Kids' ski pants, and the ankle that decides how long they last

Start at the ankle

Children’s snow pants fail in one place and it is not the seat. It is the inside of the ankle, where the metal edge of the other ski catches the fabric on every clumsy turn - and a beginner makes a lot of clumsy turns.

Which is why the specification worth reading first is whether the maker publishes reinforcement there. Arctix publishes 600-denier ballistic guards at the ankle, scuff and hem; Columbia publishes abrasion-resistant reinforcement at the seat, knees and cuffs on its suits. A pair with nothing published at the ankle will have a hole in it by the end of a learning week.

Bib or pants

For a child under about eight, a bib, without much argument. A waistband on a small child is a gap at the lower back that fills with snow the first time they sit down, and children sit down constantly. It is also something that slides down when they run.

For an older child who is actually skiing rather than falling, pants are fine and are faster at a bathroom stop. The full comparison covers both cases, and for the very youngest, a one-piece snowsuit removes even the bib’s shoulder gap.

The three, compared

Note the last row. Two of these three publish a growth mechanism, and on a children’s garment that is the specification that changes the cost arithmetic more than anything else - because it turns a one-season purchase into a two-season one.

The picks

Arctix Kids Insulated Bib Overalls

The pick. It publishes the thing this page opened with: 600-denier ballistic reinforcement at the ankle, scuff and hem, which is precisely the three places a child’s snow pants die.

Behind that, 85 g of ThermaTech insulation under a ThermaLock coated shell - the same insulation weight as the adult Essential bib - plus boot gaiters with grippers, articulated knees and an elastic back waist.

The growth mechanism is adjustable shoulder straps, which genuinely buys a second winter: a bib that is too long in the body this year is the right length next year with the straps let out. What Arctix does not publish for the kids version is a waterproof rating in millimeters or a seam construction, both of which it publishes for the adult bibs, and that gap is worth knowing about.

Columbia Kids' Bugaboo II Pants

The pick if you want the longest usable life, because of one published feature: the OUTGROWN system lets the leg length down as the child grows.

That is a different approach from adjustable straps and arguably a better one, because leg length is what a child outgrows first. Combined with 100 g of insulation and a reflective lining, and an Omni-Tech waterproof-breathable shell that Columbia publishes honestly as critically seam sealed rather than fully sealed.

That honesty is worth a sentence. Critically sealed means the seams most likely to leak are taped and the rest are not, and on a child sitting in snow the seat seam is exactly where you would want full sealing. Columbia says what it does; other makers say “seam sealed” and leave you to guess. The waterproof ratings page explains what these terms are measuring.

Arctix Kids Insulated Snow Pants

Marked as the skip above, and only for the younger child. For a nine- or ten-year-old who skis rather than sits, ordinary snow pants are entirely correct and quicker to get in and out of.

They are also the only garment on this page with a published price, $39.99, and the only one publishing a waterproof rating - 3,000 mm, which is the bottom of the useful range and will be found out by a wet spring day. Five published youth sizes and the same 600-denier ballistic reinforcement as the bib.

The kids budget page builds a full kit around them.

Sizing, and the mistake everybody makes

Size up one, never two. A jacket or bib one size large is a garment with room to layer and a second winter in it. Two sizes large is a garment that hangs over the boots, catches an edge, and cannot be tightened enough to keep snow out.

The things you must never size up are boots, helmets and goggles - all three work by fitting. The growing-room page is explicit about which is which, and the helmet chart shows how to measure a head properly.

What goes underneath

A base layer, and that is all. The most common cause of a cold child is too much clothing under the snow pants rather than too little: a child in three layers of cotton leggings is a child who sweats, gets damp and then gets cold.

The kids base layer roundup covers merino and synthetic - and never cotton, which holds water against the skin. The kids layering page covers the whole system, and the what-to-wear-underneath page covers the adult version of the same mistake.

Thin socks, one pair. A thick sock in a fitted ski boot makes a foot colder, not warmer, and two pairs is worse than one. The kids ski socks roundup explains why.