Sky review

Overview

"The sky's the limit when you are learning to ski with U-Flex" is how Elan sums up the Sky, a soft beginner ski for small children. It is a carry-over in Elan's 26/27 kids' range (product code AFFMAK25) and is sold only as a ready-to-ski set on the Junior Shift system, in nine sizes from 70 to 150 cm. Retailers sell it in a pink and lilac finish. Under the graphics it is the same U-Flex ski as Elan's other kids' models: the shape, radius and build match the Elan Starr, the Elan Maxx red and the black Elan Jett, so the choice between them comes down to which design the child likes best.

On-snow performance

Read from the spec sheet, the Sky is built so that a light child can bend it. Elan's U-Flex construction is 25% softer than an ordinary junior ski, and that is what lets a small skier tip the ski on edge and feel it turn, rather than pushing it around in a snowplough. Short sizes have tiny radii, 2.5 m at 70 cm and 4.8 m at 90 cm, while the 150 cm reaches 13.1 m for older kids who ski faster. The tip is shaped as Early Rise Rocker, which on paper makes the ski easy to start into a turn and less likely to catch in heavy snow. With a waist of 67–69 mm it stays a groomed-run ski; fresh snow, bumps and park are outside its brief. We compared these numbers with other kids' skis rather than describing a ski day.

Construction & specs explained

• Lengths: 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140 and 150 cm. Elan's size guide puts the 70 cm at a skier height of 70–85 cm and the 150 cm at 150–165 cm.
• Shape: 101/69/90 mm from 70 to 100 cm, 105/68/90 mm at 110 and 120 cm, 109/67/95 mm from 130 to 150 cm.
• Radius: 2.5 m (70), 3.5 (80), 4.8 (90), 6.2 (100), 7.0 (110), 8.6 (120), 9.4 (130), 11.2 (140), 13.1 m (150).
• Build: Synflex Core (light synthetic core), fibreglass, Full Power Cap, extruded base.
• Profile: Early Rise Rocker.
• Binding: EL 4.5 GW CA JRS (DIN 0.75–4.5) on the Junior Shift system; for 130–150 cm also with EL 7.5 GW CA JRS (DIN 2–7.5).
• Weight (calculated, not published by Elan): xspo gives the set weight per pair with bindings, from 2.25 kg at 70 cm to 3.79 kg at 150 cm. Taking half and removing 575 g for the HEAD/Tyrolia JRS 4.5 GW CA, the Tyrolia twin of the EL 4.5 binding (610 g for the JRS 7.5 at 130–150 cm), leaves about 550 g per ski at 70 cm, 905 g at 110 cm and 1285 g at 150 cm.

Who it's for & comparisons

Think of the Sky as a first or second ski for children from roughly three years old up to the stage where they ski easy red runs with parallel turns. Because Elan makes the same ski in several designs, the Elan Starr (white) and the Elan Maxx red (red) ride exactly like the Sky; only the look and the binding colour change. Against other brands, the Blizzard Pearl jr is a similar soft girls' set with a 67 mm waist that stops at 140 cm, and the K2 Indy youth is a twin-tip all-rounder with a wider 70 mm waist for kids who are starting to play in the park. Children who outgrow the soft flex should move to a stiffer junior ski with a wood core.

Pros, cons and verdict

Pros

• Very soft U-Flex flex that light beginners can bend.
• Small radius in the short sizes for easy, round turns.
• Nine sizes from 70 to 150 cm, one ski from the first lesson onwards.
• Junior Shift binding adjusts to a new boot size without tools.

Cons

• Soft synthetic-core ski, so stronger kids will want more support soon.
• 67–69 mm waist gives little float in fresh snow.
• Only available as a set with Elan's own binding.
• Same ski as the Starr and Maxx models, so there is no performance reason to pay more for one design.

Verdict: The Sky is an easy, forgiving first ski that helps small children learn to carve. Choose it if the design appeals; the Starr, Maxx red and Jett offer the same ski in other colours.