Ski length for 11 y/o girl

[Danno Ski Dad]

Hi,

My daughter and I have started skiing this season, and we got instantly hooked. I bought 2nd hand skis and boots for both of us in order to avoid rental costs before we started, and they've worked well. I bought 1m30 skis for my daughter (Atomic Race 8), which came up to her chin. But she's grown a fair bit since then (she's now 1m50/ 4'11'') and I'm thinking about getting her some new/second-hand skis now for next season, as there seem to be lots of deals going.

I reckon she'll grow another 2-3cms by the start of the new season in December, so she'll be about 1m52/ 5'. We did 9 days skiing last season and the last 2 days were spent doing reds, which she's really confortable with and hares down with no fear, but she hasn't quite mastered carving.

We ski in Spain and Andorra, and a lot of the snow is fairly hard. And we don't go off-piste.

Before shelling out on skis, I really want to know what the ideal length should be for her. All help will be gratefully received.

Many thanks

Danno

 

[surfsnowgirl]

Are seasonal rentals an option where you ski? I know a lot of parents who do this with their kids.

This way you can swap out skis throughout the winter as she grows .

 

[Uncle-A]

If you want to have a rule of thumb for a preteen girl go with eye level in the spring. That will probably be chin level by next winter.

 

[Danno Ski Dad]

Are seasonal rentals an option where you ski? I know a lot of parents who do this with their kids.

This way you can swap out skis throughout the winter as she grows .

Hi - as far as I know this isn't an option. But I'll investigate...
Many thanks

 

[Danno Ski Dad]

If you want to have a rule of thumb for a preteen girl go with eye level in the spring. That will probably be chin level by next winter.

Exactly the sort of rule I was looking for!!! Brilliant. I'll measure her up to her eyes when she gets home. I'm guessing 1m40-1m42

 

[Mel]

My nerd answer is to use a growth chart. Kids don't grow at a linear speed - they grow in fits and starts, so sometimes they won't get taller for a year or so, then shoot up. If you google "interactive growth chart", you should find the CDC or WHO growth charts where you can plug in current age and height, and look to see how likely they are to be significantly taller in 6 and 12 months.

It's not foolproof, but if it looks like they're going to grow a lot before next season, get a pair 10cm longer (but don't sell the old ones until you're sure! Gives you the option to switch pairs mid season so they're always on the right length skis, but you still get to shop when sales are best). If they're at a bit of a plateau, then you can wait if you'd rather use the money towards lift tickets or something else.

 

[Jilly]

Another question is her weight and strength. Skis don't know how tall you are, but they will or will not bend based on weight and strength. Since this is still a new sport to you, unless your daughter has ice skated or has other leg sport (soccer?) background, you don't want a stiff skis. Depending on the weight and her BSL for boots, you might be looking for women's skis too.

@Danno Ski Dad - you can simplify the measurement to cm only. 1m40, 140. These Yanks are getting better at metric.

 

[pchewn]

140cm is right at the correct range for her height and being a 2nd season skier. My grandson is her age, a touch shorter, and 5 yrs experience. He's just now outgrown his 140 cm skis.

Plus/minus some cm will not make a huge impediment to her progress. The type of skis, the tune, and even more importantly the boots are the critical items.

 

[pchewn]

When you find a make/model of ski, you can look up the manufacturer's sizing chart to help determine a reasonable length. But you can go plus/minus 7cm without too much risk of being "wrong".

 

[Danno Ski Dad]

Another question is her weight and strength. Skis don't know how tall you are, but they will or will not bend based on weight and strength. Since this is still a new sport to you, unless your daughter has ice skated or has other leg sport (soccer?) background, you don't want a stiff skis. Depending on the weight and her BSL for boots, you might be looking for women's skis too.

@Danno Ski Dad - you can simplify the measurement to cm only. 1m40, 140. These Yanks are getting better at metric.

Thanks for the tips! She is about 45 Kg (in metric and is pretty strong. She's done a fair bit of gymnastics and roller-skating, and plays tennis. I have seen women's skis on sale but to be honest I've focused more on junior skis. I imagine a more flexible ski will carve more easily, so that's something I'll look into.

 

[Danno Ski Dad]

My nerd answer is to use a growth chart. Kids don't grow at a linear speed - they grow in fits and starts, so sometimes they won't get taller for a year or so, then shoot up. If you google "interactive growth chart", you should find the CDC or WHO growth charts where you can plug in current age and height, and look to see how likely they are to be significantly taller in 6 and 12 months.

It's not foolproof, but if it looks like they're going to grow a lot before next season, get a pair 10cm longer (but don't sell the old ones until you're sure! Gives you the option to switch pairs mid season so they're always on the right length skis, but you still get to shop when sales are best). If they're at a bit of a plateau, then you can wait if you'd rather use the money towards lift tickets or something else.

Yes. She grew about 6 cm in 4 months then has hardly grown at all in the last 3. I think she may be due another spurt, but you never know. Thanks for the tip

 

[Danno Ski Dad]

140cm is right at the correct range for her height and being a 2nd season skier. My grandson is her age, a touch shorter, and 5 yrs experience. He's just now outgrown his 140 cm skis.

Plus/minus some cm will not make a huge impediment to her progress. The type of skis, the tune, and even more importantly the boots are the critical items.

Excellent. I'll start looking at around 140. Many thanks

 

[Uncle-A]

When I was teaching in Middle School (6th, 7th, & 8th grade) a sixth grade girl will grow into a full adult women's size by the time she finishes 8th grade. I am pretty sure that a sixth grade girl is 11 years old just like the daughter of @Danno Ski Dad and it would be nice if dad can get more than one season out of a pair of skis.

 

[tromano]

For my kids, I keep them on theor old season skis to start the season and transfer to the new boards after 5 or so days on snow. It's good for a skier to start off in familiar territory to start the year. No need to start off with big boards when they are just getting used to being back on a snow.

 

[1Turn2Many]

I can’t offer any advice on ski size but, getting your daughter skiing with you is dad of the year material. Well done.

 

[Danno Ski Dad]

I can’t offer any advice on ski size but, getting your daughter skiing with you is dad of the year material. Well done.

Thanks 1Turn. But it was really easy. I'm a newbie too, so it's good to be doing it at the same level, and it takes away the hierarchy, which she likes. The first day we stopped for lunch at the hostel and I thought she might start making excuses to not go back out onto the slopes, but she wolfed her lunch down and couldn't wait to get back out.

 

[Danno Ski Dad]

For my kids, I keep them on theor old season skis to start the season and transfer to the new boards after 5 or so days on snow. It's good for a skier to start off in familiar territory to start the year. No need to start off with big boards when they are just getting used to being back on a snow.

I'm not desperate to sell the old skis (they only cost 50€), so I'll do this. Thanks

 

[Danno Ski Dad]

When I was teaching in Middle School (6th, 7th, & 8th grade) a sixth grade girl will grow into a full adult women's size by the time she finishes 8th grade. I am pretty sure that a sixth grade girl is 11 years old just like the daughter of @Danno Ski Dad and it would be nice if dad can get more than one season out of a pair of skis.

Indeed, Uncle-A. It's all a bit messed up by her current height (and growth potential) and the length of her current skis. I doubt these will be her final pair of skis, but getting two seasons out of the next ones I get her would be good. If her current skis were a bit longer, then maybe I could put it off a year. Though there's a very active second-hand market over here, so moving through the range isn't so bad if I can recover some of the cost along the way.

 

[jt10000]

For my kids, I keep them on theor old season skis to start the season and transfer to the new boards after 5 or so days on snow. It's good for a skier to start off in familiar territory to start the year. No need to start off with big boards when they are just getting used to being back on a snow.

I wouldn't do that with my boy. It's extending the time he feels awkward.

 

[Slim]

Shorter skis will be easier to turn, and more forgiving of mistakes like getting backseat).
Longer skis will give more stability at speed.
When you combine those two you see that:
In general, with new skiers, it’s better to err on the side of too short than too tall.

The same goes for adult (for heavier skiers) vs kids (for lighter skiers) skis.

You did not mention her weight, which, as @Jilly mentions, is more of a factor for ski size/type than height, especially for front side (on piste) skis.