How to choose equipment for children, our champions of tomorrow ?

We have already discussed in this column the problems of choosing skis for women and men. We felt we had to bring up the same subject for those who will be the winter sports enthusiasts, if not the Olympic champions of tomorrow – that is, our children. (When you’re a kid, you should always set your sights high). Everyone is well aware that the earlier a person starts skiing, the quicker they’ll grasp the basic technique and progress will be faster.

Skis

But what equipment should we pick for these little skiers who are constantly changing, both from a technique as well as size point of view? First of all, children’s equipment should aid learning, be as comfortable as possible, and obviously not cause discomfort.

You should go for skis of 10 cm less in length than the child’s height and a bigger size if he or she already has a good grasp of skiing.

The main thing is to have the right size of ski every year and put aside the false notion of using the same ski for two years in a row. The risk is of having a ski which is too long in the first year and too short in the second… What to do then? It’s best to hire if you go skiing for only one or two weeks each winter. If you do more than that, it’s best to buy new and sell second-hand at the end of the season, which is pretty easy.

Footwear

You should opt for ski boots with two hooks and they must be absolutely the right size, and never too tight. We’re not talking about performance here… One can start off by using boots with two hooks and move on to those with three.What’s important is that the tongue doesn’t come up too high onto the shinbone, so that the child can walk easily.

Accessories

Up to the age of six, there’s no point in bothering with ski poles – the child won’t use them anyway. However, a helmet is a must, as well as back protection, right from the age of leaving kindergarten.