# backcountry for kids



## catwoman (Jun 22, 2009)

Buzzards,
We will be celebrating the big 40 for my hubby, and another father, with a three family hut trip to Chuck's on top of Vail Pass. The kids, four of them, will range in age from 8 to 12. We are looking for kid size solutions for the skin in and some mellow skiing. So far, for our little guy, we have come up with two options, one is the alpine trekker jr, the other is buying Silvretta Pure Kidz and chopping it down 1 cm (there is a TGR thread on this very subject). Anyone know of places to rent randonee equipment for kids in CO? Anyone have experience with these systems? Anyone wanna loan out an alpine trekker jr?


Thanks,
Briana


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## basil (Nov 20, 2005)

You may just want to get some cheap used equipment and put skins on them. You'll be walking up hill most of the way to Shrine Pass. 

Sport Plus in Denver has lots of used equipment for sale.


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## catwoman (Jun 22, 2009)

So a little more background...
The kid is a good skier (can non-stop outhouse in nice turns) and has skis, boots, and poles. We don't want to buy randonee boots, aren't certain we could find them that small anyway, because he'll just grow out of them by next year. So we are looking for touring setups that would use his regular boots (sole length is 25.5 cm). I have an old set of skins we would make work for him. I need to cut them anyway to fix the hole the new pup chewed in the middle of my K2 Backstash skins (grrrrr). 

I will check out sports plus Basil - maybe they have trekkers or Silvretta Pure Kidz, but I don't want to go all out randonee. Thanks for the suggestion.


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## Dave Frank (Oct 14, 2003)

If the dates dont conflict, you can borrow riley's treckers. His skins might be adjutable enough to work on ben's too.


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## basil (Nov 20, 2005)

Randonee equipment doesn't really make sense for Shrine Pass, or an 8 year old. Touring with skins is all you need for both.


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## catwoman (Jun 22, 2009)

Dave,
In the long run we definitely want to get the little guy touring, so we will end up buying something (and preferably somehting that we can use more than one season). But maybe we could borrow the trekkers for a day this winter just to give them a test run to help make up our minds. Then we can all go out together.


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## Dave Frank (Oct 14, 2003)

Sure. I got him some old FRitchis, that I am planning to mount as both his main alpine set up as well as AT. I figure at 80lbs they'll be good enough for him for full resort.


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## bobbuilds (May 12, 2007)

I was thinking, if you can not find what you need maybe, set them up on telemark gear. they can always plant the heel and alpine away and it is easy to tour in and skin up for the feel of it just for a few days.

also, it is what i see most common for kids in the backcountry at an early teen year who do not quite fit the mens boot for AT. 

there are a lot of womans tele boots that fit young kids, and bindings too. add skins.

boom.


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## kengore (May 29, 2008)

How about using a sled. Mom or Dad carry the kid's alpine stuff in the sled and let the young ones snowshoe to the good terrain? 

I made a nice sled out of an inexpensive plastic utility sled, an old backpack waist belt and 2 sections of electrical conduit. I am much more comfortable with 100 lbs in the sled than I am with a 50 lbs pack.


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## kengore (May 29, 2008)

Option 2: use an old style military binding mounted on some old kid's downhill boards.

like these...
U.S. G.I. Ski Bindings [084301] - $9.95 :: Colemans Military Surplus LLC - Your one-stop surplus store with Army/Navy products for hunting gear, camping gear, emergency products, and survival products

These bindings can be used 'free heel' or locked in for alpine style turns. They are universaly adjustable to almost any boot style or size. However, they are not releasible.


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## GPP33 (May 22, 2004)

Small dukes/fritchis will take a 260mm boot length. Are you sure on that 255 length? My 5 year old has boots with a 256 length, by 8 I'm sure she'll be well above 260. 

I'm hoping to get her earning turns next year.


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## catwoman (Jun 22, 2009)

Thanks for all the good suggestions. 

He has been on a hut trip before, to continental divide hut, where he had cross country skis, and we had our pulk. He skied (falling often on those skinny skis) and just played while we were there. Great intro hut for kids. We will have our homemade pulk again, and he will not have to carry anything but a small daypack with water, snacks, etc. Pulks are awesome, especially when your husband drags them. We put our stuff in dry bags in the pulk and carry day packs. Took it on a seven day hut to hut trip once, trading off pulk duty - hubby definitly put in more time than I did. But, we want the little guy to experience skinning and touring for turns, without carrying extra snow shoes (which we'd have to find also). Of course, we might carry some of the other kids' stuff in the pulk too. One of them is a snowboarder, and I imagine he will have snowshoes.

I will not consider anything that dose not release - I want him to have a safe good time, for years to come. I think Bentgate might have kids telerentals, and we hope he will want to tele someday. But he will be much more comfortable in gear with which he is familiar.

The boy, like his father, has freakishly small feet. I measured the boot sole, I am sure about the 255, and I was disappointed becuause I thought for sure he could get into a small touring binding this year - at least silvretta's without having to chop them. Whatever we do we'd like to last for a few years, at least in terms of the binding, and we'd like it to be compatible with regular ski boots.


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## chepora (Feb 6, 2008)

You can pick up silvretta pure freerides and cut the carbon rails down to size then hand mount them if you can find a cheap pair your willing to trash a little.


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