Race Skis for 7 year old

Question
QUESTION: My son just finished his first race season in the J6 category. He was the fastest new kid but was slower than a few of the kids in their second season. He is 45" (114+cm) tall and 39lbs. I am thinking about getting him 120cm to 125cm skis for the next two seasons. Since I am guessing he will grow 4 " or maybe a bit more, over the next 2 seasons. Is that too much in terms of length? He is actually a very good technically sound big-mountain skier, and I know he took it somewhat easy in the races. It was his first time, he participated in 5 racesand he sped up as the season progressed but I know one thing was paramount to him, he said firmly "I do not want to DNF". Well, his love for the sport and his skill is all natural so I plan to let him progress at his own pace with some encouragement and push from Dad. He skied this season on 100cm rented K2 race skis for kids but now I think he has earned new skis. Any suggestions, the Dynastar OmegaGlass are not available in his length and most places do not stock Volkl Racetigers anymore in his lengths anyway. The other option is to get 110cm to 115cm skis. The thing is he is an even better big-mountain skier, i.e. steeps, bumps, trees and technically difficult lines, he negotiates with skill and wisdom, as one his pals who was teaching him said "A very smart skier". I am not experienced enough so any advice appreciated. The racing is in the deep-freeze, NEast hardpack. But he has skied big mountains in Alberta, Utah and Europe. Thank you much in advance.

ANSWER: Dear Saint --

I do not recommend a big jump in ski length.  I recommend an increase of 2 inches at most (about 5 cm), unless he has a huge increase in height and weight.  Dual purpose skis (both slalom and GS on the same ski) should go no higher than about his nose, for a guideline in ski length.

Renting skis is not a bad idea at your son's age.  If you get a good seasonal rental, with a trade up clause, then you can get longer skis as your son improves, or his weight dictates that he needs longer skis.

Ski length should be determined by the skier's weight and their aggressiveness when skiing, not by their height.  If he will use his skis for mogul and tree skiing also, you should definitely not increase his length more than about 5 cm at a time.  

The best item you can get him is a good pair of well fitting boots.  Whether these are top tier kid's boots rented for the season or purchased is up to you.  Again, seasonal rentals with a trade-up clause are often the best route to take with growing kids and ski equipment.

Please write back, if you have more questions, or you really would prefer to buy.  Any of the top tier manufacturers have good junior skis in various lengths.  We could discuss options.

All the best to you and your son.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you Cynthia. As with most kids, he has a tendency when free-skiing to complicate Dad's life and going through trees and gullies (every time I have followed him, I have regretted it !). I would say based on the judgment of experts he has skiied with he is (1) a very relaxed skier (2) solid technical and balance skills which compensate for his lightweight physique (which is totally fine and good with me!) (3) an unusually smart skier, adapts well to terrain and conditions; he has had his share of tumbles and airborne fliers and learns from them I believe.

If interested and you find the time of course, here are recent clips of him: Scroll through, since the race compilation is 7 mins long, he fires it up from minute marker 3.5 or so:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlSjX2OlMgI

and here he is during his latest big mountain exploits (he really is at home on big mountains but lives far away from them in that big city!)(this is a longer clip, 9 mins..so forewarned)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgnE6eqtshA

I agree - fitting him with boots is really complicated since as kids he does not complain, unless they hurt, are hard to put on, so the usual tests of do the toes come off the front when he flexes, and does the heel only rise a fraction are what we live with..

I am leaning towards a cap construction (just learned what this means) with foam core, since my feeling especially after reading your advice is that a stiff ski is harder to recover from when coming around at speed past those GS gates. Like every parent, heart misses a beat as he comes flying through and I have seen him lose edge grip (may even have it on film) but he recovered, so the soft skis should be better for his control efforts. On length, I am hoping he grows 2" by the time next season rolls around and so that will be 120cm height and hence grab a 120cm ski. Its a gamble but the price is really good on the Fischer RC4 Race Jr skis with railflex 4 bindings. I hope I am not making a mistake. His love for the sport is to be fostered and enhanced, that is our goal, and if he is a budding champion, even better for him. Either way, just skiing with him has been a "religious experience" for his Dad, after all he did tell me before I started to ski that "skiing is good for my soul" - he was 5 then, and so I put on skis for the first time.

Once again many thanks for your wise counsel.

Answer
Dear Saint --

The Fischer RC4 are excellent junior skis.  I still caution against a ski that is too long, as it will make it difficult for him to initiate his turns and ride easily through the bumps and while tree skiing.

Watching the videos makes me add a suggestion -- get him ski boots with a softer forward flex.  He is sitting far back on his boots with his weight significantly on the tails of his skis.  A boot with a softer forward flex, might help that as his shins would not get sore when he flexes forward to push into a turn.

Except for that rear lean, he is a well balanced skier that can get onto a flat ski to pivot or  edge to hold a long traverse.  If he had boots that encouraged him to push forward, I believe his hands would come forward naturally.  That would allow him to open into a turn on a race course sooner, and he would not have to play catch up and dump speed to make the next gate.  He opens into turns while free skiing much more naturally.  His free skiing is very fluid, even though he is still riding the back of his boots and the tail of his skis. If you can move him forward in his boots, I think that his natural ability and fluidity will come into his racing and he will improve with ease.

Please feel free to write back with any additional questions, or ideas.  Enjoy your skiing!