3-4 years old boy, height: 100cm, what size if skis is right for him?

Under age 5 I would go with 80, maybe 90 cm.  100s are a tad too big for my 6 year old but he is small for his age. 

My son is almost 5 and is 46" (115cm) and is on 80cm skis.  Shorter makes it easier for them to move around on the skis when not sliding down the hill (liftlines etc) and length shouldn't matter much to their skiing at a young age.

I would probably get the 90cm if I were you, but the 80cm would be fine too.  I bought the 80's for my son last year and he'll probably get some longer skis next year and give the shorter ones to his little sister.

My daughter is 42" tall and is on 67cm skis. She could comfortably be on 80s at this point. 

Stay under 100cm

So, he'll be between 4 and 5 next year? If so, get him the shortest skis possible (maybe skip the 60s) regardless of his height. About chest height is good. He's still be learning some coordination skills at that age.

I started my kids at age 2 on 70 cm skis.  They went up to 80 cm at 4.  At that age it's all about getting general familiarity with the equipment, so make it easy for them with shorter skis.

my kids (2&4) are sharing 90 cm skis. Longer skis are more stable and even my 2 year old boy (3 in July) dont have any problem turning on them. We bought them for our 4 year old girl but our son just have to ride them too :-)

J.

I have been teaching young children (2-8yr olds) to ski for over 20 years, i have a four year old, 6 year old twins and a 7 year old.  I would reccommend that your child's skis come up to chest level for a beginner, making it easier to learn how to ski and once your child is able to ski comfortably matching skis after the turn, moving them up to skis that are about chin level gives them enough ski under them to handle most conditions, if you have to buy one pair for the season shoot for something in between the chest and chin.  my four year old is on 90's, skiing double blacks parallel. he started at 3 on 68's. (i also reccommend the rubber tip clip for the little ones to help learn the wedge while keeping the ski tips together, it works miracles for beginners.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jancouver 

 

my kids (2&4) are sharing 90 cm skis. Longer skis are more stable and even my 2 year old boy (3 in July) dont have any problem turning on them.

What kind of terrain does he ski on that would require the extra stability for a 2 yo? How much does he weigh and how tall is he? How fast does he go with this nearly 3 feet long ski and what kind of turns is he making? He must be really big, fast and agile for a 2yo.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kbouressa 

 

 (i also reccommend the rubber tip clip for the little ones to help learn the wedge while keeping the ski tips together, it works miracles for beginners.

+1 for the wedgy edgy for a young beginner. Take caution not to keep them on for too long to prevent a dependency on them.

I taught my children with a direct to a parallel method (no wedge pizza pie garbage) and used super short skis so that they could get a feel for using their edge sets with both skis from day one.  I had them on 60cm at age 4, 80cm by age 6, and 100cm by age 8.  I don't believe it is necessary to go much longer than that until they can really start bending a ski and carving turns.  If you go longer for "stability" all you'll end up teaching them is that they can sit way back without falling over.  I believe a shorter ski helps them develop a more balanced stance that they can't "cheat" on.  And of course shorter skis are a million times easier for them to manage (skating, lifts, moving around the mountain, etc.).

Quote:

Originally Posted by chanwmr 

 

 

 

What kind of terrain does he ski on that would require the extra stability for a 2 yo? How much does he weigh and how tall is he? How fast does he go with this nearly 3 feet long ski and what kind of turns is he making? He must be really big, fast and agile for a 2yo.

 

 

 

+1 for the wedgy edgy for a young beginner. Take caution not to keep them on for too long to prevent a dependency on them.

 

He is 32lb skiing the schoolyard at Mammoth. 90cm Rossi, 19 Lange (mondo) size boots. Not sure about his exact height, but definitely taller than most kids his age.  (I'm 6'4). Please note that I do have him on a strap, but he is pretty stable and can make turns based on my directions. After all, he will be 3 in July.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noodler 

 

I don't believe it is necessary to go much longer than that until they can really start bending a ski and carving turns.  If you go longer for "stability" all you'll end up teaching them is that they can sit way back without falling over. 

I'm with you on this.
 

Jancouver, maybe you didn't catch that, but that was the point I was making. Regardless of size, a 2 yo is just not coordinated and mobile enough to be skiing effectively on longer skis. He may be gliding and making small turns but long skis just fostering bad habits. In fact, 8/9 yo is about the age where a STRONG skier can benefit from skiing anything longer than nose length.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chanwmr 

 

 

I'm with you on this.
 

 

Jancouver, maybe you didn't catch that, but that was the point I was making. Regardless of size, a 2 yo is just not coordinated and mobile enough to be skiing effectively on longer skis. He may be gliding and making small turns but long skis just fostering bad habits. In fact, 8/9 yo is about the age where a STRONG skier can benefit from skiing anything longer than nose length.

To be honest, we did not even plan to put our son on skis this year and we bought those for our 4 yo girl.

Our sons was just begging to go skiing when he have seen his sister skiing. So we tried and to our surprise he was doing great. Next year, I will get him his own skis. Probably 80cm.

J.

My sense is that kbouressa's spot on; instructors like newbie kids on really short skis so they can get them from pizzas to french fries as soon as possible. So not just about size and leg coordination, but learning curves.

My 6 year old, 44 inches, had been on 90's from age 4 until this past week. Did just fine even though they only came up to his sternum. Now he's an early 5 on 107's. And the ski school just started my 2.8 year old on 70 cm skis. At that age they just get them used to gliding forward while they walk alongside, shuffling on the flat, tie the tips together to encourage pizzas. Only do it for a half hour to 40 minutes, then time for snow play.

Which at that age, IMO is all it should be about. The idea is to encourage love of our sport and its world, not make them into racers as soon as possible. 

www.levelninesports.com 

Ordered a pair at beginning of season for my 5 y/o, Great service !

I'd strongly encourage you to order used from Fleabay. For $25-40, you can get a pretty nice pair of kid's skis with bindings, typically rentals for ski schools. I've done this several times, the skis are always fine, at worst some cosmetic scratches on top that little kids don't notice. If the length is appropriate, the bindings will be easily adjustable within the same range of foot sizes without remounting. Check the edges, slap some wax on, and you're good to go.

Note: Almost all children's skis are made by two companies: Elan and Fischer. The bindings are all, to my knowledge, Tyrolias. So don't worry about anything except the length and a graphic your kid will like. 

My 2.5 year old is begging for some superfat twintips, but I'm resisting getting him anything above 85mm. Any thoughts? 

Quote:

Originally Posted by aschick 

 

My 2.5 year old is begging for some superfat twintips, but I'm resisting getting him anything above 85mm. Any thoughts? 

If he/she can get the fatties on edge without a wedge, then go right ahead. I think at 2.5 yo, it'll be a challege for the little skier. Even many recreational adults have trouble doing that.

Do they even make midfats that short (or shorties that fat)? A few years ago, find something in 120cm in 80mm was hard enough.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fareastplaza 

 

I can't believe there are so many Moms and Dads in here.

 

I am living in Calgary, does anybody know where can I get really good deal for kid's skis at this end of season? used, new... from internet, store...whatever!

 

Thanks,

These folks have used gear in kids sizes.   October is usually the best time to order

http://www.skitrucks.com/shop/

My 6 YO is on 110's and she handles them fine.  She started on 80's at 2 moved to 90's at 4 went from 90 to 110's at 6.  She skis the 110's fine but she also skis about 50 days a year for the last 2 years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aschick 

 

My 2.5 year old is begging for some superfat twintips, but I'm resisting getting him anything above 85mm. Any thoughts? 

Bad idea IMO. The whole sequence of early instruction is about learning to use edges for control, first to slow and turn using a wedge, then to do hockey and J stops, move toward parallel carving. Even if your child could find fat twins short enough for his height (very unlikely since he's probably ready for 70-80 mm max), the width would make getting on edge that much slower and more cumbersome. Don't confuse apparent stability - or fashion - with good early learning. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by BerthoudPass 

 

www.levelninesports.com 

Ordered a pair at beginning of season for my 5 y/o, Great service !

For me eldest son I just got a brand new pair of Head XRC 75 skis from levelninesports for $60.  These have the Railflex lite setup on them so they're easy to adjust for changes in boot sizes.  The Railflex 7 binding was pretty cheap too.  I love levelninesports - they're a class act all the way.

BTW - I buy new skis because I have 3 sons and all the gear gets passed down from one to the other.

Quote:

Originally Posted by UGASkiDawg 

 

My 6 YO is on 110's and she handles them fine.  She started on 80's at 2 moved to 90's at 4 went from 90 to 110's at 6.  She skis the 110's fine but she also skis about 50 days a year for the last 2 years.

Wow that's a lot of days for a kid - good for her (and you).  She'll be passing you by in no time at this rate.