Lil’ Ripper Gripper Kids Ski Trainer and Snowboard Trainer with Retractable Leashes and Tip Connector – Hand Assembled in Canada
$95.00
Price: $95.00
(as of Jan 24, 2025 14:38:34 UTC – Details)
Product Description
Nylon
Imported
Retractable leashes – These eliminate the cumbersome strap that is used on many other harnesses. The retractable leashes also safely store away in the waist holsters when not in use. No more worries of getting loose ends caught on the chair!
5 point adjustable harness – The harness will fit all body shapes using the adjustable clips. Furthermore, the use of 2 part clips makes putting the Lil’ Ripper Gripper on, and taking it off, very simple! Maximum weight rating is 22.5kg (or 50lbs)
Waist mounted leash ponits – Puling back a young skier or rider at a point above the waist generally results in them becoming unstable falling backwards. By attaching to the waist (sides for skiers, front & back for riders), the Lil’ Ripper Gripper better allows young skier and riders to adjust their weight and stay in control.
Rear safety handle – The handle on the rear of the leash (shoulder area) allows you to hold onto your lil’ ripper while riding the chair, or to easily pick them up after a wipeout!
Tip connector included – Lil’ rippers need to start off right by making the perfect snowplow. That is why we include the Lil’ Tip Gripper ski tip connector with every purchase!
Customers say
Customers find the safety harness easy to use and functional for kids. They appreciate the retractable leashes, which allow them to provide control when needed. The harness is considered a good value for money, with an attachment point that allows for easy attachment to skis. While some customers have positive opinions about the handle quality, others have differing views on it.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
11 reviews for Lil’ Ripper Gripper Kids Ski Trainer and Snowboard Trainer with Retractable Leashes and Tip Connector – Hand Assembled in Canada
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BG –
Great for 2.5 year old!
I used this with my 2.5 year old with a lot of success. The hip-point attachment is a lot more forgiving than than back-attachments of other harnesses we’ve tried, and it also allows for steering which is great for keeping kids on the trail and out of the woods. Just a gentle pull on one side or the other starts them turning. The under-the-leg harness is much more secure than other harnesses, and makes me feel confident that my death-grip on the handle will, in fact, keep my little one safely on the lift as he squirms around trying to kick the snow off his skis. The handles fit VERY snugly into the holders and I had trouble getting them in while wearing gloves, so it wasn’t as easy getting on the lift as I was hoping. I thought I might be able to just lock the leash, but the buttons are pretty sensitive and one leash unlocked itself while we were loading – not safe. You really do need to holster the handles. However, it’s way better than trying to stuff 8 feet of nylon strapping into a backpack so overall, it’s an improvement over what I had. The retractable leashes give me the flexibility to give my son control when I can and help him when he needs it, which is a nice option for a kid who wants to ‘do it himself’. Also, mid-temper tantrum, I picked him up with the leashes locked and skied down to the bottom that way, so the leashes are pretty strong (he’s 29 lbs). There is definitely a learning curve (one which my husband could not surmount) with the leashes, and you have to be a very confident skier yourself to use this. All that said, this is the best leash system out there and great for kids who aren’t quite ready to ski on their own. It gets us all out on the mountain as a family, which is, after all, the goal!
Sarah Philpott –
Game Changer – More Family Time on the Slopes
I have used a variety of harnesses helping the kiddos in my life learn how to ski. This one is the best! I can give my daughter the space to ski on areas where she’s capable and tighten up the slack when she needs help. The retractable leashes allow for smooth transition between the two with no jerking or tugging disrupting her balance.I love that the attachment point is at her hips, so she learns how to turn while I’m assisting. The retractable function makes this immeasurably safer on lifts too! No fear of getting anything caught up on a lift during load and unloading time.
Alec Green –
Revolutionary! The best kid ski harness!
My husband has taught many kids to ski, and have family who are ski instructors, and have taught their kids, etc. so we have seen all the different tricks. THIS CONCEPT IS BY FAR THE BEST WE HAVE SEEN! And everyone is asking us about it.One of the things that is hard about the ropes of a traditional harness is to bring a kid in or out youâre having to manage a lot of rope. But this product; itâs literally a retractable dog leash! Making managing the rope a breeze!One thing I will say is double checking they are locked when loading the lift. Itâs easy to bump the handle lock click thing and then have a handle hanging from the lift⦠which is not ideal!We used it with our 18 month old, and it was able to handle her skiing normal and when she wanted to sit and not hold her weight up, we could hold her up with the leashes. Also used it with a 3 year old and it worked great!
Amazon Customer –
Worth it.
Iâve owned this for 3-4 years now and taught all three of my kids to ski with it. Just took my four year old out last weekend and she did great. It gets your little ones off the crazy bunny slope and up on the fun stuff so they can see how much fun skiing really can be. After they learn how much fun it is and can do the very basicsâ¦.get the a private lesson with a professional and they are golden.
Matt Thompson –
Super great
So far this has been pretty cool to use while skiing with my four year old. It’s pretty easy to put on him and adjust. He says it is comfortable and doesn’t complain. It is easy to use while skiing as well. We are glad we purchased it. My only complaint is the handles can be difficult to get back into the handle holders. The fabric that holds the handles in is quite tight and it takes me up to 1-2 minutes to put them in there and secure them down before getting onto the lift. Which is even harder if it’s really cold out and my hands are cold because you have to take off your gloves to force it in. I’d imagine it may get easier over time as the fabric stretches or I could maybe cut a little slit in it to make it a tiny bit larger.
Heathyr –
Retractable double leash = brilliant
Well, I am an incredible do-it-yourselfer, so I tried making my own little harness for my toddler (2 years old) and getting by with what I already had. I tried a hoola-hoop, a toddler backpack with leash, a leash tied to a belt loop on her waist…. or just holding her by the shoulders while skiing. So freakin awkward and difficult. Finally decided after a time or two of trying other things that this would be worth it.Well, the day we got this we skipped the bunny hill/tow rope and jumped straight on the lift, and we were able to take her skiing al over the hill for about an hour and a half. Huge win!! It will take a bit of getting used to, but itâs super easy to use. And FYI, having two RETRACTABLE leashes is the most brilliant innovation!!!!! Two = steering ability. Retractable = so, so, so much easier to handle. Iâm a former snow sports instructor who was worried about inadvertently teaching my daughter to lean backwards on her skis, since I feel like most harnesses cause a child to be pulled backwards and have bad posture. This in anchored low enough on her body that itâs no longer a concern. Definitely worth a try for tiny kids.
carol logie –
These are great for getting youngsters started on the ski slopes.
mwilson –
I was a ski instructor ~20 years ago and I am excited to finally have a chance to teach my 4 year old how to ski. I learned about harnesses. I spent my first day running up and down the bunny hill with the little one and I notices there were a few new tricks – harnesses and edgy-wedgie type things. After some reading (especially this blog – https://kidproject.org/2015/12/02/gear-review-lil-ripper-gripper-skisnowboard-harness/) I decided to give the Littleripper a try. I admit that I often go with the most economical choice with best review. However, I went for the pricier Littleripper as it was obvious that being able to retract and elongate harness cables is a major feature (no other harness has this) as well as pulling from the waist (only one other product seems to offer this). I was pleased it came with one of the edgy-wedgy like contraption. But even counting this bonus item its more expensive than most other harnesses.I tried it yesterday an it was really awesome. First of all my kid loved putting it on and its hilarious to test it out at home (definitely a sled dog/Santa’s sleigh kind of affair). Pushing the button on the leash allows you to control the length which even indoors was immediately appreciated.On the slope the first thing that really made me happy was the handle that is on the back of the Littleripper. The harness is easy to fit and the weight is distributed and I can lift my kid, skiis and all, off the ground without any complaints from him. This was very nice for getting off the ‘magic carpet’ and surely will be useful once we get to the lift. I don’t think a back-pack type harness would be as easy for this.Finally in terms of skiing with the leash. It was great to be able to adjust the distances on the fly. My son wanted me close at the top and then I could let him go ahead. There was quite a bit of distance between us when they are fully extended. He still hasn’t got the hang of turning and it seems like to just wants to go fast. In one of our straight runs down the hill, he fell I could easily ski around him will retracting the cables and be there to help him get up without having to deal with a mess of tangles. Tangles would have happened if I had dodge my son and gather up the slack at the same time as would be the case with more traditional harnesses. Compared to my first day when I was running after him or skiing really close behind, this harness makes me much more comfortable when my kid just wants to fly down the hill. At the end of the day he started to turn and the two leashes make it possible to guide the turns.The harness is solid, the two retractable leashes also seem well built. I think think this product will hold up nicely and if it does should be easy to sell again. The edgy-wedgy thing included also worked. It looks like the other screw-on mechanism for sale on Amazon and I saw many reviews talking about the challenges with fastening it on the skiis. I could fasten them and the edgy-wedgy work. However its annoying to have to do up screws every run and this be even worse with cold hands. I saw the ski school had much nicer ones with a clamping mechanism. Nevertheless, even if the Littleripper didn’t come with an edgy-wedgy thing it would still be a good value.I am really happy with this purchase. Its not a gimmick, its a good idea in action. It makes teaching kids to ski a lot easier than I remember it!
Shmees –
This product is well worth the price! Overall, this product is not actually âExpensiveâ, it is Worth Every Penny for the smart and safe design, and the retractable âleashesâ.I hesitated at first because this product is more expensive than the other harnesses. And skiing is already such an expensive sport!But I watched other parents on the hill, struggling with the non-retractable harnesses, and wasting so much time gathering up the ropes after every run. And you definitely need a harness to teach a toddler to ski. Itâs excruciating and back-breaking to have to bend down to hold your kid while teaching them to ski. Especially if you are tall.Plus, this product includes the thing to clip onto the front of the skis. So thatâs a value of like $11 or $12 that you have to factor in! This thing popped off when my toddler threw a tantrum and kicked her legs, but otherwise it stayed on. So if you need a harness donât even bother looking at the other types, trust me, we were thrilled and proud to have this product when we looked at how other people were struggling with the cheaper products!Now as for how it worked:The harness can be set up pretty fast, itâs not any harder than doing up a car seat or stroller straps. (Easy to adjust even with cold fingers in the ski hill parking lot!) Check the measurements to make sure it will fit your kid.We only used it for one day, but found it to be easy to use and reliable. The holster for the handles sort of interferes with the child leaning back in the chairlift but this didnât seem to cause a problem for us. The fact that it has straps between the legs, around the waist and over the shoulders makes it very secure.We were able to take our 3 yr old down the hill from the top, safe in the knowledge that she wouldnât escape our control, and even able to guide her a bit.
I AM ME –
Ok we love this! Our family spends half of the year on a mountain, our entire extended family snowboards from grandparents to 8 grandchildren ranging from 11 -1. We have watched a ton of toddlers find their snow legs. There are a lot of ways to teach a young one on the mountain and there can be a ton of discomfort throughout this process for both the parent and the child. For some a good harnes can help ease this and set everyone up for a bit mpre success and a whole lot more enjoyment! Our daughter is 2 and this is her second season on a board, this year we upgraded our harnes game and we are so happy with this purchase! We have recommended the product to friends who also have toddlers on snowboards and skis. Two weeks into our mountain season and so far 2 other families have also made this purchase as they have witnessed how great the product is. It is pricey but we purchased it on sale, it was still up there and Iâm frugal but this product is well made and it does the job so for us and our mountain life it is beyond worth it! Versatile for both snowboarders or skiers which is an added bonus! For snowboarders you just need the one leash going (attached at the uphill hip) but it is nice to have both options. Having the stop feature on the leash is fantastic allowing for flexibility in freedoms and great for teaching. Other reviews mention this button feeling too abrupt but is not when combined with apropriate arm movements gently preventing abrupt jerky stops. Also this stop button is great to prevent falls in young snowboarders catching an edge, it keeps the line taught and the kid upright. If you spend lots of time on the mountain with a young one and are looking for a harnes this one is fantastic. Itâs supposed to be fun out there so keep it Fun! This product can help you to keep the learning experience safe, manageable and happy while your little one develops their skills and hopefully a love for shredding! Ps. Always pack snacks and treats in your pocket! Always!
Brittney –
We ordered this after taking my just 2 year old skiing for the first time and realizing how difficult it was to bend over and support her the entire time. With this she could stand on her own and had a blast! I loved that it came with an edge attachment for skis so they didn’t cross as well. She did so much better with this and it was so much more fun for her and us. She stood on her own, we coukd easily steer her and slow her down on the bunny hill.We had a little problem with the edge attachment and I reached out to Duncan and he replied within half an hour and would send us a new one. He also gave us some tips to help keep it on and prevent it from damaging the ski tips which was great!We are very happy customers and have told everyone we know with little that are learning to ski about it! It’s been so helpful and worth every penny!