Shopping for ski equipment shouldn't be traumatic. But spending a day with a child in the wrong equipment can be. Spend the time and money (ouch) at the onset of the season and you will be in for a great time!

So what's new in kid's stuff? Adult boot technology has also trickled down to the design of boots for youngsters. For example, Rossignol's Race 1 Jr. features the company's "cockpit" structure, intended to maximize energy transmission from boot to ski to snow, as well as a bi-injected shell, which provides for lateral stiffness while still allowing the easy fore and aft flexing, basic to a good skiing stance.

Look for improved liners, better fit and sizing flexibility. Even the tiniest skiers get some attention with extremely soft flexing boots with easy entry and exit.

Look for boots that are easy for the child to flex. Boots should be somewhat stiff laterally for putting the ski on edge but still flexible fore and aft. A child will get better performance from an overlap shell ski boot than from a rear-entry model. Always size for the current season. Buying equipment for the child to grow into results in bad habits and poor performance.

In skis, things have changed. A child's ski no longer means a set of skis with Mickey Mouse on them. Kids have commanded the attention and respect of ski manufactures in the past couple of years, who have introduced children's shaped skis with a moderate sidecut to promote learning and ease of turning, as well as higher-performance junior race skis.

Though ski school bucked the trend, more and more kids are on softer skis with a bit of a sidecut. Small and lightweight skiers should avoid a deep sidecut ski until they are making parallel turns. Stronger and heavier skiers will benefit more from a deeper sidecut ski.

If possible a child should demo a few models of skis before buying, just as adults are advised to do. Remember to downsize in length when purchasing shaped skis. Buy for the weight of the child, not the height. And be sure to buy for this season, not the next one. Oversized equipment can develop bad habits that are hard to overcome.

For more information on kid's ski equipment, see the following pages: