Got little rippers to outfit? BootDoctors can help.

28 Oct Got little rippers to outfit? BootDoctors can help.

This week, the BootDoctors in the House focuses on  your little rippers and its Junior Ski & Boot Program which offers affordable, leased gear. Katie Klingsporn elaborates.

Kids grow up so fast. And if, as is often the case in Telluride, they happen to be ripping skiers, who bound through bumps and soar over jumps, that means a never-ending renewal of ski equipment to match the growth of their bodies and skills.

Lucy Lerner would know. She’s got 13-year-old twin daughters.

One skis; the other snowboards. And they’ve been at it since they could walk. Which means Lerner and her husband have had to figure out how to keep the girls outfitted as they’ve grown from tots to teens — without breaking the bank.

“Financially it’s a big challenge for any family to keep up on the equipment with growing kids and all the fees of the various ski programs,” Lerner said. “The reality is, nobody can really pay full price every year.”

Luckily, Lerner said, there are options in Telluride for affordable gear for kids.

BootDoctors in Mountain Village offers one of those options.

Through its Junior Ski & Boot Program, the gear shop gives parents the opportunity to get their kids into the best skis and boots for their size and ability through an affordable leasing model. It even allows kids who outgrow their boots to switch out for bigger sizes.

“It’s a way to support families and people with kids who are growing,” shop owner Bob Gleason said. And he would know; Bob raised two girls in Telluride, Galena and Kelli Gleason, who were competitive skiers.

The Junior Ski & Boot program is for kids 14 and younger. Parents can lease new skis, bindings, along with a binding adjustment, and tune for $225 for one year and $399 for two years. The boot program, meanwhile, costs $295 for three years and includes new boots the first year and then an option to swap those out with a bigger size during the three-year period.

Anything BootDoctors can do to encourage the next generation to ski is a good thing, shop co-owner Penelope Gleason said.

“The point is to make it affordable, and make it fun. If people are going to keep skiing at all, if the ski industry is going to survive, kids are going to have to enjoy skiing and parents are going to have to be able to afford to get their kids out on the slopes.”

Lerner said one of her family’s favorite things is to ski together. And as her daughters progressed, Lerner felt compelled to up her own game.

“Basically what happens is after you live here for a long time you may burn out on skiing,” Lerner said. “But then, as you watch your kid ski, it reignites your love for the sport.”

So don’t procrastinate. Kids have to be signed up by December 14 and the program is only available at the Mountain Village store. An adult must be present, lease equipment is based on gear availability and equipment must be returned by April 10, 2018.

Editor’s note: “The (Boot)Doctor is in the House” is a series from beloved family-owned and operated outdoor retailer BootDoctors all about sharing the power of mountain life: adventure, style, gear, and community in the Telluride region. Here the good guys always get to ski powder and bag summits – and sunsets are always spectacular. For more about BootDoctors Ski, Snowboard & Bike Shop, go here.