I had the same concern about the full rocker on the Mantra Jr, but that has turned out to be a none issue, again we are talking about a hard charging 8 year old so do want to move him to a ski with camber, but would not hesitate to recommend the Mantra Jr. It has been a great transitional ski for my son and a good intro to something wider than a race ski.

With that in mind, do you know how much early rise the Kore has. trying to figure out the right sizing for my son and not sure if I should go with the 135 or 144

 

[dovski]

Ok we took the plunge a went with the Head Kore 87 JR in 135 with a Marker Free 7 binding. Will share pics once the skis arrive. Looks like I pulled the trigger just in time as the place I bought the from is now sold out. Need all the close out deals I can get on kids skis this year so I can save up for my Stockli SR95s in the fall

 

[Wilhelmson]

The Kores look cool and are more expensive. Why is it that the Kore 87 has an 85 waist??

When my wife broke her skis she took over my kid's mantra jr and I picked up some barely used soul rider jr for $200 for him to get us through the season. In the end it barely made any difference to him, except the lighter narrower soul riders were easier on his healing, plantar (no pun). Bigger difference was that she was way better on ice with the Mantra Jr than with adult Black Pearls.

 

[DanoT]

The Kores look cool and are more expensive. Why is it that the Kore 87 has an 85 waist??

For the adult Head Kore 93, only the 180cm ski is actually 93mm wide at the waist. All the other lengths have a shrunk or expanded tip, waist, tail dimension depending on if the skis are shorter or longer than 180. So I would assume that something similar is going on with the kid's Kore 87.

 

[Philpug]

For the adult Head Kore 93, only the 180cm ski is actually 93mm wide at the waist. All the other lengths have a shrunk or expanded tip, waist, tail dimension depending on if the skis are shorter or longer than 180. So I would assume that something similar is going on with the kid's Kore 87.

While Head does a great job scaling their skis for size, the fall flat on the marketing side. Example: none of the new women's Kore's are their numbers...there is not a Kore 93 W or Kore 99 W that is 93mm or 99mm under foot, they all are scaled narrower.

 

[DanoT]

While Head does a great job scaling their skis for size, the fall flat on the marketing side. Example: none of the new women's Kore's are their numbers...there is not a Kore 93 W or Kore 99 W that is 93mm or 99mm under foot, they all are scaled narrower.

Since the Kore 93 in a women's size are the 153cm and 162cm lengths and since the 162 is 89mm wide, it would make sense to call the women's line Kore 89. Or maybe they should just stop using a number as part of the name.

 

[Philpug]

Since the Kore 93 in a women's size are the 153cm and 162cm lengths and since the 162 is 89mm wide, it would make sense to call the women's line Kore 89. Or maybe they should just stop using a number as part of the name.

You would think.

 

[Wilhelmson]

They could just market it as the "narrowest 93 mm ski available." If it were any narrower they'd have to call it an 89.

 

[dovski]

85 waist in a 135 ski for an 8-9 year old is perfect for our needs. checked with a buddy who is tight with our local head rep and he said the kids ski is just a shrunk down version of the Kore 93. Nice to see some real skis for kids.

Was able to get a super sweet deal on these with bindings. Now I just need a hook-up on the new SR95

 

[Philpug]

85 waist in a 135 ski for an 8-9 year old is perfect for our needs. checked with a buddy who is tight with our local head rep and he said the kids ski is just a shrunk down version of the Kore 93. Nice to see some real skis for kids.

Was able to get a super sweet deal on these with bindings. Now I just need a hook-up on the new SR95

I have yet to hand flex these, I would be more concerned that an 8-9 year old can flex it.

 

[dovski]

I have yet to hand flex these, I would be more concerned that an 8-9 year old can flex it.

I think they soften the ski a little. My little guy is a pretty advanced skier so he needs something stiffer than most kids his age. Hi other skis are a head iRace JR and I know these are not as stiff as those. My buddy actually sells these in his shop and got a pair for his daughter who is the same age.