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Junior all mtn ski

Madroch

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Shopping for a junior all mtn for my 12 yo son. He is decent, can carve fairly consistently in good snow on most trails, can really tip em over at times and use the skis energy in decent snow, with ice he is not yet confident enough to consistently commit and get an edge bite throughout- and with steeps he sometimes slips to check/skid turns - he has been on jr low end race skis/high end rec skis with classic narrow waist and camber-

Looking for a good ski - 150 ish- he is fairly light for his age-can't decide between mid 70 to mid 80'waist and between camber/rocker. He wants to improve in bumps and trees, but still wants to work on tipping them on edge more consistently in all conditions and occasionally racing nastar for fun.

Other than two pairs of skis- Thought?

Seems like for performance jr there are race and park- with some of the latter being more versatile-

70s waist- Volkl step jr? Rocker v Wall jr? Camber

80s waist - k2 bad seed? K2 Shreditor- both rocketed?
 

SkiFanE

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Since noone else has replied lol... I think it depends on your goals, there's alot in there. I know for racing...you can't race if can't get edge in all conditions. Period. So skidding through an icy gate is only acceptable in beer league lol. That's fine for me...but my kids have all raced and they want to be fast and win, not like me who just wants "personal best". So if he REALLY wants to race, the skiis you linked to won't be good for learning to carve the right way. In my opinion...based on my own personal experience and no techy knowledge. Since my two oldest have been through alpine race programs, they have great skills that will lead them into the bumps and woods as they want in the future (my oldest isn't a fan of them yet, my middle loves them and is learning...my lil guy is awesome at everything). So basically..they focused on their alpine skills but then the woods/bumps were for fun and they do fine in them and will only get better as they get older. So...I think focusing on the basics first is the way to go...and going into woods/bumps for fun after doing the edging work. That being said...none of my kids have owned anything but SL or GS skis, no twin tips or all mountains...so don't really know what's out there.

My 14yo has stopped the race program, but is going to race for HS (and do the non-race teen program instead). She was out with injury last season and needs to buy new skiis. I think we'll get SL for her, even though she enjoys woods and will probably do them..it's the best choice for 80% of her skiing..maybe some used twin tips for pow or tree days. She has zero preference lol.
 

WWF-VT

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Not sure of your kids height/weight but the Volkl Step might be the way to go. Volkl does a good job with the construction of their Jr skis and the Step seems to be more all mountain oriented than the Wall which was targeted for park and pipe. Looks like the Step is rockered tip and tail and flat underfoot. The K2 Bad Seed became the Shreditor. If I was looking at a Jr ski in the mid 80's I would also consider the Volkl Gotama Jr.
 

Madroch

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Thanks both- not sure the pure race ski is right for him- as he will only race nastar casually- so really looking for a well built junior ski that is a little more versatile- tough to find in anything but race or park-
 

dlague

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Thanks both- not sure the pure race ski is right for him- as he will only race nastar casually- so really looking for a well built junior ski that is a little more versatile- tough to find in anything but race or park-

I found this ski for my son. It has a waist of 85 and is suitable for all mountain. While it is designated as a park ski, it is well suited for all mountain. It is a full twin tip so switch landings are not a problem. They should provide some float on those fluffier days. For nastar racing they will work fine unless you think he will be in the to 5 nationally for his age group then maybe another race ski should be considered. BTW the price is right. I got lucky and got them on sale for $119.

http://www.skis.com/Salomon-Ripper-Skis-2012/283947P,default,pd.html
 

dlague

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levelninesports has a lot of junior gear on sale. They are very helpful too.

+1

A lot of the web sites have online chat sessions that are useful levelninesports.com and skis.com both have that. They can be very educational too. Evo has an 800 number that you can call and they are always more than willing to discuss options.
 

bigbog

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One that you might wanna check out is HEAD's Rev85 given he's not going to be doing the zipperline..slightly larger tip=good for treelines with a HEAD edgegrip for when needed. Good edgegrip, not demanding..etc. Doesn't demand a power skier..nor speed to awaken...
This is the end, beginning to sound like a friggin' advertisement/review...but was quite the multi-personality HEAD. Knowing HEAD this ski might also be friggin' $$$. From what I've read, the 13/14 ski is the same....so you might want to first check for this ski in that year...
 
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WWF-VT

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One that you might wanna check out is HEAD's Rev85 given he's not going to be doing the zipperline..slightly larger tip=good for treelines with a HEAD edgegrip for when needed. Good edgegrip, not demanding..etc. Doesn't demand a power skier..nor speed to awaken...
This is the end, beginning to sound like a friggin' advertisement/review...but was quite the multi-personality HEAD. Knowing HEAD this ski might also be friggin' $$$. From what I've read, the 13/14 ski is the same....so you might want to first check for this ski in that year...

The OP is looking for a JR ski for a light weight 12 year old
This is not the ski to recommend.
 

WWF-VT

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Okay:???:
That Rev85 might be a little on the overly-shaped for crud..fwiw...y/n? ..but a little touch of rocker brings the 163 down a little..

I am still not sure what the OP's son weighs but he is 12 years old and "light" and not ready for an adult ski. My 120 lb 16 year old son who has been skiing since he was four and averages about 40 days a year at Sugarbush will be on a 163 cm Vollk Kink this season. There are a lot of factors beside ski length that need to be considered for the youth skier.
 

Madroch

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He's under 100- skis about 20+ days a year- he needs a jr ski that is lighter and softer than adult...

I've bought from levelnine before, and aso gear, checked skis.com etc. looking at volkl step jr, Rossi scratch jr- at 153 - maybe Shreditor/bad seed on the wider front...

Thanks to all!
 
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