Kids Skis

[Flatwaterfooter]

What is the proper formula for sizing kids skis. Height/weight vs. ski size?

[east tx skier]

Ordinarily, it is weight and boat speed. Don't know of a reason why it would be different for kids. Is this a slalom ski or tandem?

[Flatwaterfooter]

It is two skis. He is about 3'6" and 45 Pounds. Just learning of the boom. The skis I have are about 4' long. Did not know if these are too big for him to handle

[chudson]

You could check the online stores, Overton's or Bart's they might have some charts or size info. Or call them I know Overton's have Tech people to talk to. I just read your post and if he can sit in the water with skis on and hold them parralell so they not cross each other that would be a good start!

[Crash]

I'm a big fan of the O'Brien Celebrity Jr. Combo 52" for kids. I strongly recommend shaped skis (concave bottom) vs. smaller wood. The flat bottom of the small wood skiis make them difficult to control. My son compares them to a trick ski.

The hardest part for small kids is that the skiis are too boyant for their little bodies, an adult stablizing the skiis or counterweights on the back make a huge difference...back on track.

Old woody combos - 48" worked...OK for 30#.

Combos - 52" has worked well for my 40# 3'5" daughter up to ~115# ~4'9" friend.

Slalom - 59" for my 100# 5' son. (Who loves his KD7000 JR - concave and narrow tail)

[east tx skier]

The hardest part for small kids is that the skiis are too boyant for their little bodies, an adult stablizing the skiis or counterweights on the back make a huge difference...back on track.

With the combos, I like the kind that have the bar holding the skis together. Crash is right about their being too buoyant. When we taught my niece, I was in the water holding her vest and standing on the back of her skis. She got up the third try. Depending on their age, longline, holding the rope instead of attaching it to the boat is a good move since sometimes, they forget to let go of the handle when they fall.

[MarkP]

I'm a big fan of the O'Brien Celebrity Jr. Combo 52" for kids. I strongly recommend shaped skis (concave bottom) vs. smaller wood. The flat bottom of the small wood skiis make them difficult to control. My son compares them to a trick ski.

The hardest part for small kids is that the skiis are too boyant for their little bodies, an adult stablizing the skiis or counterweights on the back make a huge difference...back on track.

Old woody combos - 48" worked...OK for 30#.

Combos - 52" has worked well for my 40# 3'5" daughter up to ~115# ~4'9" friend.

Slalom - 59" for my 100# 5' son. (Who loves his KD7000 JR - concave and narrow tail)
That sounds just like my kids ski set up the 48 and the 7000 jr anyway..

[Crash]

That sounds just like my kids ski set up the 48 and the 7000 jr anyway..

Same boat...same skiis...passion for waterskiing and snowskiing...

You're starting to scare me!:eek:

[playtherapy]

Tried the kids ski's ( I think they were from Sears) with no luck when our son was 5 years old. Finally put on his sneekers and put his feet in the Dick Pope's. Held him steady from behind in chest deep water and he glided right on up the first time. Still have those ski's, they are the ones we all learned on in 1968 & '69!

[Crash]

With the combos, I like the kind that have the bar holding the skis together. Crash is right about their being too buoyant. When we taught my niece, I was in the water holding her vest and standing on the back of her skis. She got up the third try. Depending on their age, longline, holding the rope instead of attaching it to the boat is a good move since sometimes, they forget to let go of the handle when they fall.
Totally agree on the front bar vs. rope (even made one for a friends skiis that didn't have one).

Depending on age, 4 and less agree to holding the rope by hand. 5 and over, through adult, STRONGLY recommend shorter line lenghts and from a tower for learning. The rope angle to the skiier pulls the skiier UP and OUT of the water. In addition, a wet rope sometimes weighs as much as the kids thus when attached to the boat it pulls the kids down.

BTW my 40# daughter skiis at 22' off :D because of the weight of the rope...she doesn't get wipped by the rope and has a lot more control at 22' off.

[corey]

H.O. Sports makes weights for the tail of combo skis. This helps with keep the tails down and the tips up. I highly recommend them. They bolt onto adult skis to if you have a light weight teen or small framed person.

[LakePirate]

I would look on Ebay for some cypress gardens super groove jrs
I learned to ski on them and they had as in the description, grooves on the bottom that helped stabilize the ski. They are probably impossible to find.

These new skis are way too buoyant for smaller skiers.

[Leroy]

We have always tried to keep the ski around nose length. The bar across the front works well as does lead weights on the back end of the skiis to sink them a bit.

[Flatwaterfooter]

H.O. Sports makes weights for the tail of combo skis. This helps with keep the tails down and the tips up. I highly recommend them. They bolt onto adult skis to if you have a light weight teen or small framed person.


Is there a picture of what these weights look like?

[corey]

Here is a link to a pic of the weights in use and what they look like. http://www.waterskis.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=H%2EO%2E+Tail+Weigh ts

[Leroy]

Here you go.

http://hosports.com/06_web/06_test.html

[BeavenX5]

My kids learned on HO excel 59" at age 4 and 5 with the bar in between the skis and the extra tail weights. Even if the skis were a bit long, the extra weight made them perfect. The skis had a small defect on the cosmetic (bubbling) and HO replaced them under warranty at the end of the year. I got excel 63" to replace them and they work well (with the weights) for kids of all age (from 6 years old to 15 years old). Great combo skis for everyone and we still use them for 6 years later for frends on their first time out (adults and kids).

My daughter is now 11 and has been using an Obrien mapple 61 slalom ski for 2 years now (61" long, narrow slalom ski with similar cut to the real competition ski). She is about 70 pounds. This is a great performance kid ski.

[Flatwaterfooter]

Any idea how much the weights weigh?

[jbfootin]

Cute article about a 22 mo. skiing.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060801/ap_on_fe_st/baby_water_skier_1