How to Choose Your Kids' Skis?

Great times are guaranteed when you take the whole family skiing, and you could spark your little one's passion for the sport for life.

But let’s rewind a bit. How do you choose the right skis for children? Here are our tips.

There are three key things you need to think about when it comes to choosing your kids’ skis: their skill level, their height and the ski shape.

1. Skill Level

There are two skill levels for kids, beginner or improving.

A girl and her daughter going down the slope on the skis and the using a harness help the girl ski

Kid's Skis for Beginners

You may consider your child a beginner if they’re taking their first steps on skis, of course, but also if they spend most of their ski day at a kids’ club or on the smallest slopes.

Kid's Skis for Improving skiers

Your child may still be in their beginner stage but showing signs of improvement. They may seem to be making progress so look out for the following signs; they know how to stop, they have mastered snowplough turns, and are getting the hang of parallel skiing.

2. Size

Beginners can choose a pair of skis between 5 and 15cm shorter than them. The shorter the ski, the easier it is to control and turn, and the more likely your child’s confidence is to grow. Choose flexible skis for even greater maneuverability.

For children making progress, choose a pair of skis that finish between the top of their head and are 5cm shorter than them. The aim? That your child will develop with skis that are the same size as them and moving onto adult skis will be easy.

Taking really small children with you?

If your kids are between two and three years old, go for snowblades, so they can ‘walk’ in them and stay with them while they get the hang of it.

From the age of four, she can get started with junior skis.

Of course, if a child is tall enough (1.50m) and heavy enough (45kg) and has reached the advanced level, they can use adult skis.

3 kids on their skis preparing to go down the slope

3. Ski Shape

Today, young skiers have lots of different ski shapes and widths to choose from, and it’s not always easy to find the right one. Don’t worry though the shape of your skis doesn't really matter very much when you’re starting out. More often than not it’s a case of letting your budding pro try a few different styles as she progresses and allowing them to figure out what works best for them. One thing that can help you with their first skis though is the rocker style.

The tip rocker:

The tip lifts off the ground sooner than on a ‘classic’ ski, which means it’s easier to turn, while still maintaining perfect grip. It's the ideal shape for making progress.

The double rocker:

These are skis where the tip, as well as the heel, lift earlier than on a ‘classic’ ski. This technology makes the ski very versatile, but it's less easy to make progress over time.

How to Choose Your Kids' Skis

No matter if your kids are starting to ski or improving here is a quick video, from one of our experience members of the team, in which he explains in detail how to chose your Kids Skis.

Decathlon UK Advice: How to choose your kids skis...

See all our kids skis here