Kids ski clothing sizes, and why the label on the hanger is not enough

Why the tag is not enough

Adult ski outerwear is bought in S, M, L and mostly behaves. Children’s outerwear runs in two parallel systems - numeric sizes tied loosely to age, and alpha sizes from XXS to XL - and neither is standardized between brands. One maker’s youth medium is another’s small, and age labels are close to meaningless once children are past toddler sizes, because two eight-year-olds can be a foot apart.

The result is predictable: parents buy by age, the jacket arrives either comically large or already short in the arms, and it gets returned. The fix is to stop treating the size label as information and treat it as a lookup key into the maker’s chart.

The four measurements

Take these over a single thin layer, not over a sweater, and write them down - you will use them every time you buy for a season or two.

• Height. The primary number on almost every children’s chart. Shoes off, against a wall.
• Chest. Around the widest part, under the arms, tape level and not pulled tight.
• Waist. At the natural waist, which on a child is higher than where trousers usually sit.
• Inseam. From the crotch to the floor, in socks. This is the one that decides whether snow pants drag under a boot or sit above the boot cuff, and it is the measurement people skip.

Published growth features beat buying big

Buying a jacket two sizes too large is the most common attempt at value and the least successful: sleeves swallow gloves so snow gets in at the wrist, the hem catches on a chairlift, and a child in a tent cannot move their arms to get up after a fall.

Several makers publish an actual growth system instead, and that is what to pay for.

An adjustable-length system is worth real money on pants specifically, because leg length is what a growing child runs out of first while the waist still fits.

What to size up, and what never to

• Jacket and pants: one size of room is fine, if the sleeves and legs still sit where they should with layers on. This is the only outerwear where growing room is acceptable.
• Gloves: no. A loose glove lets snow in at the cuff and stops a child gripping anything. Buy them to fit, and buy two pairs.
• Helmet: never. A helmet that fits next year does not protect this year. Measure the head and buy the shell that figure falls into - the helmet chart has the method.
• Boots: never. A boot with slack in it means a child cannot steer, and their foot slides forward until their toes hurt. The boot chart covers Mondopoint sizing.
• Goggles: no. An adult or oversized goggle leaves gaps at the temples and will not seal against a child’s face.

The growing room page goes through this item by item, including what is safe to inherit from an older sibling.

Sizing for the layers underneath

A child’s ski kit is three layers: a non-cotton base layer, a fleece or light insulated mid layer, and the waterproof outer. Size the base layer snug - it works by touching skin - and the mid layer normally. Only the outer layer needs room, and only enough to move freely.

The kids layering page has the full system by temperature, and the kids base layer picks compare what is published.

When a child is between sizes

Common, and the answer depends on the garment. On a jacket, size up - the extra room goes to the layers underneath, and sleeve length runs out first anyway. On pants, prefer the smaller size if they have an adjustable waist, because a long leg dragging under a boot is a trip hazard and wears through in a season.

And measure again each autumn rather than assuming last year plus one. Children grow in bursts and rarely evenly, which is why a child can be two sizes up in leg length and the same size in chest.

Sizing the layers that are not outerwear

Base and mid layers follow different rules from the shell, and getting them wrong is why a correctly sized jacket still ends up too tight.

• Base layers: snug, true to size. They work by touching skin. A loose base layer moves moisture nowhere, and a size up defeats the entire point.
• Mid layers: true to size, no growing room. Bulk here eats the room in the jacket you measured for.
• Socks: true to size, thin. An oversized sock wrinkles inside a boot, and wrinkles cause blisters.
• Only the outer shell gets any slack, and only enough for the two layers underneath.

Buying secondhand and hand-me-downs, by measurement

Children’s ski clothing is the best secondhand buy in this sport, because it is outgrown long before it is worn out and it carries no safety function - unlike a helmet, which should never be bought used. The problem is that you cannot try it on, and the size label is the least reliable thing about it.

• Ask for measurements, not the size. Chest, sleeve from shoulder to cuff, and back length for a jacket; waist and inseam for pants. A seller with a tape measure is worth more than a brand name.
• Check the seams inside. The tape over the seams should be flat and intact. Peeling or cracked tape means the garment is done, and it is not repairable at home.
• Check the knees and seat on pants, which is where a child wears through first, and the cuffs on a jacket.
• Expect to re-proof it. A used shell has lost its water repellency. A wash-in treatment is inexpensive and restores it - the washing page has the method.
• Look for a published adjustment system in the original listing. Adjustable-length pants are worth buying used specifically, because the adjustment is still there for the next child.

The hand-me-down page covers what is safe to pass between siblings across the whole kit, and the used gear page covers the adult equivalent.

The five-minute fit check at home

• Arms up. Sleeves should still cover the wrists and the hem should not rise above the waistband of the pants.
• Squat down. Pants should not pull at the knee or drop at the back - children spend a lot of the day in that position.
• Gloves on, cuffs checked. Decide whether gloves go inside or outside the sleeve, and make sure the chosen option actually closes.
• Boots on, pant legs checked. The leg should sit over the boot with the cuff or gaiter inside it, not bunched under the foot.
• Sit down on the floor and get up unaided. If a child cannot, the kit is too big, and they will need help every time they fall.

The short version

Measure height, chest, waist and inseam. Use the brand’s own chart every time, because youth sizes are not comparable between makers. Allow room for two layers, not for next winter. And when you want a garment to last a second season, buy a published adjustment system rather than a bigger size - the first works, the second ruins the fit while it waits.