Fitting Children: Snow Sport Sizes Are Different

This installment of Fitting Children may seem a bit off topic but in the process of sorting out my thoughts about fitting children for ski and snowboard wear I realized that it might be important to have a conversation about sizing and the snow sport industry. One of the most important things you need to know is that ski and snowboard wear works off of an old standard size grid. You don't really need a history lesson in garment sizing so I won't go into too much detail. So, sticking to the basics… because there has been so much size inflation in the ready-to-wear market (stuff you buy at the mall) you may find that you run a size, maybe two sizes larger in ski or snowboard wear. This is not because they run small; it is because they work off of a different grid. The dimensions used to calculate a size 6 in ski and snowboard wear are not the same as the dimensions used to calculate a size 6 in ready-to-wear. These dimension vary the most in women's wear but wide variations can be found in men's and children's wear as well. Kids could care less. To them a size is just a number and they love the idea that they are growing and getting bigger is a good thing.

The other difference between snow sports wear and ready-to-wear is there is very little size disparity. Meaning a 12, is a 12, is a 12. When I shop in the mall I sometimes have to try on 3 or 4 of the same size to find just the right fit. The reason for this is that the factory cuts many pieces of fabric at the same time. Layers and layers of fabric are stacked up together and cut with a big machine all at once. While this may be faster and time efficiency saves money it makes for a wide variation in sizes. As the machine pushes down on the pile of fabric the fabric stretches at a different rate depending on where it is in the pile. Ski and snowboard wear doesn't have this problem because the production rate is so much smaller – they simply don't have to cut as many so they don't stack as many. Even if production was high enough to warrant large stacks the high performance fabrics used in the snow sport industry must be treated differently and therefore cannot be stacked and cut in bulk like ready-to-wear goods.

So how can you tell what size your child will take? As a rule of thumb when you are starting your garment search start with sizes that are one number higher than the child's age. So your average 11 year old will typically fit in a size 12. In my next entry I will discuss what sizes are available for children in the snow sport industry and what to do about those in-between kids.

See ya there or on the slopes!

Kjerstin