My younger son wants to join the race program this season. I need some advice on what I am going to need. I don't want to go out and get him race skis, poles, special boots (??) etc if I don't need to. I know he will need special equipment but is there a place I can rent this stuff for the season or is it better to buy? If I buy the stuff what brands etc.

He is so excited for ski season to start. He keeps asking me when its going to snow already?? He also tells me when school is boring he just daydreams about skiing.

racing is not my specialty. i really dont have a specialty. ha. but, i would suggest buying instead of renting. you could check out ebay and online outlets and such for discounted or used items that you could buy and keep to use whenever. i'm just not really a fan of renting equipment.

Ski are you lurking??????




That is so awesome!!!! I'm looking forward to the upcoming season as well...

If you can get in touch with ski, he would be the one to talk to about this.

How old is he and will he be racing PARA or just doing a club program?

he's 8 and just doing a club program.

He will be fine with 1 pair of skis. Many places rent kids skis that would be ok. Make sure they are brand new skis and that he keeps them for the season. Don't do a daily rental. At that level all the skis are the same with different tops on them. Brand means nothing at that age. Except for the cool factor. Get him good/tight fitting boots. Don't try to get 2 years out of the equipment. Good luck and be ready to spend thousands if he likes it and gets good!

thanks for the info. I figured I would have to get him better boots. The last two seasons I did a seasonal rental on boots. I know it's an expensive sport, but if he finally finds something he really enjoys and is good at I don't mind spending the money.

The season rentals are good, my brother did that for a while while he was still growing each year so I would definitely suggest that. Buying boots is a good idea though. A good pair of boots can be the difference between someone really enjoying themselves and not having fun at all. Rent a pair of skis for the year, and don't hold back on boots because of price!! I'm a cheap guy for the most part, but I know that there are some things that you just can't go cheap on.

My daughter started racing at CB years ago before we moved to MT. Which mountain will he be training on?

She raced the first year on just any old skis. HOWEVER, if he likes this sport, be prepared to spend MUCHO bucks as he gets older. The older ones will travel more and more to regional races. You have to factor in at least a pair of skis for GS and another for SL every other year, plus helmets, speed suits, lodging, race fees, etc.

Hold onto your seat now. The first year my daughter raced FIS races (international racing org), even though they were just regional, I figured that the total cost was $10,000. The following years I just stopped counting. And she wasn't even one of the top racers, just good enough to pass the FIS quotas.

But, her skiing is top notch now that she's a senior in college and retired from racing (can't really study if you spend most of spring semester on the road).
Compare this first picture to the second.

There's nothing like racing to help a kid learn to ski. She is now into "side country" skiing with powder skis and the transition has been easy for her. Her reaction time and balance are the common assets to the two types of skiing.

He will be doing the program at JFBB. Right now he has a pair of skis that he has already used 2 seasons. He has gone about 20 days each year and I have only gotten them tuned/sharpened in the middle and end of the season. If he wasn't joining the race program I would not be buying him new skis, but I guess he really needs them. Since I am getting him new skis, should I be getting race skis or just another pair of all around skis?

I will probably take shifdawgs advice and get him a much better pair of boots, either rental or purchase. Thanks for the help, Sib.

Good lord on the $10k figure. Was most of that equipment or lodging expenses?

I bought GS race skis for my kids when they got really interested in doing NASTAR races. I do have the benefit that my kids are only two years apart so when the older one outgrows his skis then the younger one can use them.

Barb......its time to get some race skis. Check out Ebay. Last winter I sold my daughter's old race skis on Ebay.

My son's best friend is on the Hidden Valley race team and he recently asked me where he can buy SL skis as he needs them for this season.

We've been fortunate that my kids do well with seasonal boot rentals. I think I would only buy my kids boots if they couldn't find any rental boots that they were comfortable with.

Good luck with your son and keep us posted on how he does this season.

Equipment was probably in the minority, compared with airline tickets and lodging. Out here we have big states, so races in Bozeman were "local". And Bozeman is six hours from here.

Barb, I have 2 sons and feel your pain as far as getting equipment goes. I relly think you don't need to consider "race" skis or boots. Kids really don't develop the angles at this age. Besides all the skis are basically the same with different graphics. I would contact the ski team or race director to put you in contact with some other race parents to see if they have any skis or boots. I buy boots for my kids because I was renting for $40-$50 a year and you could buy a pair for less than $100 and each one of my kids will get a year out of each boot. Be careful that you don't get the boots too big otherwise his skiig will really suffer. If the team dosen't pan out, eBay is a great place to get equipment cheap.

idk if u know about or check out the nestors ski sale but i got boots there really cheap when i first started.