rjnakata Posted December 1, 2013 Report Share Posted December 1, 2013 (edited) I could use your advise for my girls' first setups: 1) girl 50#, size 13 foot (M 18.5) likes to SKI 2) girl 60#, size 1 foot (M 20), likes to BOARD What do you think. Should I just buy (used), or rent? Do you have some thoughts on boards or skis? I've paid a lot of attention to my gear, but for them I'm in the dark and could use some help from those that have gone before me. (I have a WTB thread, but I may be looking for the wrong thing depending on what you have to say here) Thanks! Edited December 1, 2013 by rjnakata Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teach Posted December 1, 2013 Report Share Posted December 1, 2013 Kids' ski gear is fairly inexpensive even new, and resale is pretty high. So you can't lose buying gear. Renting is going to be frustrating, unless you do a season rental. Whether you buy or do a season rental, your daughter gets the use the same stuff every time. And they can just leave it on when they're too tired to cooperate getting it off. Kids snowboard stuff seems like a different situation. A lot of new equipment seems very poor quality and gimmicky. Resale is low. Good used equipment worked well for us. A Burton Chicklet (not the convex base one) worked really well at that stage. We went through several pairs of boots, and I was never able to tell whether they really fit right. No complaints, though. The only issue is that some kids bindings may not fit some kids boots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beckmann AG Posted December 1, 2013 Report Share Posted December 1, 2013 Perceived economy will often leave children with ski boots that are too big, and skis that are too stiff. Buy the boots, and rent the softest skis you can find. Take the time to tune the internal ramp angle to the needs of the athlete, and you can avoid many of the usual postural aggravations. (There is a very easy way to evaluate this on any flat, level surface). Regarding the snowboard, try to find something narrow, soft, and flat/ cambered. Convex boards deprive the user of feedback from the point of contact, and that leads to ongoing compensation further up the body. Given the proliferation of spintastic plastic in today's marketplace, you're better off buying the Rara Avis, and then renting boots. Funny thing about bindings; After a few false starts, some children really get into the 'buckle-in on your own' thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjnakata Posted December 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2013 Thanks. I'm having trouble locating a board that has a flat base (vs convex) that is suitable for a 60# rider. The flat bases are more frequently on the boards for heavier kids. Do you know of any? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teach Posted December 3, 2013 Report Share Posted December 3, 2013 You probably need to look for older boards, used or NOS. The convex-base idea is only about 5 or so years old. Before that Burton used huge base edge bevel to get a similar effect, but I think only on LTR boards. I'll check the LTR board we have, but I think it predates even that "innovation". It could easily be 10 years old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beckmann AG Posted December 3, 2013 Report Share Posted December 3, 2013 ^ ^What teach said. I'll take a look around the Kid's dept. this weekend. Prior to buying the Burton Salad Bowls, we had a fleet of Rossignol that worked well. Are there any equipment liquidators in your area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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