Equipment

Choosing the right equipment is essential to the enjoyment and success that youngsters find in skiing. Here are some hints to properly outfit young skiers.

Boots

The single most important piece of equipment in skiing is boots. They should fit snugly and be soft enough to flex, even when cold. There's a great video sponsored by NYSSRA (New York Ski Racing) about fit and flex here: https://vimeo.com/73415950. Boots should be 'shell sized' (take the liner out, insert foot, push to front, there should be no more than 2 fingers (placed on top of each other) space behind the heel).

In the early season we intend to check equipment. Don't be surprised if we suggest making some cuts in the boot shell to get a better flex.

We also recommend having a good stock footbed (like SuperFeet), or better yet, a custom foot bed made to prevent foot fatigue, stress, and to keep the skeletal alignment of the foot correct. The boots are the critical part of the equation and it is not the place to skimp!

Finally, if your child is prone to cold feet, consider boot heaters. Being able to stay out longer for training, and to be able to feel your feet can make a big difference.

Skis

USSA & FIS publish requirements for ski dimensions each year. The 2025 standards are located here.

All racers will need a good pair of race/training skis and ideally a pair of rock skis for early season or woods. If athletes will have only one pair of race skis (strongly recommended for Race1 and U10 racers, and athletes new to racing), it is best to get a SL model. For experienced U12 and older racers, we recommend separate skis for slalom and giant slalom.

Correct length is a factor of size, skill and type of ski, but the general guideline is:

Slalom – to the chin (if using one pair of skis for all disciplines, size to the nose).

G.S. – over the head (10-20cm longer than SL)

S.G. – 10 cm longer than G.S.

US Ski & Snowboard requires that U12 athletes use only 1 pair of skis on race day. As this can potentially be confusing, we will address what this means at the beginning of the season.

Poles

The most common "old time" method is to invert the pole with the grip on the floor and grab the shaft under the basket. The pole is a good fit if your forearm is at 90 degrees (or parallel to the floor). This is a good starting point for SL.

GS poles are typically longer for a stronger push out of the start and pole planting is not an issue.

Athletes that are clearing gates in SL will require pole guards to protect the athlete's hands (U12 and older). While the guards protect the athlete in SL, they are a hazard when training GS. Therefore we STRONGLY recommend a set of poles for SL (w/ guards, and one for GS (without guards). As a TIP: buy the GS poles as 5cm longer than the SL - when your athlete grows, this year's GS poles can become next year's SL poles! (and - no need for bent poles except for SG and DH).

Finally, when in doubt, select a longer pole, as most shafts can be cut down to size, but it is quite impossible to add length.

Helmets

Helmets are mandatory in training and racing. For Race1/U8 skiers, any good ski helmet will be sufficient.

All U14 and above racers will need to have helmets that have been certified by FIS for GS, SG, and DH. For U12s and younger, there is no need to buy a FIS helmet today. However, if you need to replace your current helmet, get the FIS certified helmet. This is true for both U12s and older, as it's likely that the helmet will still fit as the U12 gets older, and the new requirement may provide some greater level of protection. Also, please make sure that if you're buying a FIS helmet, it has the correct sticker (at left).

All U14 and older racers will be held to the following rule: "No Sticker, No Start".

All helmets for GS must have hard ears, regardless of age group. Soft ear helmets may be worn for SL.

Eye Protection

PPST participants are required to wear proper eye protection at all times. Goggles are required when training gates. Athletes need to have different lenses for varying light conditions.

Gate Protection

First, fast skiing involves keeping your skis in the fall-line (down the hill), loading them with energy and releasing it across the hill as cleanly as possible - limiting the amount of skidding at the bottom part of the turn. This goes for every event, from SL to DH. In Slalom, once the racer is able to make strong turns (and only when this is happening), we start bringing them closer to the gates to shorten the travel path, and go yet faster.

Edie Thys (former US Ski Teamer, now coach and mom at Ford Sayre) has a great article found here.

As coaches, we're watching to see when the time is that the racers are being held back by steering around the gates, when their skill set would enable them to ski through them. We will tell you when your racer needs gate protection. That said, we're not naive enough to discount that many kids love the gear, and will be asking for it. It's OK to get the gear, but please don't feel you need to. However, as I said, we'll likely tell you if we think it's overdue.

What to get:

Chin Guard - this can be attached to the helmet when training SL - it protects that dental work and nose. They typically are specifically designed for a given helmet model, so check to make sure you get the right one. IMPORTANT NOTE: the chin guard should be removed when not training SL gates to lessen the likelihood of it catching on the snow during a crash.

Pole Guards - this is plastic that covers the pole grips to protect the racer's hands. These can be generic, but check to make sure that they fit your pole/grip combo. Also, I like the guards that create a closed arc, attaching to the pole below the grip and on top of the grip. This limits the chance of a pole catching in the snow when your hand drags or during a crash.

Shin Guards - just a piece of plastic that covers the knee down to/over the top of the boot. This really does not need to be fancy - you can spend over $400!?!? on these, but I can't imagine why.

Forearm Guards - this is essentially shin guards for the forearms used in GS. For the limited times that racers are going to be hitting GS gates, these are almost certainly unnecessary. As barbaric as this sounds, I would wait until either your racer consistently has bruises on her forearms, or the coaches see the racer ducking around gates and we tell you that guards are necessary. Be forewarned, that the coaches have penchant for taking the guards away when racers are focused on hitting GS gates with them, rather than 'going deep' in the turn (skis away from the body, high edge angle) as they should be.