School me on kid ski racing

[coreshot-tourettes]

9 year old picked up skiing this year and is making scary progress. Thinking that I will put him in the race program here at the hill that's 25 minutes away. But having picked up skiing myself as an adult, and never having raced, I have some questions:

1. What are the replacement intervals for boots and skis as he ages? Every year? How will I know it's time to replace? Or should I just buy new stuff every year?
2. What are ways to save money while still having a good experience? I've heard that some circuits stay on local mountains and restrict competitors to a single pair of skis per year.
3. What has been everyone's experience with injuries?
4. What's a typical amount to budget for a single kid's racing season?

Thanks!!

[garyfromterrace]

Lionel Hutz Esq and Angle Parking to the white courtesy phone please.

[SoVT Joey]

Replacement intervals are every time your kid grows. So that’s hard telling but might be able to stretch certain things two years. Most

younger kids programs usually do restrict number of skis, and speed suits but that’s only until they are older. But getting used stuff on sideline swap and other race families can keep costs down. Local Mtn programs are usually way more friendly for this then a lot of the super competitive programs, though they will still race on the same circuits. I started at a local mtn then went to ski academy.

Injuries? Broken thumb, mcl and miniscus in both knees, broken jaw, tons of concussions, broken arm, tib/fib and ankle. Oh and a couple of fake from teeth from eating a combo in slalom. Did my right knee post grad year and that was enough. I still ski just as hard as the last day I was racing though, so injuries happen but as long as you rehab correctly most of the time it will all work out.

no idea about budgets. Not gonna be cheap but probably going to be worth every penny. I thank my parents every day for that opportunity they provided me when I was young. Kids that grow up outside on the mtn have a different definition of toughness, something lost on a lot of society these days.

Danno could provide some good info. As well as Iriponsnow. Both have kids in racing programs.

[Hood26]

Buy a hard-sided, FIS, helmet.

All depends on his goals as far as budgets and stuff. We are spending about $4k per kid a year. Winter and summer programs being the biggest expense. My kids have a pair of SL and pair of GS skis each. Everything replaced as they grow.

Many programs run gear swaps or classifieds.

Injuries have been minor, but they have watched friends break bones.

[VTskibum]

I think many of the questions depend on the level that they're racing and the individual program, plus it'll ramp up with age.

Our Youth Development & Racing program is about 1k for instruction/racing, only races at our local hill, primarily NASTAR even then. So no travel, or even expectations restrictions on gear. Most kids have only 1 pair of skis, mine a few others have a race set and pair of twins for before/after racing to hit park laps. I'm only a season into ours w/ my 9y/0, but quite glad that my program isn't intense. Racing is a component, but it's more about the Youth Development part. Many of the teens coming out of this program end up as instructors for the following season, few work on the NASTAR crew and continue racing.

Contrast that with a few of the other more serious mountains and everything goes up pretty significantly in cost and seriousness. My friend's kid is in a relatively competitive group, has been in speedsuits w/ all the gear and different skis since he was 7. Training camps in VT early season and a few in state (PA) races at different mountains for his U10 group. Above that gets more serious and expensive w/ travel and different skis for events.

In my case I'm glad I'm doing it and last night she beat me in NASTAR w/ her handicap.

[altasnob]

All depends on his goals as far as budgets

This is very true, but can be very frustrating. As your kid gets older, and if they excel at it, they (and you) will feel pressure to get 4+ new skis every year (new race SL and GS, plus the exact same ski for training SL and GS, plus speed event skis). Speed suits, pads, tuning crap, ridiculously expensive wax. That's the cheap part. The expensive part is the training programs, the race entrance fees, travel, lodging, summer camps. And if you don't do all of the above, your kid may be wondering if the reason they are not beating their rival is because their parents haven't spent enough money.

Oregon is fortunate to have the nation's largest high school racing program. Public high schools participate and it costs no more than joining the basketball or soccer team. They get discounted season passes. The training and racing is way inferior to USSA/FIS, and it is only two days a week on snow (one night training and Saturday race day), but it is a great way to bring the costs down and attract a wider range of participants. Colorado has high school racing as well, but more limited than Oregon and attracts a less diverse, urban, range of participants.

My kids aren't old enough to race yet but I assume they are not going to be the next Mikaela Shiffrin, so if they do race, I think it will be the more budget friendly Saturday only program. Only local races or travel to places not too far away or expensive. Just one pair or skis for everything they do. I want to emphasize free skiing more than racing and use racing as a tool to gain good technique and make skiing friends. I may not even do winter training at all, just teach them myself as we free ski. Enter a random race or two each winter. Then send them to summer camps at Mt. Hood. Summer camps at Hood are not cheap, but that is where I was able to progress the fastest of any training camps I attended (something about the perfect weather, back to back to back training, and skiing next to, and sometimes on the same course, as world cupers).

I was never seriously injured ski racing, nor was my brother who was much better than me, but I would be careful with speed events. I crashed at 70+ mph and broke a ski. I remember watching Caroline Lalive (who was the best female skier in Oregon at the time, and went on to the US Ski Team) approached the oh shit jump at the bottom of the Meadows DH course and threw in several check turns to scrub her speed, and minimize air time. She still blew away the field. Smart. Numerous racers got permanently fucked up on that jump. There is a reason you see some elite racers, like Marcel Hirscher, skip speed events even though if they focused on them, they could probably dominate those events as well. At the same time, because of this, speed events are where lesser skiers (like myself) found more success (less about technique and more about balls, holding your tuck as much as possible, line, and fast skis).

[LHutz Esq]

I coach a group of local u8s.

Gear - just like any other bit of clothing - the little bastards grow out of it. But, being part of a race club means that there are usually formal and informal ski swap opportunities. My kid maybe a year older than yours - so as my kid grows yours gets my kid's stuff and you pass it on when they are done with it. So, the buy in takes a bit. The way I see it, it is actually cheaper than if they weren't in club because I would be buying them ski stuff every year anyhow, but it would probably be new. If you go check out a club and all the gear is brand new on all the kids - maybe think of a different club especially at the u10/u12 level

9/10 year olds don't necessarily need "race" stuff either. u10s here are not using speed suits and not running gates where protection is needed (chin guards, forearm guards, shin guards). That starts at u14 for us.

The hill provides discount on passes, the club fees are about $500 a year Cad.

We usually do one u12 and under event at one of the other hills (or ours - it rotates) every year. But with carpooling etc. I don't think it is prohibitive. It is also a social event for the parents etc. probably like all sport.

But, ya skiing is expensive. Racing or not.

I have a nephew racing for Canada in ski cross, you do not want to know what it cost to get him there.

As my dad said when I was a little nordic punk - this shit is expensive, but it is probably cheaper than the lawyer to get your crazy ass out of jail on a regular basis if you weren't training all the time.

Now I is the lawyer!

As for injuries - they do happen- it is rare though at the u12 and below level. But if your kid is skiing on their own, I doubt they are going much slower, I doubt anyone has taken a lot of time to discuss edging etc to bleed speed and maintain control, I doubt they are opening it up on a course with nets, ski patrol on standby and a gate control/judge every 20m to keep the course clear and pick up the pieces. They do crash, and there are tears, but that is skiing and life really.

The main benefit, beyond the amazing coaching - is the push they get from ripping around with their new friends. Kids learn from each other as much as they do from anyone else in my experience. Having a tight group of buddies to learn from is key. My kids u14 and u12 respectively have been racing with the same buddies since u6.

Another benefit - before I got roped into coaching - I and the Mrs. could drop the monkeys of at the team cabin, and go skiing. I didn't have to be that parent yelling instruction to a kid that totally tunes me out. Now I yell instructions to 8 kids who tune me out! I kid on that one, kids listen to coaches way more easily than parents. So, when I was skiing with my kids, it was just about the fun. If my kid is back seat, or doing the droopy hands - that's her coach's problem. We can just have fun.

Go for it, if your kids doesn't like it, stop.

[rbciii]

9 year old picked up skiing this year and is making scary progress. Thinking that I will put him in the race program here at the hill that's 25 minutes away. But having picked up skiing myself as an adult, and never having raced, I have some questions:

1. What are the replacement intervals for boots and skis as he ages? Every year? How will I know it's time to replace? Or should I just buy new stuff every year?
2. What are ways to save money while still having a good experience? I've heard that some circuits stay on local mountains and restrict competitors to a single pair of skis per year.
3. What has been everyone's experience with injuries?
4. What's a typical amount to budget for a single kid's racing season?

Thanks!!

Racing is an awesome way to learn to ski at a high level. There are other ways, but racing does such a good job of teaching technique and puts the kids in with a cohort of other ripping skiers. They will naturally push each other to higher levels than the kids would if they were just skiing with their parents. My daughter started at second year U10 and raced through the end of high school. My son started participating in races at 3, but didn't join the race program until he was a second year U8 when he could safely ride the chairs by himself. He is now a second year U16.

Gear requirements are largely dependent on growth rates. Boots will typically last a season, though with kids in a growth spurt you might get stuck needing to replace boots in the season. Try to avoid buying gear big enough for them to grow into, especially boots. It is far better to buy the right size used gear than one size too big new gear. Clothing may last a couple of seasons, but again that is mostly about the kids growing out of it rather than it wearing out. Gloves are the exception. They will probably wear out each season depending on how much time your kids spend playing in the snow. You will know the gear needs replacing when either the kids tell you their boots hurt their feet or their coaches tell you the skis are too short. You may have to ask the coaches for feedback on the skis. Most of our kids' coaches have been happy to talk about gear, but won't initiate that conversation.

There are lots of ways to save money. Buying used gear is a big one. Limiting travel helps, but that will eventually limit the racing opportunities. Early in their careers limited racing and more training is a great trade off. As they get to U14 and up and are racing in specific qualifying series skipping a race weekend means they likely are not going to qualify for whatever race that series is set up for. Maybe not a big deal. For U10 a multievent ski is just fine. maybe also for 1st year U12. When they start to get faster a dedicated SL and GS ski will really help. The first time my son got on a real SL ski he kept raving about how well it hooked up and carved. At U14 they may get into SG, but they can use a longer GS ski for that unless they are really high level skiers. Buy next year's GS ski and use it for this year's SG. Again, stick with used skis whenever you can. My kids never had racers and trainers. That is not necessary in my opinion. Just keep the skis well tuned and they will be fine. When your kids get old enough you can volunteer at away races and get free lift tickets for yourself. Typically, volunteers get a ticket for their volunteer day and a voucher for use on a future day. With day lift tickets for an adult at $150 this can save quite a bit of money.

My daughter had a crash in SG training and had a partial MCL tear. My son has developed some bone spurs on his heels from his boots. Other than that we have been lucky with injuries. Certainly, you can get injured racing, but is the rate any higher than kids in the park? I am not sure that it is.

The costs rise with age certainly. A one day a week U10 program with a single multievent ski, no speed suit, and one or two races is under $3,000 all in. At U16 or U18 with summer camps, three or four days a week of training, travel, equipment, and everything else it can be $15-$20k. It is no wonder that race families are full of doctors, executives, and techies. If your kids are ok with not chasing points and traveling to this race and that race the cost can come down, but it won't be cheap. For us it is worth every penny because it is what we do as a family. We organize four or five months of the year around skiing and spend a ton of great time together doing it. Just last weekend our college daughter drove up to where our son was racing and we all skied together for the weekend.

[Squirreljam]

My perspective just adds to the above - 3 kids who've all tried racing, one stuck with it through high school and is now club racing as a freshman in college. At the local level like coreshot-tourettes is talking about (I think), and in the early years, it can be done for whatever your team fees are plus a couple/few hundred bucks a year (this leaves out travel as that can vary so much). This assumes, like many trgz, you have a little dirtbag in you and are willing to:

-scrounge for and buy used gear - including knowing what you are talking about so you know what's what. If you haven't worked in a shop but are willing to self-educate, there's tons of info in tech talk that will teach you to reset bindings, mount bindings, do basic bootfitting your kid so you can tell if it's time for new boots, etc, etc. Buy a pozidrive #3 and never look back!

-tune your own gear (if just starting, a couple hundred bucks in supplies - and you can collect over time, no need to buy all at once). This not only saves money but time as well and will provide beer-drinking time while you tune. When your kid is racing every or every-other weekend, not taking the race skis to a shop is a godsend. Tho, you will learn to hate thursday nights before a race weekend when you have backed up pairs that all need sharpening and waxing (remember I had 3 so ymmv).

If he gets more into it and ages, yeah, costs go up but unless you're aiming for FIS or an academy (private ski racing high school), the basics stay reasonable. Through USSA, usually do not need multiple new pairs a year. By the time your costs would go up a ton, you'll be in tune with the race world and know enough to figure it out yourself.

My rec - totally go for it. Even at the basic level, your kid will grow up a ripping skier, and you'll likely find an appreciation for the sport aspect of skiing (as opposed to lifestyle for rich folk). Tho, don't blame us if you freeze your toes gatekeeping!

[VTskibum]

Another benefit - before I got roped into coaching - I and the Mrs. could drop the monkeys of at the team cabin, and go skiing. I didn't have to be that parent yelling instruction to a kid that totally tunes me out. Now I yell instructions to 8 kids who tune me out! I kid on that one, kids listen to coaches way more easily than parents. So, when I was skiing with my kids, it was just about the fun. If my kid is back seat, or doing the droopy hands - that's her coach's problem. We can just have fun.

This is huge. I ski way more than I used to and she actually listens to her coaches.

[ZomblibulaX]

Everybody's pretty well laid it out, but a couple extra points:

-even clapped out trainers can be fast again if you have a good tech in a good shop who cares about your kid's success. Find the ski tech that used to race and loves making kids go fast.

-boots are more important than skis as far as sizing. Don't bother upsizing either one. Your kid can still compete on last year's SL that are a little short, but he can't do the same in a boot that he's swimming in.

-learn to wax properly and efficiently, and do that shit regularly. Nominal maintenance on skis will make a much bigger difference over time since your kid will have more consistency in his/her setup for training and racing.

-spending two hours teaching your kid how to get out of the gate efficiently and up to speed makes up for not having the most expensive wax/newest gear/etc. So many junior races are won in the first three gates.

[Timberridge]

Paging Dexter Rutecki to the start haus.

When you don't need him, he's around, and when you do....



It will go one of two ways or both ways, this ski racing thing. 1) You're going down a rabbithole that may suck all your money and joy you derive from skiing. 2) And/Or you will meet a few cool kids and parents and make some new friends, but you'll also meet a large number of dickhead parents who you can make fun of with the cool parents while you are waiting for hrs in freezing cold weather for your kid to make two 25 second runs down a GS course.

[singlesline]

My recommendation is to aim for the least competitive program possible (unless you really think your kid is going to be an Olympian or something and you want to deal with that level of involvement/commitment as a parent). Caveat being that while I've done many racing sports, I'm not really that competitive and mostly just there to have fun.

I was able to race in a high school league without doing anything else and looking back I'm so thankful my parents didn't cram me into some aggressive racing program when I was younger (even though I conceptually knew I "liked" skiing and racing seemed like the logical way to do more of it as a kid). I suppose it would have been nice to start before high school, but where I lived the only other options seemed to be pretty extreme.

I got to go skiing with coaching something like 3-4 times a week (after school practice, a weekend morning practice, races, etc.). That had a phenomenal impact on my skiing that has lasted ever since. I didn't get burned out, I didn't get pushed so hard I ever had bad injuries, it just increased my stoke level as a life long skier.

But the best kid on my team? I went to the same elementary school as him and I remember being jealous back then that he got to do all of this skiing. Went to different middle schools, but when I got to high school there he was kicking ass and just miles ahead of the rest of the team (admittedly my school's team mostly sucked). But he was just burnt out. Had seemingly no desire to ski for fun, take a park lap, anything like that--just practice, race, that's it. Honestly, I'm not sure he's skied at all since he finished school...popped up on facebook a few years ago and didn't see a single ski photo...

Obviously that's not a universal experience, but its a huge time and money sink for the parents and while bashing some gates is a lot of fun, at a high level it trains very specific skills that are only semi-relevant to the kind of skiing most people here are talking about. I grew up in the upper midwest so race practice was a good way to justify going to ski little icy garbage mounds multiple times a week, and the access to that sheer quantity of coaching/instruction was great for my carving technique...but I have never once regretted not being more serious/dedicated about the racing element.

Where I live now they have a "Freestyle Team" and I think that's what I wish I could have had when I was a kid and I think something my dad would have been happy to put me in because it would have me skiing the same terrain he likes to ski (minus the park)...fuck, I see those kids out there now and I'm like "can 36 year olds sign up?"

[Squirreljam]

... dickhead parents who you can make fun of with the cool parents while you are waiting for hrs in freezing cold weather for your kid to make two 25 second runs down a GS course.

Absolutely this . The tool factor is high with race parents, especially the ones who think their spawn are the second coming of Mikaela, but the cool ones are awesome. I still drink with my dads posse after my kids either graduated or moved to other sports. And yeah, OP, the time spent watching your kid actually race versus the time spent on the whole endeavor is comical. A race weekend may be 2-3 total minutes of action for your kid compared to the hours put into making it happen. Beer helps

[dcpnz]

I’m in the thick of this with kids racing u16 and FIS….lots of good advice above so a few other thoughts:

Skiers with race training backgrounds are the best skiers on the hill… fact!🤣🤣

Theres a few douchy race parents, usually those who raced at a decent level but “never made it”. Befriend them, pick their brains, get their hand me downs but don’t be one of them.

Whatever it costs at u10 its gonna get way more expensive down the line if they continue at a more competitive level - feels like I’m spending the equivalent of a small nations GDP this year - coaching, gear, travel all exponentially more than it was when they were younger.

Gear kind of matters - matters that it fits your kid, right size and flex boot, right length ski, properly and regularly tuned and maintained (absolutely learn how to tune skis yourself) - does not need to be new but ideally its somewhat recent and not clapped out or trashed.

Kid has got to want to do it, not do it because you want them to - race training is a grind - bashing gates when others are out hitting kickers and free skiing is tough - slipping fresh snow off a course so they can train sucks - at younger level program ought to incorporate a lot of directed free skiing - also see #1 above.

Being a ski race parent is way better than being a hockey parent - we’re outside and get to ski, they’re inside a cold gloomy smelly rec center all the time !

Not all what they learn is ski related - ski racing teaches kids a lot of life skills, discipline, independence, perseverance, accountability and maturity.

[Hood26]

I’m in the thick of this with kids racing u16 and FIS….lots of good advice above so a few other thoughts:

Skiers with race training backgrounds are the best skiers on the hill… fact!藍藍

Theres a few douchy race parents…

Being a ski race parent is way better than being a hockey parent - we’re outside and get to ski, they’re inside a cold gloomy smelly rec center all the time !

Not all what they learn is ski related - ski racing teaches kids a lot of life skills, discipline, independence, perseverance, accountability and maturity.

Some of the race mom’s are real peachy especially if they own property in the resort town. However, all in all some of my best friends at this time are fellow parents. We have a blast skiing together.

Being a ski parent is better than most all other sports where we would sit on our asses all day and fume about the officials or whether or not your kid is getting enough playing time.

I vote that you go for it and let your kid be your guide as to how competitive and costly it becomes.

You won’t be out much to give it a try on one of the Saturday entry programs.

[Timberridge]

Don't forget to budget about $6K for summer ski camp at Mt Hood or Whistler (unless Horstman has melted?) If you don't go, your kid will fall behind the others.

[altasnob]

My budget idea for teaching my kids to race on the cheap is to get some training whisker gates and a drill to set a course. Go in the afternoon/evening when conditions are shit and the mountain is a ghost town. If patrol gives me a hard time, I'll just switch to pine bows. I'm convinced you can get pretty damn good at racing by just focusing on drills and training with stubies. Video a few runs and watch at home. Maybe create a free co-op where other kids can train with us in exchange for coaching labor from their parents.

I just looked up Mighty Might program costs at my hill (Crystal) and it's $1,900 for Sunday only. Fuck that. Caroline Lalive, who I mentioned above, had a Dad from Switzerland who was stubborn and cheap as hell and refused to sign his kids up at the fancy race programs at Hood. Instead, they trained at Cooper Spur, which makes Buck Hill look like Vail.

[LHutz Esq]

You don't need much of a hill to learn to race.

I know some pretty good skiers who did about 10,000,000,000 laps of this place:

https://www.hartskihill.com/

Especially in the sl.

I have seen many a dad attempt to coach their kid beyond the "get on the lift and ski down stage". Many who are otherwise considered "good coaches" (sheepishly puts up hand).

The rate of success is low in my limited experience (I am in my 6 or 7th year of coaching with the club I think).

I see all these folks at the Olympics talking about Dad as their first coach- I always assumed it said more of the athlete than the Dad.

My experience is that when mom or dad shows up, the entire attitude of the kid changes. Again my experience is u10, but many kids are just completely different when a parent is involved. We have parents volunteer as tail gunners but we generally put parents with other groups away from their kids because of this fact.

A coach get to set the relationship from the start, set the expectations, set the boundaries, and provide feedback that is not burdened by all the other shit that goes on in families. As coach I didn't have a fight with your kid this morning about where they put their mitts, or getting out of bed or why their ski jacket is on the floor in a puddle, or where that sticky stuff in their helmet came from. I get to start the morning fresh.

I had to coach one of my kids one year and it was fine. She is that kind of kid. The other - no way! It would have been a shitshow of the highest order. I am so glad they have coaches they like and respect and can learn from. Especially as they get older, I like that they have this other set of amazing adult humans that they know cares about their success and is cheering them on! My job as a Dad is to provide food, $ and unconditional support. My job as a coach is very different.

You may have a different experience, but that is what I have seen

[detrusor]

I’ve got a second year 14 and a second year 12 who are pretty fast. They love skiing, the friends, the camps the whole deal. We’ve found gear to be the only place to save money. Snowbird is about 5k a kid and camps add up. I second the person who said if you don’t do camps they will fall behind. I’m no racer but…..there are families who only show up if the team is training gates. Their kids are rapidly falling off the back. Parents are pissed at the team due to lack of progress. We get don’t seem to realize gates are for timing and line, improving technique comes from free skiing and drills.

[Timberridge]

One more idea, if I may.

A freestyle program is another option vs. ski racing--if your hill has one. Cheaper too, as you only have to buy one pair of skis and he can wear regular ski clothes. You'll need to get some ID One's if he's a bumper, or park skis if he's into slopestyle. You don't need to buy $70 of wax and a respirator either. In fact you don't need to wax them if you don't want to. The cool parent/dickhead parent ratio is maybe a bit higher but that might depend on your mountain. You still have to stand in the cold for hours to watch 2 minutes of your kid while you pretend to root for the other kids on his team, so that's the same. And summer camp is still expensive, but the kids seem to have a bit more fun.

In the end, it might bring you some joy (or maybe not) to watch your kid destroy a bump run under the lift while all the racer kids are flailing around like drunk sailors on an ice rink on the same run.

[The Tortoise]

The only thing that hasn't been mentioned, and it really depends on the club and region, but there could be an expectation that parents volunteer to help run the races. It's a lot of work to pull off a race and help is often needed.

[XXX-er]

My kids never raced but I taught them to ski cuz I couldn't afford a real instructor

fast forward a bunch of years and my 3 grand children came out for a visit, we can't even begin to herd 3 of them so cha-ching I just payed for ski lessons and the difference I see is they had fun, they learned TO ski, craig their ski instructor had fun, there were no tears and it was worth the 200 $ .

SO I recommend to everyone do not teach your own kids to ski

L hutz is a ski coach with a lawyering problem and he has that whole parent/ kid dynamic down pat !


and teaching your wife/ gf to ski is even worse cuz they cry more

[Dr. Crank]

This racing stuff sounds spendy. Once upon a time I thought about putting my kids in a racing program but they didn't seem to have much interest. Thankful for that now that I see how much it costs. The freestyle club would probably be more to their liking. We gave up on lessons a while back because they just wanted to ski with us, but I've been thinking the younger one needs to get into some lessons again next year. Her technique is pretty funny to watch and she sure isn't listening to me.

Downhill is super casual for us. We've focused more on xc skiing programs because it's closer, way cheaper, and a lot of our friends take part. The irony is that if you volunteer coach with the local jackrabbits xc program, you will be coaching your kid, who may whine most of the lesson and generally not listen to you, as others have pointed out.

[LegoSkier]

New U12 parent here.
She did a bit as part of a hybrid freeride/gates program as a U8 before the pandemic but really wanted to go into a "serious" program this year.
Yeah, like others have said, it gets more expensive the more "serious" you are. We are taking it light this year as a first year U12 only training on Sundays but we are also doing 3 away races where we have to get lodging. The club is pretty good about getting hotel room blocks for those that reduce the cost a bit. And they have good resources (FB groups, etc) for finding used gear. We've managed to set her up with boots, skis, and a speed suit for not much more than we were paying for her season package rentals pre-racing. Most of the teams around the PNW seem to have buy-sell-trade FB groups. Strangely, race poles (the kind with hand guards) are the things that seem to be in short supply on the used market.
I'm sure if (when) she goes to two days a week shit will get real (expensive) fast but we'll figure it out.
Is it worth it? Hell yes so far. Even in this short time my daughter now has amazing technique freeskiing and is now pretty much as fast as us on anything except deep powder. And she loves the community. It is so great to see she has other peers who all ski like her and push each other. She is no longer the outlier with the passion for skiing in her friend groups. She belongs to something cool now and you can see that on her face.
Also, volunteering isn't that bad. Expectations for our club is two days per child. With this past weekends first home race, we now have that covered and I got to be the official photographer for the day. It was a cool experience and I got to use my 300mm zoom. I will likely volunteer for the final home race even though I technically don't need to. Just don't volunteer for the hand timer positions during a storm day. Sitting in one place all day clicking a button in a snowstorm = not too fun.