Backcountry for kids

[donski]

I've got kids under 10 ready to explore the backcountry but can't find equipment.

Any advice on AT bindings for kids 50 to 75 pounds?

Any advice on making my own AT bindings? For example, mount downhill bindings on a plywood plate with a hinge at the front, lock down screw on the back and a some type of climbing bail that flips under the plate?

[VT Lauren]

I have a very small foot (woman size 4) and had a hard time finding tele boots. In my search I saw kids stuff on ebay. My sister lives out in Big Sky, MT and says her friend has her kids on teles. Sounds like you want to lock down the binding for the decent though.

I guess I'm not much help but think it's really great to get your kids in the BC and that they have an interest in it is AWESOME!!

Good Luck!

[RR]

The Fritschi and Silvretta lines have a small size listed for their AT binding in certain lines

F= Short—Boot sole length 245-300 mm (M 4.5-9)

S= Small size fits U.S. men's shoe sizes 4 - 8

Either Binding will handily adjust. The Silvretta 500 is very easy to adjust but the Fritschi Freeride is by far easier to deal with on slope, especially after a release!

here is a size chart, "ball park" matches. If you want accuracy well, why look here; this is what I have:
Note: Inches corresponds to UK sizes and CM corresponds to Mondo sizing.
US Women, US Men, Inches, CM
5……......…3............. 8 5/8...... 22
6............ 4............. 9........... 22.8
7............ 5............. 9 1/4...... 23.5
8............ 6............. 9 5/8....... 24.4
9............ 7............ 10........... 25.3
10........... 8........... 10 1/4....... 26
11........... 9........... 10 5/8........27
12........... 10........... 11........... 27.8
13........... 11........... 11 1/4....... 28.6
14........... 12........... 11 1/2.......29.3
15........... 13........... 11 7/8.......30.2
16........... 14........... 12 1/4........31

[kfarrar]

I've got kids under 10 ready to explore the backcountry but can't find equipment.

Any advice on AT bindings for kids 50 to 75 pounds?

Any advice on making my own AT bindings? For example, mount downhill bindings on a plywood plate with a hinge at the front, lock down screw on the back and a some type of climbing bail that flips under the plate?

I take my two daughters(age 8 & 6) into the Backcountry (Local wooded path that opens into a farmers field with a nice hill). I wax up their alpine skis, slip some collapsable poles in their hands and off we go. The trail is about a 3/4 of a mile out to the hill. I have spent numerous hours with them shuffling about on their alpine equiptment and they really seem to enjoy it.

This year I plan to by some skin material and frabrication some kicker skins for them as sometimes in the spring, the wax doesn't work that well for them.

[RR]

Ya know, after thinking about it, why not take advantage of the kid sized tele gear and just go that way?

P turns are easy on tele gear, and they'll soon learn to drive with that inside leg, knee dragging telemark thing and leave you in the dust anyway :p

PS: Knee Pads, daddy'O. Gett'em knee pads and get some for yourself...style those pads on the inside of the trousers and be grateful they are skiers and will chase around with the rabits and bending birches with you :cooldog:

[donski]

I've telemarked for years but my kids are going to be downhillers. There are no ski rental programs (they need to rent since they outgrow boots each year), tele lessons or race programs for kids in the Boston area.

Also, tele equipment selection is a joke for kids.

Maybe if I lived in the mountains I'd let them tele but everything's geared for downhill around me so its AT for them.

[yuckster]

there's probably no at binding on the market with a din that goes low enough for your kids... i'd say forget about it for a few years.

[RR]

Hang on there!

Silvretta sells their Telemark adapter so folks with ordinary tele bindings can upgrade to a free-pivot for ascencion. The heel piece is included to lock-out the pivot and provide a climbing bar stouter than the wires on most tele bindings:
http://www.silvretta.de/images/products/photo/big/08_0000013000.jpg

Maybe it will accept the kids Alpine bindings...

STP has them for $140...so maybe that idea about a stout hinge and a mounting plate would be best.

One other thing comes to mind.

Skip all the foofera and go straight to the King of AT, Lou Dawson at http://www.wildsnow.com/mailto/contact_lou.htm.

He might have adressed this question a few hundred times.

[skibumm100]

I've telemarked for years but my kids are going to be downhillers. There are no ski rental programs (they need to rent since they outgrow boots each year), tele lessons or race programs for kids in the Boston area.

Also, tele equipment selection is a joke for kids.

Maybe if I lived in the mountains I'd let them tele but everything's geared for downhill around me so its AT for them.

donski,

Ski Bradford has a racing program for kids. It's near Haverhill. Very small hill but you don't need a big hill to race. Give 'em a call.

[stoneman]

I'll kick in my $.02. I think you've hit the nail on the head when you said, your kids outgrow boots every year. Combine that and the issue of the availability of suitable bindings and i think B/C is very hard to do with young kids unless you have some serious moolah. Not sure why you think AT is has any more options for you than tele, i think you have the exact same issues in either case.... although i have seen kids at Wildcat on tele gear, i don't think i've ever seen 'em on AT.

My son was a bit older before i took him on short B/C adventures. We used his regular alpine sticks, but we waited till spring, so he could bootpack in with his hiking boots. Springtime is good as the days are longer and warmer, and he found out he liked corn. We made some compromises, i carried his skis, trips were short, but he carried his boots, water, and cheese doodles.

That was a few years ago, now he's a boarder, so he's on his own.

[RR]

nordic bc is not so expensive and usually a lot less crowded. from about age 7 my son was touring on his own skis. We got to some interesting places.

Then he discovered schoolboy ski racing...at Bradford, as it happens :)

These days, as an adult, he will wait for me on for a run or two :D

[Luddite]

I got my wife an intro bc setup, fischer something crown (no metal edges though) and some Rossi NNN boots that she didn't like. Turns out the setup fit my 12 year old nicely and he was able to make turns in soft snow with them. My 9 yo daughter, who is not real big on turning even on alpine gear (too slow) bombs the trails out back like mad on some xc skis with pins. She calls it cross country skiing down hills. She refuses to go cross country skiing without hills, however. Not sure how small those Rossi BC9(?) boots go, but they have enough support for the wee ones to explore and turn regardless of heel status...

[geoffwaite]

Have you thought about binding adapter, like the Alpine trekker? I have a pair I used to use which I'm keeping to use with my kids.

They look like they adjust down to about a 260-265 boot sole. If you're apbable with a vice, some steel wire and a pair of pliers you can make custom boot retainers and make them even smaller. Throw in some $10 snake skins and off they go (ecept my oldest got bitten by a snowboard bug first!)

[winters2short]

Noticed that EMS is now offering online, Kids Telemark boots and equipment.
Tough thing is that makes it tough to try on. But still returnable.
Check it out, www.ems.com