28.10.2022

As ski touring has evolved, so has the need to experience ski touring with the kids. But what is there to consider? What is important so that the children still enjoy ski touring lat-er on and learn to enjoy the mountain experience of ski touring?

Klara and Willi Kneringer are the second generation and their son Philippe the third generation to be involved in the ski school and guide guests safely in the mountains around Serfaus. To inspire as many children as possible for skiing and later for touring has always been their great passion. On the one hand, the state-certified ski instructors as well as mountain and ski guides have a lot of experience with children, on the other hand, they are always pushing the development in teaching and material.

Below is a summary of the Kneringers’ most important points to consider for family ski tours.

When a child is ready to perceive the whole ski tour as a great experience, i.e. also to grasp the ascent, initially perceived as arduous, as a beautiful part of it, is very individual and depends on the child’s developmental stage. This can happen early on, at the age of 8 to 10. For the majority of children, this is the case at the age of 11 to 12.

Being good on skis on the slopes is the basic prerequisite for venturing off-piste. The children then get along very quickly off-piste. Well-developed coordination skills for perception and control of the body facilitate the start of ski touring. Experience on mountain hikes with depth and exposure helps to handle similar situations on ski tours with a certain amount of self-confidence.

“Less is more” is Klara Kneringer’s motto on ski tours with children. In practice, this means short ascents and the longest possible descents. To keep the fun going, the kids need room for other things with appropriate breaks. Of course, the pick-nick must not be missing. For Willi Kneringer, getting to the top quickly is not the right motivation in the long term. It’s important to anchor the experience, because the value of a day is only revealed at a distance, and in the best case, good memories last for years to come.

The choice of binding depends on age and individual needs. For small children, a ski touring adapt-er for the alpine binding is recommended. For older children, pin bindings with a reliable release come into question. If the ski is also used on the slopes, frame bindings with the option of using alpine ski boots offer a good alternative. It is important that the release values can also be adjust-ed for light weights. With the ski boot, it is important to ensure that it is not too stiff and the ski should have a flex appropriate to the body weight, so that it can flex well on the descent.

To optimally cover the needs regarding safety, Fritschi has adapted the DIN setting ranges accord-ingly for all pin models.

SWISS MADE
Die Teile werden zu 99 % in der Schweiz hergestellt und in Reichenbach zum hochwertigen Qualitätspro-dukt zusammengefügt.

When choosing a binding, it is important to remember that the boot, binding and ski form a system that only functions optimally when all components are compatible with each other. The interaction between boot and binding is particularly relevant to safety.

Touring ski boots in small children’s sizes do not exist and alpine ski boots with children’s standard are only partially compatible with touring bindings. Models for juniors are already quite close to the smallest adult sizes. However, children and teenagers tend to need boots of the smallest adult sizes at a relatively early age.

Fritschi recommends checking the compatibility of the boot with the binding at a specialist dealer.

Information on which ski boots fit which Fritschi bindings: Compatibility boots – Fritschi bindings