Quality Gear for Young Riders

The biggest news in adult snowboard equipment over the past few years has been the advent of step-in bindings. Last year Rossignol was the first company to introduce a step-in for kids. This year K2 joins in with the Surefire boot for young riders, compatible with the company's Clicker step-in binding. The boot also features a nifty adjustable footbed that adjusts two sizes to accommodate growth.

As for boards, kids can now have models that look just like their big brothers' or sisters' but are softer-flexing for lightweight riders. Nitro has a complete kids' line, and some are adorned with the same graphics as the adult models designed by pro snowboarders. Young riders who are interested in the sport may like the K2 Stinger, a new kids' all-mountain freeride board. The honeycomb and bumblebee graphics were picked out by Seattle second graders. And K2's Mini Zeppelin encompasses an often-overlooked midsize range (the board comes in 134, 138, and 142-centimeter lengths) with graphics identical to the adult Zeppelin.

For more information on kid's snowboards, go to our KidzGear page.