HO Freeride Future for 11yr old

[jalama]

I am looking for a slalom ski for my 11 year old daughter. She weighs about 75lbs. She has never been up on a single ski but she is very comfortable on a doubles. She can cross the wake back and forth pretty fast and cuts hard for doubles at 20-25mph. The doubles are 59" HO Blasts. Last summer she tried a deep water start on the Blast with the rear step in but couldn't get up. She also tried dropping one of the Blasts a few times but couldn't get her foot set in the rear step in before she feel.

 

She's a good athlete and I think she could pull off a deep water start with a bigger ski. I am contemplating buying her a 63" HO Freeride Future. I have read a number of posts that suggest going with a fairly large slalom ski if kids are going to try a deep water start for the first time. The only two old skiis I have laying around are a 68" HO Mach 1 and a 66" Kidder KD3000 Hammer. I was thinking I could try one of these but think they might be too big for her and I also run into the issue of not having boots her size for either one. I don't think any new boots will fit on the old hole patterns on both.

 

Looking for opinions on the 63" Freeride Future for her with Future front boot and ARTP. Will this be a good ski to help her with the deep water start? I know it's a wide ride ski so will she grow out of it quickly? At 75lbs, how slow do you think I can go while she is learning?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Bruce_Butterfield]

Learning to get up on 1 ski with a 59" ski will be difficult. As a rule of thumb, bigger is better to get up, especially for kids. Sizewise, the Mach 1 and Hammer would be ok, but they are not very stable or forgiving, so I would avoid those. The 63" Freeride should be fine. If you are buying new, I would go up to a 64 or 65".

 

With the right size ski, you should be going 15-17mph to learn and slowly increase to max out in the low 20s.

 

Another good option is the wide, shaped skis such as these:

http://www.bartswatersports.com/catalog/Junior_Combo_Water_Skis/Obrien_Vortex_Jr_Combo_Skis_OR3C52P/index.asp

 

The wide skis are very easy to ride and I've seen kids run the slalom course up to 25mph on one of those.

 

If you haven't seen this recent thread, there is some other opinions to consider:

http://www.ballofspray.com/forum#/discussion/15055/need-help-picking-out-ski-for-pre-teen

[jalama]

Thanks Bruce. Really appreciate it. I will look for a 65" ski. Leaning toward the Freeride or P6. I think that these skiis will be a little better at cutting through the wake than a wide, shaped ski. Let me know if that's a correct assumption. I have a V-Drive so she will be hitting a bigger wake at slow speeds compared to a DD.

[perfski]

This is a question that comes up alot in the shop.....and one thats kind of tough to answer. From my experience...when kids are learning...and "athletic"...you want to look for a ski that will allow them to progress....not outgrow the performance of the ski right away. The freeride skis are great to learn on...super stable and something they can get solid foundations on. If you just want her on a ski that skis easily and to allow her to rip some turns...I think you are on the right track with the Jr Freeride. Another option if she is fairly athletic and that might afford her a bit more room to grow if you think she'll ski in the course is the Radar TRA. Its based on the Radar senate mold but in a slightly softer layup. The bevels and rockerline are the same as their Vapor, but wider with a bigger sweet spot and a softer flex to allow the ski to turn. Do you have any other kids, or any need for a "boat slalom" for jr skiers? It might be that the freeride is the starting point, then you move her to a more traditional slalom if she progresses quickly. We have both new and closeout skis in those sizes...and will be glad to help however we can if you need it. If you are in the Central Florida area at all also..we have most all these skis in our demo fleet.

 

One other topic...make sure you get boots that fit her feet right...especially if you are going a bit longer on the ski. If using a toe plate...again, it needs to fit right, she needs to be able to get her toes in on it easily. One tip for helping her drop a ski....really stress to her to know feel like she immediately has to get her rear foot on the ski. Drop the ski...and tell her to just pull her back foot behind her front...and follow it down til she gets it on the ski...can find a balance point. One of the largest problems I have found teaching people to drop a ski is that they "kick off" the drop ski and "swing" the loose foot in a mad panic to get it on the slalom...with the hip / leg movement twisting the slalom ski from the urgency of getting your rear foot on to the slalom..... making them loose their balance...

If we can help..reach out. we will do what we can.

Bill @ Performance Ski and Surf www.perfski.com

[jalama]

Thanks @perfski. My daughter will just be free skiing so leaning toward the Freeride or something similar. Thanks for the advice on dropping a ski.

 

I want to get something that allows her to do a deep water start. That's the main goal at first but would like a ski she can grow into for a few years. Not sure if I go with 65" if that will be too big once she gets her turns down.

[Chef23]

When I taught my daughter to drop a ski I used the ski without the RTP and put a piece of non skid on the ski. Then she could just put her foot down on the ski. Then when she got more comfortable with dropping and skiing on one we went to the ski with the loop.

[Bruce_Butterfield]

One other thing that helps when first dropping a ski is to drag the free foot in the water, kind of like a rudder, until the skier gets some balance. Then she can slowly find the toepiece and put the foot in. Sometimes it helps just to rest the rear foot on top of the toepiece until she can get comfortable putting the rear foot in.

 

She should absolutely, positively be able to drop a ski and ride up and down the lake on a single before attempting to do a deepwater slalom start. Trying a deepwater start before being comfortable on a single ski is a receipt for failure and frustration.

[davemac]

I'd be interested if anyone cares to chime in on if ...and how a "boom" can be useful at this stage....

[jalama]

Thanks @ Chef23 and @ Bruce. Bruce... that makes sense and changes my plan. I will look for a bigger set of combos. I currently have the 59" HO Blast set but it sounds like I need longer or wider. The link you posted above includes a recommendation for a set of combo shaped skiis but they are only 54". Shouldn't I go with a longer set of combos? Or did you suggest the shorter 54" set because they are wide and shaped?

 

I would like to get a set that allows her to drop and get comfortable that way, then use the single of the pair for deep water slalom start.

[savaiusini]

@jalama It sounds like you are on the right track. At 75 lbs, the 63" Freeride would be an ideal choice for your daughter. The Freeride has width where you need it for easy starts and the CleanEdge on the back half of the ski adds lift too. This reduces drag and makes for longer runs/less fatigue. But the Freeride is also a great ski for carving once your daughter is up and skiing. It provides a stable platform to learn all the basics and is just so much fun to ride. If you haven't already got one, a deep-v handle could help her keep the ski stable as she's getting used to deep water starts. Bill is correct when he says, "MAKE SURE THE BOOTS FIT!"

[Bruce_Butterfield]

@jalama,

 

A couple of notes on the wide combos.

- With the extra width, even the 54" has more surface area than a traditional 64" slalom, so getting up on one after dropping a ski should be really easy.

- She will probably outgrow the wide combo in less than a season and be ready for a more traditional ski. As long as you are aware the wide skis are temporary, they are great. If you are looking for a ski she can use for several years, I would go straight to a traditional ski.

- However.....if she has friends that may want try to ski at some point in the future, having the wide combos available is priceless. Those are sooo much easier for beginners to learn to get up on its almost cheating:) Once her friends are teenagers, a larger set of wide combos is the way to go.

- Sizewise on the traditional ski - if she was 75 lbs going 30mph, a 65" would probably be hard to turn. If her speed is in the teens and low 20's, turning a 65" won't be a problem. If she gets to 30 this season, you'll have a good problem and will be happy to look for a higher performance ski:)

 

@davemac, a boom is absolutely a good option to have available. If the kid is athletic, very comfortable on 2 skis, can drop 1 and go up and down the lake, he/she should be able to do a deepwater start on 1 in just a few tries (with the right ski/boat/driver). If one of those is missing, a few sets on the boom will save a lot of frustration.

 

I fully agree with the guys that posted about the boots. For getting up and riding behind the boat, the adjustables are fine, but as soon as she starts cutting, a good fitting boot is important.

 

I also need to state my opinion that I think it's very important for kids to be really comfortable on 2 skis before going to 1 (sounds like jalama's daughter is there). Far too many parents try to push their kids to slalom when they can just barely ride around on 2. It is much easier to learn balance, cutting, wide/early if running the course, on 2 skis than falling and getting frustrated on 1.

 

One more note - I don't have any direct experience with the Freeride, but @Perfski has an excellent reputation for products and customer service.

[BooRadley]

my kids very early on learned on wider combos. Then dropped and slalomed on one and then quickly got up on one. The wider ski helped make it so much easier / fun which served them well prior and into tournament skiing. I have a set on ski it again (SIA34683). Let me know if you have any questions or if I can help in any way.

[ALPJr]

Our kids learned on HO Blast 63's. All got up on one eventually, and our daughter who was 15 and weighed about 120 was running the mini course at 24 mph on it. A good pair to have in the boat. From there she went onto a 65 Siren and the regular course.....................................

[jalama]

I'm glad I posted before I bought. Thanks everyone!

 

@Bruce... I just bought the O'Brien 54" wide combo with the blem. Thanks for the link! At $150 shipped I can't go wrong. Looks like these will give her some additional surface area compared to 59" Blasts I currently have.

 

@BooRadley... I took a look at your skiis on Ski It Again but they are 64" so I thought maybe a little too big for my daughter. She only weighs 75lbs.

 

I will report back when she gives it a go. Should be hitting the water with wet suits in the couple of weeks.