This post may contain affiliate links where we earn from qualifying purchases from referring you to our favorite products and brands. As an amazon associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Find out more in our disclosure.
Buying new ski gear for kids can be a challenge, especially since they keep growing and growing. It’s not uncommon for kids to need a few new pieces of ski gear each year, simply because they outgrew what they used last season. As a mom and a ski instructor, I understand the importance of both getting gear that fits, and knowing where you can get a few seasons of use out of the same item to save you both money and time. Keep reading below for my expert tips on how to make sure your kids are wearing the right size of ski gear.
Since good-quality and good fitting kids ski gear is essential for safety and for proper skiing technique, finding the right gear can often be a daunting task. Unfortunately, there is no exact rulebook that can help you find the perfect fit, and often you’ll probably to find yourself in a ski shop at some point. While you will likely need a ski pro to get a perfect fit for things like bindings or maybe boots, there are a lot of things you can learn that will help you figure out if your kids ski gear is the right size all on your own.
How do you know when kids ski gear needs to be replaced?
Generally, kids ski gear, lasts a REALLY long time. Since we have a large family, we typically buy ski gear for our older kids (almost all used), and pass it down through all the younger siblings.
We have only had one piece of gear that ever NEEDED to be replaced because it wore out (with the exception of helmets). That was a pair of adjustable ski boots, that were in continuous rotation at our house for 11 years and the soles got really worn down, to the point that we were not comfortable with our youngest safely skiing in them.
Since most gear doesn’t wear out, you’ll need to rely on your kids to talk to you about when their ski boots start to pinch or when their helmet feels too tight. As a general rule, keeping an eye on how quickly your kids feet grow will give you an idea of if other gear needs to be replaced. Typically, we fit everyone for their gear in the fall, and then if they outgrow a shoe size, we’ll check to see how their ski boots are fitting. Skis and poles usually last for a full season, simply because they don’t have to fit as perfectly, and kids rarely grow enough in 5 months to need a full size longer ski.
Keep reading to learn how you know if your kids ski equipment fits right.
Choosing The Right-Sized Kids Ski Boots
Ski boots are one of the most important pieces of gear when you’re on the mountain. Getting the right size can change your ski experience entirely. Of all the pieces of ski equipment that you need for your kids, a good fitting pair of ski boots is the most essential. Your ski boot is what you control how your body moves your ski, so a good fit is really important.
Unfortunately, most kids don’t wear the right size of boot, so it makes learning to ski so much harder.
When testing to see if a ski boot is right for your child, your first move should be to compare their current shoe size to a mondo size chart. Ski boots are measured in Mondo size, which is different than typical shoe sizes. This cuts through a lot of “putting on-taking off” time and is a good benchmark to rely on.
It’s also important to remember that kids ski boots fit VERY different than a regular shoe. They’re stiff and unweilding, so kids often think that a boot is too small if it fits tightly on their feet, but that’s not usually the case. Ski boots NEED to fit tight in order for you to be able to ski properly. What we don’t want is a boot that pinches or causes their toes to curl under because it’s too small.
To help you determine what size of boot your kids need, take out the lining of the boot, and have your child wear just the boot liner. This will give you a good idea if the boot is too small, especially for younger children who may not be able to tell you otherwise. You wan their toes to be close to the end, but not smashed against it. You want no more than about 1/4″ – 1/3″ from their toe to the end of the boot. Next, take their foot out of the liner and place your child’s foot inside the shell.
Note: The ski boot liner is tricky to take out and put back in, but this is the best way we’ve found to see what size ski boots kids need.
Once in, you can gently move the boot until their toe is placed firmly against the front of the shell. There should be about ¾ of an inch or just an inch of space left between the heel and the back of the shell. If you’re not sure, you can use your fingers as a method of testing. Enough space for two stacked fingers should suffice. And if there’s no room at all, well then the boots are just too small!
Finally, place the lining back into the shell (be patient, it can be tricky) and get your child to try the ski boot on once more. There should be no clear discomfort but expect them to be a little tight. All ski boots should have a tight fit rather than the looser fit we expect with day-to-day footwear. We have our kids wear the boots around for about 10-15 minutes, just walking around. If they complain about them being to tight talk about where the boots feel tight. Spending a chunk of time walking around in their ski boots not only helps them adjust to the tightness, but can help identify if there are any pressure spots that would indicate they need a different boot.
When kids take their boots off, remove their sock, to see if there are any spots that were pinched or rubbing (they’ll be red or hot). If there aren’t any, you probably have a good fitting ski boot!
With the rate kids grow, we highly recommend these adjustable ski boots. They are super easy to adjust, and work well for beginning and intermediate skiers. As an added bonus, you don’t have to adjust the ski bindings when you change the size, so it really is something you can do on the hill if you learn that your child’s boots are too small in the middle of the day.
Finding Ski Boots to Fit Toddlers
Finding ski boots that fit toddlers correctly is a huge challenge. It can be really difficult to find ski boots smaller than a mondo size 15 (about a US size 8), though you will find a limited amount of size 14.5 ski boots available. Most of my kids started skiing around 18 months, and there literally were not ski boots small enough to fit their feet.
If you find yourself in this situation, this does not mean that your kids has to wait a couple of years until they learn to ski. Simply get the best ski boot that you can for them. Most toddlers don’t do too much on skis, other than gliding, stopping, and basic turning, so a precise fit isn’t essential. The most important part of skiing with your toddler is making it FUN, so put your energy there.
TIP: If your toddler is wearing ski boots that are a little too big, make sure that when they’re on the chairlift, they sit as far back as possible, so their skis are not dangling. When you think of the shape of a toddler leg, it’s a triangle with the widest part at the calf and the narrowest at the ankle. We’ve seen several little kids on the chairlift have their ski and boot fall off, because it’s so easy for a ski boot to fall off a tiny toddlers leg with the weight of a ski pulling it down.
How To Find The Right Size of Ski Helmet For Kids
Finding the right ski helmet for kids is a little easier than fitting kids ski boots, but a good fit is very important. A proper helmet can mean the difference between a trip to the emergency room or an inconsequential fall.
I often spend hours at the ski shop just trying to get a decent fitting ski helmet for my kids despite their begging me to go home already, but this is a critcal piece of kids ski gear.
My go-to helmet fitting technique works excellent and is really simple. Let me show you how to choose the right size of kids ski helmet.
First of all, you’ll know that your child is outgrowing their helmet when it’s getting too high above their eyebrows. Too high is two fingers space between the helmet and the top of the eyebrows (your childs fingers, not yours).
If you’ve reached this stage, you can be sure it’s time to shop for a new ski helmet. If you want to have the easiest starting point (which I recommend) you can measure your child’s head by circling it with a measuring tape just above the eyebrows. Almost all helmets will be labeled with their interior circumference so you can be assured of a better fit.
However, if you don’t have a tape measure, just start by going into the store and try a bunch on.
An absolute necessity is that the helmet cannot be moved around once on. It should fit firmly to the head without being excessively tight. We test this by pulling on the helmet in all directions, side to side, front and back, and especially to see if you can lift it off of your kids head when pushing from their forehead (it shouldn’t move). If your child can shake their head from side to side and the helmet stays still instead of jiggling about and it passes your other twisting and pulling tests– then you’ve got yourself a winner.
Again, I do recommend that kids wear helmet around for about 5-10 minutes to check and see if there are any pressure points that were not noticeable at first.
I do recommend getting a helmet with an adjustable dial at the back (most helmets have these now), so that the helmet can grow a little with your child, and can be adjusted on cold days when they need to wear a thin hat or balaclava underneath for warmth. Helmets are not designed to be worn with thick beanies, so remember to only wear an extra thin layer underneath.
How Often Should Ski Helmets be Replaced?
Helmets should be replaced about every 4-5 years OR when your child crashes and hits their head on something. Even if you see no visible damage to the helmet, the structural integrity of your helmet may be compromised, so it’s best to play it safe and get a new helmet.
I can’t find a ski helmet to fit my child!!
Are you having a hard time finding a ski helmet to fit your child? If your child has an especially round or elongated head, you’ll notice that it can be more difficult to find a good fitting kids ski helmet. Trust me, I’ve been there. One of my kids has a very round and large head and we had the hardest time finding a helmet for him. Ultimately, we learned that a few companies, including Smith make Asian fit helmets, and they fit his head perfectly. If you have a child with a very round head, I highly recommend looking for one of these.
What Size Skis Should Kids Use?
There’s some leeway when it comes to choosing the right ski size for kids, so this is a piece of gear that usually lasts for a full season (or two if your kids don’t grow much in the year). Seriously, ski size is not an exact science and you have a little bit of wiggle room, so don’t stress too much. However, we still want to get them close to the right size, and luckily – it’s incredibly easy to find the right size of kids skis.
Read more details about kids ski sizes.
Choosing the right size of skis depends on both the age, ability and size of your child.
Beginners, typically should use a shorter and lighter weight ski. We recommend that they be between their upper chest and their chin.
Intermediate skiers will often do best with a ski that’s between shoulder and nose height.
Advanced skiers do well with skis that are between neck and forehead height. Don’t go much longer than that since they’ll be harder to maneuver and control.
Kids who are bigger and stronger can typically handle a longer and heavier ski much better than kids who are younger or smaller.
For toddlers and really young kids, their skis can be as short as their upper chest (though it can sometimes to hard to find them that small). If you aren’t sure when your child should start skiing, read our article on the best age to teach kids to ski. Naturally then, if you’re child has a few years skiing under their belts and is a more advanced skier, you can go for longer skis that end in the forehead area.
We buy a majority of our kids skis used, and then pass them down through all 5 of our kids and then usually onto friends after that. Kids skids last A LONG TIME! Even with growth spurts, all of our kids have been able to use the same pair of skis for an entire season, and often, they can use the same pair for two seasons (it will just be shorter on them the second season).
You generally get around 80 to 100 uses out of a set of skis, but kids skis tend to last a bit longer than adult skis. To get the most use possible out of them, wax them a couple of times a season, and make sure to get their edges sharpened annually. You’ll know that your child needs new skis when they seem to be outpacing how fast the skis will allow them to move. If your child seems to always be lagging behind, give their skis a good coat of wax, and if that doesn’t do the trick, consider the next size up.
It can be somewhat hard to determine the best size skis for kids but generally putting your kids in the correct size of skis will help them improve their skills. If they’re getting better, it could easily be time for new skis.
What Size Ski Poles Do Kids Need?
Not every kid uses ski poles and they’re not strictly necessary for a fulfilling ski experience but if your kid likes to use them, it’s best to get them the right size!
Whis is the best age for kids to start using ski poles? We recommend starting to ski with ski poles when your child regularly skis blue ski runs. If you have a young skier who has advanced really quickly, don’t rush into getting them poles. As a general rule, we don’t have our kids start skiing with poles until they are 6 years old.
To see if your childs ski poles fit them properly, place the pole upside down and ask your child to grab it just above the basket. If their arm is at a right angle, then you’ve got yourself a good fit. If not, it’s time to get a different size.
What About Kids Ski Clothes?
Just in case it needs to be mentioned because having children is often stressful enough to make us overlook the obvious – eyeball it. This is especially applicable for outerwear such as kids ski coats and kids ski pants. Just by lending an analytical eye when they’ve got all their ski gear on should be good enough to let you know if there needs to be any adjustments or replacements.
I hope you’ve gained some valuable insights from reading my article. Getting the right skiing gear for my family has always been a challenge but getting the right fit from the beginning has always allowed us to ski together as a family so much better throughout the year. When everyone is comfortable on the slopes, there’s no complaining and much more time for enjoying the day skiing together as a family! Moreover, everyone is kept safe and sound since there’s a lot less falls and a lot more laughs if the kids have ski gear that fits correctly.
Following these guidelines can ensure a smooth and easy skiing trip for the whole family – enjoy!