Decent, Small Combo Skis

[MN Ryan]

My kids have hit the point where I would like to get a set of skis that are better than starter skis. They (9 and 11 and 70-80 lbs) have both been skiing since they were 6 and started on an EZ Ski before that. They've progressed through the hand-me-down wooden skis. I got a set of 54" combos last year, but they're your basic starter ski. The 11-year old can drop a ski, and the 9-year old is probably ready for that, too, though she hasn't tried yet.
I don't want to buy a dedicated slalom ski just yet, but the combo stuff out there for kids is just awful. My kids don't need skis that are 10" wide, but it seems like to get anything more than starter skis, you have to jump considerably in length, and they're just not big enough to handle those yet.
Anyone have any suggestions? I've looked at Radar, HO, Connelly, and O'Brien. Looks like the HO Burner in 61" might be the best available.
Thanks!

[SkiTundra]

Same here. Looking for combo's that are a step up from HO Excel's. The guys at Midwest MC recommended the HO Burner's so I'm leaning that direction.

[MN Ryan]

Funny you should mention that as I stopped there yesterday to look at the Burners. The bindings are a step up, but they're still pretty dang wide, so I don't think I will buy them. Had a nice chat with a sympathetic employee there, but she did some digging and didn't come up with any better than my own research found.

I think we just will have to make due for now. I don't really want to buy a slalom ski that they're going to outgrow in a year, though.

[SkiTundra]

Yeah, I've not looked at them in person, maybe I should swing over there and do that.

[MN Ryan]

Definitely. They look good online, but I was hoping they were a bigger step up.

[Tom_H]

Honestly, my kids prefer an old pair of Taperflex combos (probably in the 59" realm, tunneled) to bomb around on when they're too lazy to grab the jumpers out of the garage. They've skied on the wide combos at the ski team site, but they just prefer a more traditional shape, so don't be afraid to grab something used. There's buckets of used combos on marketplace around the TC metro. If you can find them, wake skis are pretty fun for the kids to ride too (the old HO or stereo ones, not the body glove POS ones).

Also, I don't think it's a bad idea to get them a decent kids' slalom (Radar TRA or HO kids Omni). It's not too early, and you might be surprised how much and quickly they take to it. The stability is night and day from the combos. My boys are 10/12 and I've got a 63" Radar TRA that they've been using the last few years and it was night and day versus slalom on any of the combos we have. Deep V handles can help with the slalom start, but try to transition them off those sooner than later once they master it (too much open area to snag a limb).

Regardless of what you do, if your kids have any trouble controlling the skis in the water, the HO tail weights are pretty nice for stabilizing the skis for deep starts.

[MN Ryan]

Thanks, Tom. No problem controlling skis. They are both quite comfortable on skis--honestly, if not for baseball and softball, we'd likely join the River Rats. We have an old set of 59" SkiMasters at the cabin that we've used for them--same set my wife learned on!

I guess the plus side of buying a slalom ski is freeing up room in the ski locker!

[Tom_H]

I'd join the Ski Otters over the River Rats . It's a hard balance with other sports depending on the level they play at - June was a bit hectic doing both baseball and the ski team, but thankfully the baseball season's done for my kids (my older one plays for school in the spring and the younger played in-house).

[MN Ryan]

Ski Otters, huh? I've never seen them ski. I'll have to look into that one of these days. I've got one that plays travel baseball (11U) and one that plays in-house softball (10U), so time is scarce. Both wrap up this weekend, though. Whew!

[Tom_H]

I'm hoping mine don't ask to play travel next year, but we'll see. Otters are over in White Bear, shows are Sundays at 6 (minus 7/30 which is tourney weekend). The Rats are a good group too (I know a ton of their members).