Early fall is a great time to get out your child’s ski equipment to see what still fits and what is needed for the upcoming season. Start by pulling out all the ski gear from last year and size it up (see below for sizing tips). Within families it’s also great to hand down equipment through each child. Then make a list of what is needed for the upcoming season. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see what equipment is needed for each program. Once you have a list of what you need you can take it to the MNC Ski Swap. Equipment that doesn’t fit anymore would be great to consign at the MNC Ski Swap.
Feel free to reach out with equipment questions bkl@mansfieldnordic.org.
*We have a new printable ski equipment Shopping List that includes tips on how to size equipment.
Ski Lease
MNC offers lease equipment for youth skiers. The equipment we lease is primarily sized for skiers in our Penguin and Jack Rabbit programs age pre-k to 4th grade. We also have a small selection of equipment sized for Arctic Foxes in 5th and 6th grade.
The season lease equipment includes classic and skate equipment. All bindings are NNN. Classic includes no-wax Alpina ski sets for $69 (skis, boots, poles). Fischer Skate equipment includes Fischer RCR Skis, One Way Poles and Fischer Skate Boots all for $109. Classic and skate (skis and poles for each with combi boots) all for $165. We prioritize full packages (skis, boots, poles), but can also do single items. Check out the payment link below for single item prices.
Skiers keep their equipment all season to use at practice and at home throughout the winter. Equipment return is in March.
Check our current inventory to see what equipment.
Ski Lease days are Sunday, October 26th at the MNC Ski Swap, Jericho Community Center and Saturday and November 2th at the MNCC in Jonesville.
We have scholarships available for equipment lease. Please complete the scholarship form and check on availability with bkl@mansfieldnordic.org.
Use the button below to complete lease payment after equipment appointment.
Payment for BKL Season Lease 25/26
Other Local Resources for Ski Equipment
SkiRack, Play it Again Sports, Front Porch Forum, Facebook Marketplace
What does my Child Need for Equipment?
It depends on which program they are part (You can find complete Program Descriptions HERE.)
Penguins 1-day: Pre-K to 1st Grade:
Equipment needed: No-wax classic skis, boots, and poles. Youth skis are available to rent through the club- see season lease info above.
Jack Rabbits 2-day: Grades 1-4
Equipment needed: Classic no-wax or waxable skis, classic length poles, skate skis, skate length poles and combi boots.
Arctic Foxes 2-day: Grades 5-8
Equipment needed: Classic no-wax or waxable skis, classic length poles, skate skis, skate length poles and combi boots.
Racing Team 3-day: Grades 5-8
Equipment needed: Classic waxable skis, classic length poles, skate skis, skate length poles and combi boots.
How Do I Know If My Child’s Equipment Still Fits? and How do I shop for equipment that is the correct size?
We have found that typically for BKL kids skis last 1-2 years, and then they are too short or soft. For ski boots and poles most kids need bigger and longer ones every year.
As kids grow they will have a better ski experience if they are using equipment that fits them correctly. Ski equipment can be expensive, but kids don’t need all the newest gear. The most important part is finding gear that is the correct size and can grow with your child through the season.
Boots:
Have your child put on a ski sock (a heavy, synthetic or wool hiking type of sock) to try on boots. They should fit like sneakers. A little room to grow is good- it’s October now and we’ll be skiing into March!
One way to test the length of the boot is to pull out the insole and have your child stand on it with full weight. Make sure their heel is even with the heel on the insole.
Nordic Ski boots are usually sized in EU or European sizes.
Boots come in combi (ok for both classic and skate skiing), classic and skate.
Skis:
Ideally, you fit skis by weight and height of the skier. Skis are measured and sized in centimeters.
Keep in mind that if waxless skis are too short for your skier the flex will most likely be too soft and they will be really slow even if the skier is working hard and skiing well.
To measure ski length: Have your child stand with sneakers or ski boots on and put the tail of the ski on the floor and the top of the ski near the child’s head.
HERE is a chart by Fischer that will give you a good idea of what length of ski your child should be skiing on. Look for the Junior Nordic chart at the bottom of the third page.
Classic Skis: The general rule is that no-wax skis should come to the top of the head. Waxable classic skis should be 10-15cm over head height.
Skate Skis: Skate skis should come to the top of the head and are also sized by weight. There are usually a couple of different length options for a specified skier weight. If your skier is a beginner, go for the shorter option. If your skier is more advanced go for the longer option.
Poles:
Classic Poles: Standing in shoes on a floor you want classic poles to reach all the way up to the top of the shoulder or just under it. Once in ski boots on skis and snow, those poles will reach just under the armpit. The exception is young beginners. It’s OK for them to have poles that are shorter- sometimes it’s just easier for them to learn if there is less pole there.
Skate Poles: In shoes on a floor, skate poles should reach up to the skier’s upper lip or nose. Once on snow, they will be at upper or lower lip level.
When looking at poles make sure skiers can get the straps on and off wearing their ski gloves/mittens. If the strap is too complicated it might not be the right choice.
Err on the longer side with poles if you are getting them in October or November! Kids sometimes outgrow their poles by mid-February!
Bindings: We recommend getting NNN bindings or NNN compatible. You will need to make sure that the boots and bindings fit together. (If you are out shopping and not sure, just ask one of the sales people.) The SNS binding has been phased out and is not compatable with NNN.
If you have any questions about any of this, please email bkl@mansfieldnordic.org.
