So you’re thinking about purchasing some new skis for your children. Congratulations! Enrolling your kids into a ski school or getting them into skiing is a great way to keep them active, and eventually bonding over an activity you can both enjoy together.
Back to the gear, there are a lot of great options out there, and it can be tricky trying to decipher if you’re going to purchase your kids brand new out of the box skis, or previously loved second hand skis. To help you make the best decision for you and your situation, I’ve made a pros and cons list for both new skis and used skis.
First up, the pros of purchasing new skis for your kids:
- Guarantee the latest technologies
Things with skis have changed a bit since we were kids. Purchasing new ones means you’ll be purchasing your kids the latest technologies in skis as well as getting expert advice when buying them.
- New Skis Means Longer Use
The great thing, and one of my most favourite things about new skis for kids, is that you can pass them down to siblings. Although the initial cost is more than buying used, the savings of assing them to your other kids may actually outweigh the initial price tag.
- Resale Value
When you’re done, you can easily resell the skis and a higher cost than if you were to purchase used ones.
- You may be able to try before you buy.
Some stores have a trial program, or similar skis that your child could test out before you shell out the money for them, another perk (or if they aren’t the right match, depending on the policy, you may be able to exchange them at the store you bought them from).
Now for the cons, there have to be a few cons, right?
- The price is the biggest con for new skis. No need to explain further, they simply will cost more than used. Your child may really hate skiing, meaning you just dropped some megabucks and are stuck with a “just used once” children’s pair of skis on your hands.
Now, to the pre-loved skis. Here are the pros of purchasing used skis for your kids:
- The Price
Where it’s a con for the new skis, this is definitely the biggest pro for the used category. You could potentially find a great set of children’s skis for ½ or even ¼ of the price of new skis.
- And if your child doesn’t love skiing…
If you’re child doesn’t love skiing, you’ll be a bit more at ease knowing that you didn’t shell out the cash for something that was only used once.
- Trade Them In
You could trade in your child’s skis for another pair of pre-loved skis which, in my opinion, is great and it doesn’t feel like you’ve lost tremendous value as you’re trading from used to used.
And of course, there are equally a few cons when it comes to purchasing used skis.
One of the biggest cons is that you don’t know where the skis have been. If they were treated poorly or left outside for a long period of time, these are things that may impact their performance later on, and you wouldn’t know this the day you purchased them.
You’re not able to try before you buy. You have to take the risk that these are the right skis for your kids.
To be honest, we’ve had both used skis and new skis and were happy either way. Ultimately, determining which is the option for your family is up to you and your family, so just make sure you buy them at the right time to get maximum use out of them!
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