Junior Freeride Skis - What's Your Kid Ripping Around On?

[Bandit Man]

My 12-yo son took a break from skiing and got back into it the past two season. He really started to have a breakthrough at the end of the season with more real pole-plants and semi-parallel turns, more comfort at speed, and actually started enjoying skiing pow. I had him on some 140-cm Nordica Enforcer S (93-mm waist, slight rocker profile) this season that worked well for him. I'm tempted to get the next length (150) for his next ski, but also started to look at other options that might be a little bit better for the PNW and deeper snow...mainly something with a little looser tail like a Blizzard Rustler Team.

Anyhow, I was curious what the collective is letting the next gen of ripper cruise around on these days?

[mono]

My 12-yo son took a break from skiing and got back into it the past two season. He really started to have a breakthrough at the end of the season with more real pole-plants and semi-parallel turns, more comfort at speed, and actually started enjoying skiing pow. I had him on some 140-cm Nordica Enforcer S (93-mm waist, slight rocker profile) this season that worked well for him. I'm tempted to get the next length (150) for his next ski, but also started to look at other options that might be a little bit better for the PNW and deeper snow...mainly something with a little looser tail like a Blizzard Rustler Team.

Anyhow, I was curious what the collective is letting the next gen of ripper cruise around on these days?

My 13 year old spent the season on the k2 Mindbender Jr - which he liked a lot and he skied really well on them. We ski in vt - so for him a fair amount of 'hard pack,' moguls and trees. My other little guy (he 's 10) wanted different skis than his brother and wound up with Volkl Mantra jrs. Part way thru the season he tried his older brothers K2 and didn't want to switch back. They are both same height and weight, about 5 ft maybe an inch taller and 85 ish pounds and they were both on a 143 ish. A bunch of the kids from their freeride group borrowed and liked the k2 over what they had. They are all little rippers, from what i got out of them, the tips were soft and the midsection stiffish.

I got the K2 MB Team (155 cm) for my older son for next year and it is definitely a much burlier ski. He skis really well but i'm curious how it turns out for him, he's still pretty light weight. I think it's likely similar to the blizzard rustler team, which was another one that we were looking at. From what i have read about the blizzard it is a small size of the rustler 10. The younger brother is getting the k2 MB Jr for next year.

[scmartin69]

My 11yo is on a pair of Line Sir Francis Bacons, they rip off piste. My 12yo has some older Salomon Rocker 2, that he really likes and seem to float well. Both kids are big for their ages, so they ski ~150cm w/o any trouble.

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[nickbokhoven]

My 12-yo son took a break from skiing and got back into it the past two season. He really started to have a breakthrough at the end of the season with more real pole-plants and semi-parallel turns, more comfort at speed, and actually started enjoying skiing pow. I had him on some 140-cm Nordica Enforcer S (93-mm waist, slight rocker profile) this season that worked well for him. I'm tempted to get the next length (150) for his next ski, but also started to look at other options that might be a little bit better for the PNW and deeper snow...mainly something with a little looser tail like a Blizzard Rustler Team.

Anyhow, I was curious what the collective is letting the next gen of ripper cruise around on these days?

My kids are a bit younger than yours. My 8 year old son is on a pair of On3p Charlie Murphy’s 14x. Before that was a pair of Moment Carson’s 13x. My daughter is on Moment Carson’s 121. Before that they were on some Blizzard Cochise JR. Maybe just bias on my part, but their skiing improved significantly with the investment in good skis with On3p and Monents. I also picked up the pair of Praxis LePetites from detrusor was selling for my son in Gear Swap. In anything soft, he skis these better than his On3p’s. No, I am not a dentist either - In construction and just appreciate good gear. As they grow, hoping to find the next size up Charlie Murphy, some Moment women’s, or Praxis.

If willing to invest, Keith at Praxis is making the GPO Jr (same as the LePetite) on the custom sale. $499 which I realize isn’t cheap but might be the cats meow in that 15x cm length. Not many indie brand options for the junior. Moment makes the Hot Mess in a 152 and it doesn’t have pink on the top sheet. On3p Jessie?


https://www.praxisskis.com/custom-or...gpo-jr-custom/

Charlie Murphy in action



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[PlayItLeo]

My 11 yr old ripper was on the Rustler Teams last year and he loved them - said he could carve when he wanted to or get loose and surf and wiggle through tight VT trees. Also has Armada Tantrums for softer snow days and loves those too - same deal, surf or carve. His 9 yr old brother will be on those Rustler Teams next year and the 11 year old will be moving on to some Dynastar Menace 90s next season. All that said, and I know it’s antithetical to TGR, it’s the Indian and not the arrow. He’d have had just as much fun and ripped just as hard on pretty much any ski with a wood core. I just buy what I can find for absurdly cheap and that’s what my kids ski.


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[phatty]

You know I have a bunch of boys and have used lots of different skis at different waist/length combos. Each of my 4 sons ski very different but we've had success with

Mantra Jr. 128/138 - Use these when they are on the smaller end. No rocker, but helps them get better on piste without holding them back off piste.

Bent Chetler Mini 143 - Good all around ski. Better off piste than on.

Rossignol S7 Pro 150 - I'm sure they have a similar current model. My kids really liked this one. Has some rocker and does well both on/off piste.

Blizzard Cochise Jr 160 - Switched my youngest son to this midway through last season and saw a jump in confidence over his Rossi S7 (he had outgrown it). Excited to see how he does next season.

Then they graduate to a Bonafide 166. I'm finally getting a quiver for my older boys now that they are on larger skis that are basically my hand me downs. Garage is getting full, but nowhere near yours. We need to get our 12yos together. You mini Bandit can push my son.

[TrueNorth]

Rustler/Sheeva Team 156 for a 12 year old girl (5'4", around 100 lbs)? I wouldn't call her a ripper but she is athletic and confidently does parallel turns on blue and sometimes black groomers. She has been on 140 kids foam core skis for the past 2 seasons, but after a growth spurt I think she's ready for tweener skis (which I know very little about) or maybe the shorter lengths of women's skis.

A ski week in BC is in the plans this year, and for selfish reasons I want to get her interested in and confident on skiing off piste and in soft snow, hence the interest in the Rustler/Sheeva. However, our local hills are small and often icy, and I'm concerned the Rustler may not be so good for that.

Also, any difference between the Rustler team and Sheeva team, other than topsheet?

[scmartin69]

12yo was on Volkl Shiro 153 last year, decent float and he seemed to like the full rocker cause they're really turny.
11yo started out on Line SFB 14x and finished the year with a couple days on his Mom's Moment Sierra in a 162 (he will likely be getting a pair for Xmas).

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[detrusor]

Cheap volkl confessions at level nine

https://www.levelninesports.com/volk...ior-skis-2019/

My 10 and 12 year olds rip on these


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[comish]

Mini Comish (12 last year) loved the 175cm Atomic Vantage 107C's that I had bought for Mrs. Comish last summer at Evo for $150. This was the few days when he wasn't on race skis, but was fully charging pow on them. He liked them a bunch more than some old Sidestash's 160cm that i had bought him, I think here. The kid did grow a foot during Covid. He is soon going to be on my stuff which is crazy!?!? I basically kept the 180 Dynastar Menace 118's I bought last year almost solely for him.

Before that I would say the Nordica's w/ flat tail were liked more than the subtly full rockered Volkl, but who knows. My kids are on race skis unless it snows +/- a foot and then Team has them bring their fat skis.

Mini Comish tweaked a knee last year skiing pow in GS skis, although I told him that's how we all used to do it! That didn't seem to help his mood at all. Luckily it was a couple weeks and back to it.

Sorry, really no help, but I think it sorta depends on kids style, (centered or racer), size, and snow you are optimizing for. I was really surprised he liked the Vantage as much as he did.

[slcdawg]

Mine have been on Mantra Jr's for the most part. They are both rippers. My 15 year old moved to Rustlers last year and really likes them.

I'm wondering what boots to get my 12 year old boy, mondo 25.5. Do you get youth or softer flex adult boots? His feet are growing fast and getting wider.

[phatty]

I have my kids on Jr Volkls (Mantras and Gotama), Rossi S7 Pro, K2 Bad Seeds and Blizzard Cochise Jr. Most of my kids have grown out of these, but they were all great skis for them. Now their big enough they get my hand me downs or down sized versions of my skis.

[rbciii]

My daughter is on the Black Pearl 98 which she loves in the soft snow. She is a former racer, so she appreciates the hard snow performance of them. She was about 5'-8" when she got them, probably 150#, so she had a bit more mass to bend the ski.

My light weight son loved his Nordica Enforcer S and they were soft enough that he could bend them easily even at 80#. They were great for him and he skied them in a 140 and a 150 before winning a pair of K2 Mindbender Team Jrs in a 165. He says they carve like a GS race ski, but float well. He isn't heavy enough to bend them in the pow yet, so we will see if they have to wait another season before becoming his everyday freeride ski.

[::: :::]

my boy
on3p jessie at 12
on3p jeffrey at 15

[skuff]

https://www.praxisskis.com/custom-or...gpo-jr-custom/

Charlie Murphy in action



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Nothing constructive to add, but wanted to acknowledge this RAD photo

[scmartin69]

Nothing constructive to add, but wanted to acknowledge this RAD photo

So now it's a dick measuring contest.
Switch 360 at Alta
Filter courtesy of my wife's IG magic...

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[bearcub69]

Leave it to TGR to have a dick measuring contest with their kids.


also, vids or it didnt happen (the sw3, not dick measuring)

[skuff]

So now it's a dick measuring contest.
Switch 360 at Alta
Filter courtesy of my wife's IG magic...

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RAD!

[alias_rice]

What do you guys think about the Bent Chetler Mini in a 143 for a 10 year old? I think the length will be perfect for him but they seem a little fat (124 90 115) for an everyday ski.

[scmartin69]

What do you guys think about the Bent Chetler Mini in a 143 for a 10 year old? I think the length will be perfect for him but they seem a little fat (124 90 115) for an everyday ski.

My boy demo'd these in a 153 and loved them but they were sold out so we couldn't pull the trigger. For comparison he was on Line SFB 155cm all last year and they didn't seem too wide.

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[tharmor]

My dudes are on the Faction Candide yth skis. 100mm underfoot with flat camber underfoot and rocker tip and tails. Pretty sweet ski for Alta. I own the 135 and the 155cm versions. I would love to find the 145cm as well and just move them up a size sooner. My 10 year old is on the 135cm still and my 13 yr old is on the 155cm. No complaints.


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[phatty]

What do you guys think about the Bent Chetler Mini in a 143 for a 10 year old? I think the length will be perfect for him but they seem a little fat (124 90 115) for an everyday ski.

Have a pair of those that my kids have loved.

[iamTRuTH]

My 9 y/o boy loves his 136mm Moment Carsons. His confidence doubled last year getting on them over his skinny twin tips park skis

[Dr.Evil]

My son was on the 140 cm Nordica Enforcer S for the past two years (I think it's the same ski as the junior Cochise with a different top sheet). He really liked them, however they are more of a direction ski and aren't a true twin tip. Last spring I picked him up the Volkl Katana Junior in 153 cm (same ski as the Confession Jr, just newer top sheet graphics), had they been in stock, I probably would have gone with the Nordica Enforcer 95 in a 150cm.

[TrueNorth]

What bindings are your tweener kids on?

My kid is at DIN 5, and readily available options are Warden 11 and Squire 11. Ability to adjust up or down a size (for future larger boot, or hand me down to younger sibling) and ease of use are important, so not interested in Pivots.