What can you tell me about twin tips for kids?

My kids both want twin tips for next year.  They're really small so the oldest will get probably a 130 and the youngest a 100.  I know NOTHING about twin tips.  What can you tell me.  Are most kid's sizes going to be the same?  Are there different "tips" or "kinds"?? 

Thanks for any info.

marge

Most small kids skis are more or less the same, if you line up many kids skis you'll notice the twintips and the 'race' skis often are the exact same shape, just a graphic change. As the skis get a little bigger (the 130cm could fall in here) there starts to be actual 'performance' skis (as well as foam core adult look-a-like skis). Race and park skis will start to be very different, the race skis will be built like the adult versions with sidewalls and different SL and GS skis. Park skis will become 'true' twintips, you get wood cores and some structural layers that can stand up to real park use (read: abuse). For a very good kid skier a 'race' ski or a 'park' ski that is built like an adult ski are the best performance options. Very small and light kids don't need a beefy 'adult light' ski, the foam core cap skis aren't bad, bigger or really skilled kids can benefit from the 'better' skis.

When you start to look you'll notice some kids twintips will be $119 and some will be $229... guess which is which.

Hey mods: Whiteroom's useful reply here got me thinking about how often this genre of question is asked (several versions right now on gear forum for instance), and how much collective knowledge we have. Why don't we have a big sticky or better, a special forum for kid's gear/skiing issues? (Family skiing doesn't exactly advertise itself as the place to go.) Would make sense to me and other parents.  

Regardless of quality, 100cm length twin tips are hard to come by (if you can find them at all). Only a few semi twins are available. Also, Jr twin tip are typically wider underfoot (70mm and up). For your younger child, it's probably a good idea to go with something narrower. The Head Mojo 65 is a good choice (basically an entry level ski that is a bit better made). For your older child, shop according to his skiing ability. Don't go too wide if he is anything less than an advanced skier (skill-wise or terrain-wise). A wider ski will make transition from edge to edge difficult if he/she is not a good enough skier.

Quote:

Originally Posted by beyond 

 

Hey mods: Whiteroom's useful reply here got me thinking about how often this genre of question is asked (several versions right now on gear forum for instance), and how much collective knowledge we have. Why don't we have a big sticky or better, a special forum for kid's gear/skiing issues? (Family skiing doesn't exactly advertise itself as the place to go.) Would make sense to me and other parents.  

Perfect candidate for wiki.

Quote:

Originally Posted by marge 

 

My kids both want twin tips for next year.  They're really small so the oldest will get probably a 130 and the youngest a 100.  I know NOTHING about twin tips.  What can you tell me.  Are most kid's sizes going to be the same?  Are there different "tips" or "kinds"?? 

 

Thanks for any info.

 

marge

They like 'em!!

A bunch of kids that I work with have twins as spare skis that they use when free-skiing, especially late in the season when the snow gets thin.  Helps keep their race skis in good shape for the race course.

Thanks guys.  Good advice about the width.  Although he is a good skier (will ski blacks and bumps) he might struggle with the width.   I will get the older one maybe more of a "true pair".  Bascially they just want the tips on the back so they can start skiing backwards. 

They don't need twins nor to be super skiers to ski backwards. So, if they are good skiers, you don't have to worry about that issue.

Well, he was trying it this weekend (REALLy soft snow) and the backs were digging him right into the snow.  So it's more of a technique then?  I was thinking with the twin tips they wouldn't be able to dig in like that at least.  *confused*??
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by chanwmr 

 

They don't need twins nor to be super skiers to ski backwards. So, if they are good skiers, you don't have to worry about that issue.