Skiing parents want nothing more than to pass the love of carving sweet powder turns on to their kiddos. Having the right gear stocked in your stores will make for an easy sell, happy parents, and most importantly happy groms. Here are five great products to consider stocking from brands attending the Outdoor + Snow Show 2020 in January.
Nordica’s Boot Fitting System
Have you ever asked a 3-year-old how their ski boot feels? Do they even know what they’re feeling for? No. Take the guesswork out of getting little feet comfortable in little boots by using Nordica’s ski boot foot sizer mat. Foam cutouts of insoles in Mondo sizes 15.5 to 26.5 shows you, the parent, and the skier exactly how their foot will fit in the boot to avoid crunched and uncomfortable toes. Foam cutouts also eliminate excess wiggle room in the boots, avoiding a sloppy fit, or even worse, from slipping off while on snow. Nordica’s Speedmachine Kid’s ski boots come in three models and the larger two (J2 and J3) come with an adjuster to accommodate the best boot flex for the weight of the skier.
See them at the show at Booth 35004-UL
Elan’s U-Flex Boots & Skis
To accommodate the light weight of little skiers, the ski and boot design techs at Elan developed U-Flex and Groove technology. Ironically, short skis for little skiers are much stiffer in nature than longer skis. To counter that, a series of strategically placed wide u-shaped grooves which run across the ski have essentially been cut out of the top of the ski to provide not just easier flex, but also more consistent flex which makes it much easier for new skiers to manage this new activity. And, it’s not just for kids. After U-flex was launched with their kid’s skis for the 2014-15 season, Elan incorporated the concept in their Element skis for adults learning how to ski. The Ezyy and Bloom ski boots for kids from Elan have been specifically designed to work with the U-flex system.
See them at the show at Booth 44020-UL
Atomic’s Savor Visor Jr. Helmet
In the melee of keeping track of ski gear—especially for kids—anything that can be attached to something makes it that much harder to lose or drop in the snow. The Savor Visor Jr. Helmet from Atomic comes with the goggles built in. The helmet uses Holo Core construction to keep it light weight so the little neck it’s sitting on doesn’t get fatigued as quickly. It also features easy to manage variable venting, and audio chip compatible ear covers.
See them at the show at Booth 35117-UL
Reima Kids’ Ski Overall Reach Snow Suit
Founded in Finland in 1944, Reima has lots of experience making clothing to keep people warm and dry. They only recently became available in the United States and we have put a number of their pieces to the test, including the Reach one-piece snow suit. This straight-fit, workman’s-cut overall uses a fluorocarbon-free water and dirt repellent finish called Bionic-finish Eco, and is waterproof, breathable, and durable enough to ward off wet days on the slopes, as well as rough kids play whether they’re skiing or not. A shoulder mounted ski pass pocket is perfect for modern RFID scanners, and numerous reflective hits keeps the kiddos visible after those early winter sunsets.
See them at the show at Booth 39038-UL
Julbo Lily Sunglasses
In their century and a quarter of making protective eyewear, Julbo started making kid specific sunglasses in the 1990’s without compromising any technical features. Their symmetrical Looping series for babies prevent the sunglasses from ever being put on upside down, and we’re equally impressed with the Lily style for young children. This style includes large, full coverage Spectron 3 polycarbonate lenses, a grippy yet flexible and hard-to-break frame, and eyelets for a retaining cord.
See them at the show at Booth 37097-UL
Cameron Martindell is the gear editor for The Daily, the only official show daily publication for Outdoor Retailer. Reach out to him with questions about products, new exhibitors, product pick submissions, and the event schedule. [email protected].
