Junior or adult skis for 11 y/o 5' 108 lb boy. All Mtn recommendations?

[surfandski]

My son can probably get thru this season on his two pairs of skis but I'd like to keep my eyes open for a good deal on his next skis and hopefully find a really good all mountain ski that still carves really well as it's sort of a waste for him to have a designated powder ski when he's still growing and we don't live in ski country. The first question is whether to continue looking for a Jr ski or bump him up to adults as he could easily put on 15-20 lbs by next season (hence why I'm not in a hurry).

His main front side skis are the Elan RC Race which he really loves because it's fairly stiff, carves well and is really stable at high speeds which he likes. Those only go up to 150 and it seems like a lot of the Jr skis top out around that length so it appears it's time for him to venture into adult skis.

So what would be a really good all mountain ski that is still a really good carver for the mostly groomer family days? Do manufacturers make the shortest ski in a model any less stiff than the longer ones, knowing that smaller people are skiing the short ones or is the stiffness fairly consistent from the shortest to longest ski? If so that's going to alter his experience vs a review from a 150-200 lb adult. The other challenge is the proportion of width to length. 93mm in a 190cm adult ski isn't that wide but his 140cm powder skis are 93mm and ski much wider compared to its length.

He did ski my wife's Volkl Yumis last season and felt they were too soft so I think it's just a matter of finding the right adult ski for his weight and ability as he skis a lot more aggressively than my wife does.

I think the perfect ski for him would be something that carves well on groomers, stable in crud and floats well enough for up to 12" powder as he loves skiing the trees. Thanks!

 

[AmyPJ]

What are his current stats--height and weight?

 

[surfandski]

What are his current stats--height and weight?

It's in the title but he is 5' (60") tall and 108 lbs and freakishly strong legs. I see that you resurrected the previous thread and I thought about asking this there but he went from being a kid to a little man over the past 1.5 years so I figured his Junior ski days may be over since a lot of them only go to 150cm which would be borderline too short for him now. I do see that the Mantra Jr goes up to 158cm (another site only showed it going to 148 so I thought that wasn't an option) which would be good for him and they could work for my 5'8", 100lb daughter as well. I know that the adult Mantra M5 went back to camber underfoot, does anyone know if the Jr version did as well? I feel like his Elan RC Race made him a better skier and I'd prefer to stay away from any reverse camber skis.

I spend way too much time reading Blister reviews for myself but don't keep up on new options for the kids so I'm hoping there are some good all around skis for them. Thanks!

 

[surfandski]

Thanks for the post about the Enforcer 80 S. Those look like they could be a decent option for him. Maybe a tad narrow at 78mm for Powder (his current powder skis are 93mm and his RC Race are 72mm) but a solid all around ski if it's anything like the adult enforcers. It's so hard to find a single ski that can do it all, hence the temptation to have 2 pairs for him but that means only a handful of powder days before he grows out of a pow ski.

 

[DanoT]

I wouldn't rule out women's skis. The very popular (and very light) Head Total Joy is 85mm under foot and after several seasons with a mostly white top sheet, now comes in a more aggressive looking black top sheet.

There might be some good prices out there for the slightly wider, slightly more advanced skier ski, the Head Wild Joy. It is no longer being made, hence NOS with good prices becomes a possibility. But it does have a pastel turquoise top sheet.

 

[Philpug]

Fischer Ranger FR and the Elan Ripstick 86 are two that immeciately come to mind.

 

[surfandski]

I wouldn't rule out women's skis. The very popular (and very light) Head Total Joy is 85mm under foot and after several seasons with a mostly white top sheet, now comes in a more aggressive looking black top sheet.

There might be some good prices out there for the slightly wider, slightly more advanced skier ski, the Head Wild Joy. It is no longer being made, hence NOS with good prices becomes a possibility. But it does have a pastel turquoise top sheet.

Thanks, we had a pair of Head Absolut Joys in the family and my wife and daughter fought over who didn't have to ski them so I ended up selling them and getting them both Volkl Yumi's which they love. My son tried the Absoluts and didn't like them compared to his Elan's but I probably should have forced him to spend a whole day on them to see if they grew on him. I do agree that a woman's ski could be an option and hope that there is a demo day somewhere along our path. I'm not sure if they'd allow a boy to try them out as the "Lady" demo days I've seen seem to be female specific (though maybe he could identify as a girl that day to try out some skis). Or I suppose my wife could check the skis out and then swap on the mountain.

 

[DanoT]

Thanks, we had a pair of Head Absolut Joys in the family and my wife and daughter fought over who didn't have to ski them so I ended up selling them

The Head Absolut Joy is a narrow strictly intermediate ski whereas the Total Joy is wider and suitable for intermediate to advanced black diamond skier and is much more of an all mountain ski. The Head Total Joy has been the most popular woman's ski for the past few seasons at the demo centre where I work.

 

[Analisa]

If you're hoping to demo before purchase, and the only demo events are for women, I'd just email the organizer and/or any of the manufacturers to try to connect with the rep. At the end of the day, most organizers are just trying to match people with skis they love or raise money for local ski orgs. But if the organizers say no, the rep could always plan to let him get a lap or two in before or after the event. I'd also confirm sizing since some reps will stick to the middle of the size run.

In terms of jr. or adult ski, I'd also consider what boots & bindings he's in. If his DIN or boot require an adult binding, you'll want to make sure the skis are thick enough to accommodate the longer screws on an adult binding.

 

[dovski]

Here are a couple suggestions to consider:
Head iRace Jr comes in 160cm on sale at Corbetts.com for $249 CDN with bindings https://www.corbetts.com/2017-head-wc-irace-team-jr-skis-w-sx-9-jr-bindings/
Head Kore 87 Jr come in 162 which is another great Jr ski to consider

Both skis are made in Europe in the same factories as the adult skis - not the cheap kids skis. Full sandwich construction with a proper sidewall and base. My 9 year old son and 12 year old daughter both have this setup and really like it.

As an FYI kids mantra is full rocker ski whereas Head Kore 87 has full camber with tip and tail rocker.

 

[Analisa]

As an FYI kids mantra is full rocker ski whereas Head Kore 87 has full camber with tip and tail rocker.

They added camber back coinciding with the changes for the M5 & Secret. But yes, especially if looking for used, not all kids' Mantras are the same.

 

[dovski]

They added camber back coinciding with the changes for the M5 & Secret. But yes, especially if looking for used, not all kids' Mantras are the same.

I stand corrected the new Mantra Jr has camber but the older versions do not

 

[DanoT]

Head iRace Jr comes in 160cm on sale at Corbetts.com for $249 CDN with bindings https://www.corbetts.com/2017-head-wc-irace-team-jr-skis-w-sx-9-jr-bindings/

Corbett's is a brick & mortar and online Canadian retailer with great prices. Located in eastern Canada, they also have excellent customer service. I have not bought anything from them but friends who have were very satisfied.

 

[markojp]

Fischer Ranger FR and the Elan Ripstick 86 are two that immeciately come to mind.

And dare I say it once again? https://www.evo.com/outlet/skis/nordica-navigator-80

 

[dovski]

Corbett's is a brick & mortar and online Canadian retailer with great prices. Located in eastern Canada, they also have excellent customer service. I have not bought anything from them but friends who have were very satisfied.

I have bought a ton from them. They offer free shipping in North America and charge in Canadian $$ so take another 30% off the price if you live in the US. Their customer service is great and they usually mount my skis for free before shipping. They also sell on Ebay and Amazon under the name ASO Gear, but the best deals are going direct through their website. $249 cdn for Head Irace Jr skis and bindings is a crazy good deal.

 

[surfandski]

If you're hoping to demo before purchase, and the only demo events are for women, I'd just email the organizer and/or any of the manufacturers to try to connect with the rep. At the end of the day, most organizers are just trying to match people with skis they love or raise money for local ski orgs. But if the organizers say no, the rep could always plan to let him get a lap or two in before or after the event. I'd also confirm sizing since some reps will stick to the middle of the size run.

In terms of jr. or adult ski, I'd also consider what boots & bindings he's in. If his DIN or boot require an adult binding, you'll want to make sure the skis are thick enough to accommodate the longer screws on an adult binding.

Thanks! His boots have lugs that work with either adult or Jr bindings.

 

[Slim]

When you look at the adult skis, take a hard look at sizing.
I found that my 11/12 year old, at 5’8” and 120lbs, was in quite different ski lengths for height vs weight.
My gut feeling is for groomers, focus mostly on weight, for chop and crud, height starts to play into it.

 

[dovski]

When you look at the adult skis, take a hard look at sizing.
I found that my 11/12 year old, at 5’8” and 120lbs, was in quite different ski lengths for height vs weight.
My gut feeling is for groomers, focus mostly on weight, for chop and crud, height starts to play into it.

My kids 9, 12 and 14 have all become advanced skiers. They like steeps and deeps and have yet to find a trail through the trees they won't take. The oldest and youngest are both in Freeride. With this in mind here is my rule of thumb for kids skis:

1. We always get something with a full sidewall vs. cap construction - these tend to be better made and have more torsional stiffness which makes a big difference when it comes to edge hold
2. All their skis have camber
3. Length depends on height, weight, ability and the ski. For example all my kids have pair of multi-event race skis which have little to no early rise. These are shorter than their fat skis which have much more rocker and early rise.
4. The right flex is important. Most kids to do not have the weight or strength for a super stiff ski. With my kids we have been working into stiffer skis over a couple seasons. This year is the first year my 14 yr old has a ski with Metal in it (Santa Ana 100), but that is only because she is ready for it.

Just my thinking and what has worked with my kids. The most important things is that everyone has fun. For our family skiing has been a ton of fun. Every Saturday is our family ski day plus we do at least 3-4 family ski trips each year.

 

[surfandski]

Here are a couple suggestions to consider:
Head iRace Jr comes in 160cm on sale at Corbetts.com for $249 CDN with bindings https://www.corbetts.com/2017-head-wc-irace-team-jr-skis-w-sx-9-jr-bindings/
Head Kore 87 Jr come in 162 which is another great Jr ski to consider

Both skis are made in Europe in the same factories as the adult skis - not the cheap kids skis. Full sandwich construction with a proper sidewall and base. My 9 year old son and 12 year old daughter both have this setup and really like it.

As an FYI kids mantra is full rocker ski whereas Head Kore 87 has full camber with tip and tail rocker.

I don't know much about the iRace Jr but that is a very good price if I'm willing to get him two pairs since that would be a dedicated groomer but he does like to carve and he does like speed. Are those at all forgiving or are they "game on" all the time? What about sizing for those? Thanks!

 

[dovski]

I don't know much about the iRace Jr but that is a very good price if I'm willing to get him two pairs since that would be a dedicated groomer but he does like to carve and he does like speed. Are those at all forgiving or are they "game on" all the time? What about sizing for those? Thanks!

They are an advanced JR ski, but made with Graphene so super light, stiff but not too stiff. My kids love them frontside. They are a multi event ski so not a true racing ski, but great quality. My Daughter is 5’2” and skis the 160