High end Junior skis

[robertc3]

Yes the conclusion was that the 158cm probably where too long. She used them 4-5 days this season, tried to convince her to try her little brothers 148 cm of the same type that he completely refuses to use (also oversized). But she wanted to use HER skis so, at least she has bonded to them ;-)

At one point she was going down a slope a bit to steep for her taste, covered with deep a bit heavy snow. She tried to force the skis around in Z-turns or forcefully wedging in protest. And her knees also screaming in protest... When the slope mellowed out it was ok.


Hoping that she learns to really carve her undersized 131 cm SL during the indoor season, then move her to appropriately sized 138 cm SL, learn to be able to use er new 157 cm GS without beeing afraid of the speed some time after new year. And then perhaps the 158 cm mantra's will not be too much anymore sometime next season

When you get to next season the 158 will probably be great for her. We have found the sizing racer kids' free skis at their GS ski length works well up until 15 or 16 when their GS skis get too long to be reasonable for free skis. At 10, 12, 14 it works great.

 

[robertc3]

Its that time again, need to start looking at new skis for my oldest (12yrs and around 5ft/100lbs)
Most recent ski (current): Faction Prodigy 1.0 Jr
Before that he has been on Faction CT jr, K2 Poachers
A big question is off course when to start looking at adult skis, I have still been primarily looking at jr specific skis.

Has anyone got any kind of experience with the DPS Jr skis (Grom 99 and Grom 87)?

No experience with the DPS Jr skis, but plenty moving from kids, to junior, to adult skis. A good 12 year old is probably right in that quality junior ski range. Not big or strong enough for a full adult ski, but too big for a foam core cap construction ski. If your son likes K2 the Mindbender Team is an awesome junior ski. Solid construction and stiff without being too stiff. My son went through two pairs before graduating to the adult Mindbender for next season (16 years old).

 

[dovski]

My son skied the Enforcer 95 S and loved them. He skied the 140 and then the 150. They are a solid junior ski. He was, and is, a lightweight, but he does put a higher than average amount of energy into his skis. Those Enforcers were fantastic for him. Plenty of float, good edge hold, quick enough edge to edge, and good in the air. I would highly recommend them as a freeride competition ski for your little man.

They were the same as the Cochise Team. I am not sure if they still are, but they were a couple of years ago.

Nope still the same, and right now it is much easier to find the Cochise Team Than the Enforcer 95S. Got my son kitted out with a pair of 160s, will be mouting Strive 14 bindings and his new boots will be Tecnica Firebird R90 SCs. So orange skis with matching orange boots ... cannot go wrong with that.

 

[robertc3]

Nope still the same, and right now it is much easier to find the Cochise Team Than the Enforcer 95S. Got my son kitted out with a pair of 160s, will be mouting Strive 14 bindings and his new boots will be Tecnica Firebird R90 SCs. So orange skis with matching orange boots ... cannot go wrong with that.

That should be a great setup for him. Can't wait to see him ripping it up in the local comps on that gear.

 

[dovski]

That should be a great setup for him. Can't wait to see him ripping it up in the local comps on that gear.

Yup he wants to double down on Freeride this coming season and follow in his big sister's footsteps. Fingers crossed we are all injury free this coming season.

 

[Belichick]

My kids (13 & 10) have been on Mantras for the past 2 seasons. They enjoy the skis and they have really allowed therm to progress in their skiing. I was looking at the Rustler Team junior skis for one of them this season, but I think the slightly narrower waist of the Mantras might be better for the primarily east coast skiing they do. The Mantras have plenty of stability and edge hold to ski anything on the frontside, while just enough beef to allow them to explore the backcountry where we ski and enjoy the powder days. They have both progressed to the point where they can handle steep and bumpy double diamonds terrain, as well as backcountry runs adults are surprised to see them on. I can’t say enough about these skis for kids. I’m probably going to pull the trigger on the next size up for both of them this week. My 10 year old is as big as the 13 year old, so they are in the same size currently which sadly means no hand me downs.

My big dilemma is that I am currently trying to guesstimate their boot size for feet that are growing insanely fast. If I don’t buy them now, inventory will be limited next month, but it is a challenge with 4 months of growth left before the season. Unlike skis, which I agree kids can grow into, I want them in boots that fit well. Boot options are even more limited than kids skis for advanced skiers. Rental level boots don’t cut it once they start to get a bit heaver.

 

[tromano]

The Salomon Qst Blank team 146cm skis we got last season didn't work out. The skis were disapproved by our young athlete after a few days as too hard to turn / carve. I saw the skis were a bit rail high and was going to get a grind, when I also noticed the edges were ground so thin from factory as to be only a few mm thick. We were going to exchange them for a "good pair" but the retailer said they were all like that! Thankfully @SkiEssentials worked with us to resolve the situation. Great ski shop.

We have since got her a pair of 146cm Volkl Blaze W after the season ended. She pronounced the skis as pretty and excite to try them this fall. Much more high quality build. Flex is dialed for a 115lb athletic soon to be 13yo and I think the metal underfoot and 3d radius will work well for her since the underfoot radius is 10m and she wants a ski that can carve well on piste and have versatility in deep snow and crud. I see it as a better more feature rich Mantra Jr.

We also steped up to the Elan RC Ace skis in 130cm for the twins. The 120cm Elan Jett synthetic core cap skis were a hit with them last season allowing them to happily carve all over Snowbasins groomers, bumps, crud, and also enabled confident performance in gated freeride terrain at Snowbasin and Brighton. The RC Ace skis are partial sidewall wood core skis that are slightly softer tip and tail then the Jett were but more beefy underfoot. Also got them new Technica Cochise Jr 60 flex boots in a 21.5 for both of them. I am conuously impressed by the quality of Elan's jr. skis.

 

[gski]

I'm considering picking up some 158cm Grom's https://www.dpsskis.com/collections/dreamtime-2023/products/f23-grom-99 for a 13yo 5'2" kiddo. Length matching height this season. Up from 140s last season, which were on the shorter side given skill and skier type

 

[tromano]

I'm considering picking up some 158cm Grom's https://www.dpsskis.com/collections/dreamtime-2023/products/f23-grom-99 for a 13yo 5'2" kiddo. Length matching height this season. Up from 140s last season, which were on the shorter side given skill and skier type

For a kid who is skiing with confidence and powerful approach in freeride terrain sure a head height dps is fine choice. If more finesse oriented approach when skiing in gated terrain a shorter length would be the call.

If kid is still developing freeride skills a freeride ski is not needed and a narrower developmental focused ski would be much better.

 

[gski]

Thanks! That's helpful. Kid will be 14 by the start of the season. Measured and thoughtful at turning. Wants to push ahead on skills, and I'm guessing long length is enough of a variable to absorb first. Can keep skies narrower to continue developing before fully freeride.

 

[dovski]

My kids (13 & 10) have been on Mantras for the past 2 seasons. They enjoy the skis and they have really allowed therm to progress in their skiing. I was looking at the Rustler Team junior skis for one of them this season, but I think the slightly narrower waist of the Mantras might be better for the primarily east coast skiing they do. The Mantras have plenty of stability and edge hold to ski anything on the frontside, while just enough beef to allow them to explore the backcountry where we ski and enjoy the powder days. They have both progressed to the point where they can handle steep and bumpy double diamonds terrain, as well as backcountry runs adults are surprised to see them on. I can’t say enough about these skis for kids. I’m probably going to pull the trigger on the next size up for both of them this week. My 10 year old is as big as the 13 year old, so they are in the same size currently which sadly means no hand me downs.

My big dilemma is that I am currently trying to guesstimate their boot size for feet that are growing insanely fast. If I don’t buy them now, inventory will be limited next month, but it is a challenge with 4 months of growth left before the season. Unlike skis, which I agree kids can grow into, I want them in boots that fit well. Boot options are even more limited than kids skis for advanced skiers. Rental level boots don’t cut it once they start to get a bit heaver.

So we have actually worked with boot fitter to make some mods to my kiddos boots over the years. We typically start with a comfort fit end of season/over the summer when we pick up new boots. Then in fall before ski season we take them to my bootfitter and if needed we can punch them out a bit to create a little extra room. With a lot of kids boots they use the same shell size for a couple different sizes, so you may just need to stretch the liner in some cases. Chances of your kids shoe size changing drastically over 6 months are quite low .. not to say that does not happen. As long as you are not going with an adult race fit on your kids boots you have some flexibility.

 

[JButtah]

A little late to the party, but I would wholeheartedly recommend the junior Mantras. My now 13 year old has been on these for the past 3 years and his skills have progressed rapidly. He loves them on hardpack, moguls, bumps, trees, park. Pretty much anything but snow over 10".

 

[dovski]

Nope still the same, and right now it is much easier to find the Cochise Team Than the Enforcer 95S. Got my son kitted out with a pair of 160s, will be mouting Strive 14 bindings and his new boots will be Tecnica Firebird R90 SCs. So orange skis with matching orange boots ... cannot go wrong with that.
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Just a quick update but the skis helped take my son’s skiing to the next level and really do offer a lot more ski than most jr skis