 Poster: A snowHead
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Sort of following on from the previous kids freeride ski thread...
My 11 (nearly 12) year old son skis competition freeride. Unfortunately about 30 mins before a competition in Whistler he rang me to say he snapped a ski in half!  Fortunately after rushing to the demo hut on the mountain, I rented him the smallest skis they had, which he proceeded to win the competition on! 
So the question is what to replace them with - a noticeable feature of the Blizzard (can't recall what, it was a case of take whatever they had) demo skis were they were quite burly(also a bit big for him), much more so than the skis he broke, and this seems to work well as a freeride competition ski because they rarely seem to be run in "ideal" conditions. But not so good for air and tricks (apparently!)
He is currently skiing on his other pair of skis which are Faction Prodigy 2.0's - they are good allrounders and seem to work ok, but are a bit on the narrow side, and perhaps a little soft for blasting high speed crud (the speed these kids ski through chopped up crud and all sorts in any conditions is quite amazing!). So am looking for something that not only is super stable, but at least slightly forgiving as they are also launching tricks off some sizable drops at speed, and it doesn't always go perfectly!  He's not the best out there in terms of freestyle tricks, but he definitely is up there when it comes to line-choice, being super-stylee smooth, and huge airs.
I can get a good deal on some Blizzard Rustler 10s, which seem like they might fit the bill. Most of his friends are skiing Factions or Black Crows - not sure if this is because they really do make the best freeride skis, or whether it is down to good marketing. Coaches are generally sponsored so may be harder to get an unbiased opinion from them
Demoing short skis (he's 5'1 and fairly strong, but 160 to 165 would be the absolute longest) is a bit hard, so not really an option
Any thoughts?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| stuarth wrote: |
| Most of his friends are skiing Factions or Black Crows - not sure if this is because they really do make the best freeride skis, or whether it is down to good marketing. |
They make decent skis but are even better at marketing! I reckon Stockli and Kastle make the best quality skis. Not really Freestyle oriented though and probably not in the length you need. Blizzards are solid.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Scott scrapper 95 are worth a look.
As @BobinCH, says about Stokli and Kastlé, probably the best quality you can buy in general production skis. But whether you're into that longevity and paying for it at this stage is going to affect the decision more.
Scott skis, I feel, are also decently made. Along with an interesting design philosophy that seems to make them easy to use over quite a range of skills and pilot profile. Seem to be available in range of lengths to, but my experience of them suggest that even slightly at the long end of your range request wouldn't put them out of reach.
Son owns predecessor "Punisher" and jumped from 150cm Rossignol NFX to 173cm Scott with ease. The geometry in the ski may appear gimmicky to cursory glance, but works well in practice.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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+1 for the Scott Scrapper.
@stuarth, The 161 Director trad is also a superb junior ski but they're now sold out and are no longer made. Got one pair of the CL version left if you're interested? Same construction as the longer/adult lengths.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Blizzard Rustler Team is the best around.
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That said I thought they only did them in a 165, seems there are three lengths, all too small this year!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@stuarth, by the time next season comes he'll be ready for the 167 Altum.
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@stuarth, get those Rustler 10’s. 104mm under foot, should be perfect for a little guy!
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FAQ
Also he keeps growing! 
