Here's the deal. Both my boys, ages 8 and 10, wanted to learn to ski this past week at TRL. My wife is a very good slalom skier, I don't ski at all.

My youngest used an old pair of skis that my wife learned on 25 years ago. A couple of trys, and he popped right up.

The problem is with my oldest. All we had besides my wife's ski was a pair of Obriens, (I think) maybe 67" (does that make any sense?). It seemed like these skis are just too big/heavy/hard to control for him. He never got up.

So I looking for some advice from the resident experts here on what we should look for in a set of skis for him.

He's pushing 90 lbs, and his feet are HUGE. I'm also midly concerned about buying skis for him that he and his brother will out grow in 1 years time, but there may not be any way around that, and if that happens, so be it.

My wife knows what she wants in a ski, but doesn't have a clue what to do for him.

So using small words that a nonskier can understand, give me some opinions.

Thanks.

Try again?

Honestly, I was about that age, inbetween youngin' combo ski's and full-size adult skis. It took me probably a half-dozen different trips (multiple attempts on each trip) to the lake before I ever got up. My sister, on the other hand, popped right up on her second attempt ever!

I'd make sure his form is good (although that might be hard to do since you're not really a skier yourself) and keep boosting his confidence as much as you can. Eventually he will get up.

Also, with big skis, not much power is needed. Make sure you're not overpowering the little fellow.

Next time out, try to snap some video with a cheap digital camera and post it. That will give us more information to suggest ideas off of.

D

BTW: How was TRL?

2Suns

I just went through the same exercise with my two mid-sized kids. End up buying the O'brien Jr. Vortex I think. 58" I'll double check that when I get home. They were too big for thr trainers and too small for the big ones. The kids popped up so easy. When my son exclaimed "I think I have a new favorite sport" I knew it was worth the money

I was 10 when I learned. After I got it figured out, I had no problem with the big skis. And actually, I went straight into slaloming later that year....

I've found the biggest problem with beginners on combos is controlling large bouyant skis in the water and getting and keeping them parallel before the "go". I've had good luck w/ our HO Blasts that have a removable bar to hold the front part together as well as weight plates you can add to the back above the fin to help keep them vertical in the water. As they get the feel for how it should be and get more comfortable in the water you can eliminate the bar and then the weights.

Outside of that I've found it helpful to tell the skier to relax until I get the boat lined up. I tell them: "I'll tell you when I'm ready, then you tell me when you're ready." Some people used to get exhausted from being tense and trying to hold position before I would ever get the boat lined up and the slack out of the line! I had an adult beginner this past weekend and it was helpful to go one step further. I told him that after he was ready I would watch and takeoff when I could see his skis parallel to each other and perpendicular to the water. Sometimes it seems as soon as someone yells "ok" they start to flop over...so I wait just a sec or 2 till they right themselves and then go.

Like D-Rod said...big skis/little people...easy on the throttle. Skier presses w/ the balls of his feet to get the ski tips forward and the angle right to ride up to the top of the water.

I agree that with D-Rod some kids things come easily, some not so much. Different for each of my kids as to when and how easy it was and they were exposed to many opportunities.

Question #1 Does your 10 yr. old have big loose-fitting swim trunks that could have been filling up with water and dragging him down or prevented him from standing up? Been there with kids. Duck tape on the legs, or switching to compression shorts solved that problem.

Question #2 Would your 10 yr. old fit in the bindings on the old skis your 8 yr old used? Could the bindings be adjusted to open up further for you 10 yr olds foot? I would start with taking off and MOVING the (I assume) sliding heel assembly back on the ski 1" for more foot length. Old skis. Who cares about some extra screw holes?

A 90 lbs of skier could go with kids, jr. or adult sized skis and make it work. Jr. size optimal I guess but you are right about binding size. Even a pair of 2 KID's size skis probably have more planing surface combined than your wife's slalom ski. Smaller skis are easier to handle in the water when floating before the start, and easier to maneuver when skiing, but as D-Rod said, bigger ones give more planning surface at the start.

I learned at age 8 on a pair of big old wooden adult skis 68"? with floppy white vinyl bindings. Later got a pair of smaller wooden jr. skis that we still have and use alot 38 yrs later (oh my, had to do the math on that one).

90 lb. kid on adult skis should be able to ski at 15 mph easy, and no more than 20 mph. Go gentle and smooth with the throttle.

If you have the cash, go to a sporting goods store and have your guys try on some jr. size skis. bindings and feet will need to be WET so you can check fit on the bindings. Once they outgrow the bindings, remount as mentioned above, or sell them and buy the next right-size equipment. Dad's shoe size may be an indication of how big those feet might get ultimately.

If budget is an issue, Buy something cheap on the local Craigs list? I've scored on $10, $15 and $40 pairs of skis over the years when I've had my eyes open.

Sorry that was long.

I got mine from a garage sale, asking was $20 and as soon as I picked them up, he said $10 and they are yours.

If getting out of the water is hard, how about having your son sit on an upside down tube. The boat goes forward, the tube goes forward (dont have the tube tied to anything) and that way he only has half way to get up and not out a full deep water start. I never tried this myself but have heard others do it, maybe it was a Skibrain suggestion at one time

GREAT idea for the tube start O.H.! Not mine.

Is he doing the splits when he tries to get up?

Thanks for all your input.



We will be trying again, D!



I'm doin good to throw up a pic every once in a while. Video is outta my league.



I'm so used to firewalling the throttle for my wife, I may have been too hard on him. I thought I eased up for him, but maybe not enough.



Of course! Anything else is SO uncool! never thought of that, though.



As the bindings are now, there is no way his feet would fit in there. After everyone was done skiing, I was sitting at the wheel looking at those skis and thought about doing just that. I had a battery drill back at my truck and I almost did it, but I couldn't decide if I should move the heel part back, or the foot part forward. I figured maybe better to move the heel part back? Your thoughts, Skibrain?



Interesting idea, On Holiday. I've never heard that one. The way we were doing it was me driving, wife in the water behind them to help hold the back end of the skis until they went. Any other ideas on this?



I think so, Drod. I didn't see everytime, as I was trying to watch where I was going. He maybe fell over forward a time or two also.



It was good. Thanks for asking. Our last vacation was 4 years ago, so it was good to get away. I know people here do 400+ mi tows all the time, but I'm not ready to that again soon!

I'm almost glad things worked out this way. Something for my youngest son to say he did before big brother!

Thanks again for all your input.

Very easy on the throttle. Big ski's can overpower smaller kids if too much throttle is used. He will need less throttle/power to get up on bigger skis than with the smaller ski's. I'd really be looking at a gradual increase to about 3/4 throttle. It's amazing how much power is NOT needed to get anyone up on 2 skis, let alone a small kid. If he's leaning forward, I hate to say it, but Dad you're probably accidently jerking his arms off. I suggest trying the other extreme. You might see what happens if you give too-little throttle...it might just work out.

I've found it is easier to move the rear part of the bindings back.

Wasn't there some video on the tube to skiing or wakeboarding start posted up on here a few years back?

All I know is this: when I started learning to ski (I was in my 20's) it took me 2 full weekends to get up... After that, I've never NOT gotten up! (on TWO skis---one ski is a different matter, especially after an 18 year hiatus and it's your 50th birthday!)...

anyway, it'll happen, and then he'll bug you to death to go boating!