The Altai Balla Hok is short, wide and comes with an integrated climbing skin that provides exceptional traction and stability; it’s the perfect learning ski/snowshoe design for getting kids from ages 5 to early teens into the backcountry and loving the snowy wilds (depending on their size and ability level). Bridging cross-country skis and snowshoes, the Balla Hok combines the maneuverability and ease of use found in snowshoes with the efficiency of sliding forward on skis rather than lifting and stepping with each stride. The Balla Hoks can be set up with a universal binding or 3 pin tele bindings. The advantage to the universal is your child can use whatever boots he or she chooses, including standard winter boots, in which case the bindings can be adjusted to fit growing feet year after year. Check them out at Mountain Gear in Spokane or at Altaiskis.com. //
