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Want To Buy Skis for 14 yr. old son

twomartinis

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Cheers. Our big guy needs bigger skis (and poles) this season, he rode 146cm last season & he needs something longer.

He is 14 yr old, now 150# and 5'-8" tall, athletic multi-sport kid. This will be his third year skiing and he has about 12 days under his belt (including lessons). We mainly ski groomed areas in NY/MA/VT.

Anyone looking to unload mid 150's to 160's frontside skis? Would be looking for 46" poles too. His is now using my old boots - Dalbello Panterras with 326 BSL.

Thanks!
Noll
 

Tricia

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He must have had quite a growth spurt.

I'd be surprised if 150-160 will be long enough for his size, but going much longer would be a pretty big jump.
 

GB_Ski

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I have a pair of Liberty V76 at 172 mounted for 326 BSL. $250 + shipping. Maybe that’ll fit your son?
 

Wade

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He must have had quite a growth spurt.

I'd be surprised if 150-160 will be long enough for his size, but going much longer would be a pretty big jump.

Agreed that sounds short.

My 5’2”, 100lb 12 year old is on 155cm skis this year. I’d be looking for something longer for a 150lb athletic 14 year old.
 

Tricia

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Agreed that sounds short.

My 5’2”, 100lb 12 year old is on 155cm skis this year. I’d be looking for something longer for a 150lb athletic 14 year old.

...especially with a bsl of 326.

I was imagining a 150cm ski under a 326 bsl and was thinking that would look like snow blades.

@twomartinis lets see what we can do as a community to set him up well.
 
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twomartinis

twomartinis

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Thanks [everybody] for schooling me here. :ogcool:

I've been out of the game for 20+ years and expected my gear knowledge to be totally dusty and about a generation out of date... but geez with skis it seems like I'm starting from scratch! I learned back when you were told 'below your nose for beginner, above your head for advanced and short skis are for tricks'.

I guess the 'long skis are unwieldy' adage is out of date too. I recall short-ish skis for everyday beginner reasons like: hairpin turn off a lift, learning to skate flats, hockey stops, navigating lift line ruts, etc.
 

Dwight

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I still use chin to nose for beginner and then after that, it depends :)

I have a daughter this is 5'4" 135lbs and skis 170 and longer no problem. During her high school years she was skiing Nordica twin tips in 163. This is midwest skiing.

If you have longer runs, longer skis can work well, but even for me at 6', 210lbs, I'm usually on 175-182.
 

Wendy

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@twomartinis I think the length will depend upon the type of ski, too. If it’s a frontside carver, possibly 160-165 or so would be stable enough. But if it’s a twin tip, then one can indeed go longer, like 170-175. The Liberty V72 is a friendly carving ski and I’d think that your son would adjust to the 172 after a few runs. Take into consideration the friendliness of the ski when considering length.

Your son’s big feet (and young age) tell me he’s not done growing yet, either.

FWIW, when I was learning, as an adult, I jumped from a 160 to a 177 (in a modern-ish shaped ski) and adjusted just fine after a run or two.
 
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twomartinis

twomartinis

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Your son’s big feet (and young age) tell me he’s not done growing yet, either.
Tell me about it!
Good thing is, he has younger brothers (12 and 8) so I'm not overly concerned about him outgrowing gear. Younger 12yr brother is 5'-7" 135# and one boot size behind him. We have been doing seasonal rentals but now looking to rotate real gear in at the 'top of the food chain' so to speak.

What kind of runs does he prefer? Or does he have a favorite run at a particular hill?
Skis the greens until he feels confident, then looks for easy blues.
He learned/lessons at West Mountain & liked the Mackerel/Frolic runs with options for short blue connectors with low freak-out factor.
  • His personality is adventurous but not particularly risk-taking.
  • Younger 12yr brother is timid, risk-averse (froze up on a blue last year and we had to sideslip until it leveled out).
  • The 8yr little guy is 110% fearless, so there's that
 

connersw

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IMHO, I think you are getting poor advice in this thread. Comfort and skill level are far more important than height/weight in determining ski length. Additionally, the conditions and resorts he will be skiing based on your location do not warrant longer skis. If he was on 145's last year, I would not jump above 160cm. Do not put him on something that causes him frustration, forces poor technique, and makes him not have fun. So what if they are like "snow blades;" if he is learning how to get them on edge and having fun while doing it, that is all you want.

For reference, my sons learned to ski in UT when they were 1 year olds. They took ~5 years off when we moved out East so lost some development, but they are still athletes and solid skiers. My 14 year old that is 5'8" 125 lbs with a ~305 BSL was also on 145's last year and will be on 158's this year.

It is sort of the gap between junior and adult skis though, so it took me a while to find him a new (to him) pair at a reasonable price. Good luck with your search.
 

Tricia

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IMHO, I think you are getting poor advice in this thread. Comfort and skill level are far more important than height/weight in determining ski length. Additionally, the conditions and resorts he will be skiing based on your location do not warrant longer skis. If he was on 145's last year, I would not jump above 160cm. Do not put him on something that causes him frustration, forces poor technique, and makes him not have fun. So what if they are like "snow blades;" if he is learning how to get them on edge and having fun while doing it, that is all you want.

For reference, my sons learned to ski in UT when they were 1 year olds. They took ~5 years off when we moved out East so lost some development, but they are still athletes and solid skiers. My 14 year old that is 5'8" 125 lbs with a ~305 BSL was also on 145's last year and will be on 158's this year.

It is sort of the gap between junior and adult skis though, so it took me a while to find him a new (to him) pair at a reasonable price. Good luck with your search.
If you read the thread in its entirety, you'll see that we're asking him questions and offering insights based on his responses.
Knowing that he's skied 12 days and is transitioning from greens to blues helps a lot.

Jumping to a much longer ski may seem awkward, but going too short can be a bit unstable.

I think finding a ski somewhere in the middle will suit him well...Something in the low 160s depending on the type of ski.
 

skiki

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  • His personality is adventurous but not particularly risk-taking.
  • Younger 12yr brother is timid, risk-averse (froze up on a blue last year and we had to sideslip until it leveled out).
  • The 8yr little guy is 110% fearless, so there's that
I'd count on passing the skis down to the middle child, but not necessarily the youngest. If you will be skiing regularly in the mean time, by the time he fits the skis, he will likely be at a more advanced level and have opinions on what kind of ski he wants. It might be a park ski, you never know.
 

Wilhelmson

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160 should be fine for the big kid so long as they aren’t like titanal hd carvers. For a beginner though the 158 range jr skis would be better and then you could pass them down to the other kids. So you would pay about $300 for the ski and binding setup and possibly use them for 6 or 7 years on the three kids.
 

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