Which Ski Trainer for little ones?

[Killer]

I have a 3 y/o that is now getting comfortable swimming by himself, he's been in ski boats since he was a new-born and I think at some point this summer he will be willing to try skiing. I want to make it fun and easy for him.

 

I've had him on dry land with one of the inflatable trainers last year and am leaning towards getting one. Have seen them used at ski schools with great success. Athough I'm wondering if it may be better just to get him a set of trainer combos or the platform ski? He's small for his age with tiny feet so I'm concerned bindings will be too big for him this year.

 

Any other parents able to share some stories of the trainers they taught their little ones with?

 

I think the Radar firebolts @horton got for Buford are a little big for my guy this year, but maybe not?

 

BTW @Bruce_Butterfield thank you for providing such a detailed write up on getting kids involved in skiing. I read that a few years ago and have made it a mission to encourage my little ones to ride in the boat and get them excited about skiing, since before they could walk! https://www.ballofspray.com/home-page/tech/2598-the-future-of-our-sport-tips-to-addict-the-next-generation

 

here is the inflatable trainer:

[Chef23]

We started my kids with one of these: https://www.overtons.com/product/details?pdesc=OBrien-Platform-Ski-Trainer&i=350959.

 

I started running along the shore with them behind it then migrated to feeding them off the platform and finally pulled them right off the shore at 60 feet from the boat. We pulled the kids along the shore at 3 years old and they were definitely behind the boat by 4. We moved right from that to getting them up behind the boat.

[bdougherty]

The ez ski is awesome to get kids behind the boat. My two boys started on it and have used it with countless other kids. It is very easy to use and kids are successful on the first try and gain confidence quickly.

 

We then moved our boys to some O’brien Trainer skis that I modified with a small weight on the tails. This keeps the tips up and makes starts very easy. Once again worked great and is an easy next step. Only trick is to have a good person holding the rope in case of a fall. The person holding the rope makes or breaks the experience. Let the rope go to late and it drags the kid, let go to early and the skis stop quickly and the kid could do a face plant. Have fun and make it fun for the kids.

Bryan

[keithh2oskier]

We put my daughter on the inflatable trainer last year just before she turned 4. She is on the small side and really had lots of fun with it. I have put some of her friends on it and they really enjoyed it also.