Skis for my son

Question
Hello,
My son is an advanced beginner to an intermediate skier.  Our neighbor has been able to fit him with Nordica boots, poles, helmet but unfortunately he does not have an extra pair of skis.  He is 11 years old, 105 lbs. and is 4FT. 10IN.  We want to buy used skis but I do not know what type or length to buy.
Thanks for your advice.

Answer
Hi Paula and thanks for the question. Firstly i apologise for the late reply, have been busy training.

Ski length needs to be about nose high [no taller than eyebrows though]. Go for a newer shaped ski and one that is appropriate for his ability [ie: not an ex-racing ski that will be too difficult to turn].

Skis turn with force, and this often comes from the speed a skier is travelling at. You want a ski that is reasonably flexable through the mid section and still has some bounce to it. Hold the tip in left [non-dom hand] and press in the centre between the binding with other hand and let it go. If it springs back and was "not too stiff, not to soft" then it should be about right. Ask your son to do the same - if he cant flex it he'll have trouble skiing it.

As for the type - that will depend on how much the person knows about the ski they are selling you. try e-bay, swap meets, ski shops, garage [car boot] sales etc for a good bargain.

Make sure you take the ski and boots to a ski shop to be safety checked before using them EVEN IF the boots fit the binding, the DIN nedes to be checked and set up for your son to avoid serious damage to him.

Iv written a fair bit recently about ski storage over summer - have a look there for more info.

lisa