Kids Ice climbing gear

My 6 year old son is wanting to go ice climbing so much this year. I'm having trouble coming up with kids gear.  He has helmet and harness just wondering what people do for the tools?

While there are (were) some midget tools for kids - Grivel had a small version of the Monster I think, and Petzl had Compact Quasars - you'll have a hard time finding them anymore. Most high-end tools are too heavy for most kids. Some suggested lightweight tools that may be suitable: Grivel Quantum Techs, Petzl Quarks, Trango Raptors.

If the tools are too heavy for them, get them on something that been climbed enough that it's a peg board, so they can hook rather than have to swing (much).

I see a lot of kids using speed climbing hooks if you can locate a set. As Gunkie said, best to have a well traveled route for them. 

Ok , thank you for the information.

For foot wear, I've seen kids in this age wearing ski boots to attach the crampons.

Will regular crampons fit on kids snow boots? 

You could try the Petzl gully! They’re stupid light but the pick is aggressive enough for moderate ice 

Whatever you do keep it short and make it fun. Bring hot chocolate and be back to the truck before he’s freezing and miserable. Kids don’t suffer very well. I have 3 boys and have had them climbing ice as young as 9. They could barely swing tools. Sticks were so thin I couldn’t believe they held...Good thing kids are light.  Used strap on crampons with stiff winter boots and my bd fuels(they preferred the handle over my lighter cobras). They often had to swing from upper grip and preferred to hook when they could. Stoked to see someone getting out with their kid. Good luck.

Awesome,  I'll pick up an extra pair of crampons and take him in too try out some tools. Last year I used the skidsteer and piled up a small hill of snow scraped the face of it vertical watered it and let him climb that ,he used strap on ice cleats for that. He really wants to try bigger ice waterfall so he will definitely needs front points.  Luckily have the perfect spot with a one minute walk your there and it freezes like an ice skating rink so it will keep him entertained as I set up the route.

I would second the use of speed tools for kids. They really aren't that expensive and Rock and Resole carries them, plus you get the added bonus of letting your kid pick out the tape colors to build up the grip since all the speed tools come without any sort of built up handle. Most kids that age can barely swing a tool so hooking is more their game and they have more fun that way. Also second the ski-boots with crampons combo, especially if you already have the ski boots. Have fun!

When I had the handles off of my x-dreams, I thought they'd make pretty rad kid's tools. Just for the hell of it (I don't have kids) I put the upper 3rd rest at the bottom of the shaft, and it made a good pinky rest. If you went that route, it would give you set of real tools by just putting the handles back on.

Dunno if you figure ice boots and pons yet, but buying cross-country boots for $20 at a used gear shop and drilling fruit boot pons into the soles is a really great way to make kid size ice boots on the cheap. For axes, X dreams minus the handle, add 3rd grip trigger and you have a new upper kid handle...when they get old.enough buy real boots and give them their x dream handle back.

This is what we have done for our boys.
Ski boots with regular crampons , I put a bolt in each crampon to make it short enough.  Tools we have grivel quantum techs and Cassin X all mountains.  These are both great tools for kids.  I also have a pair of custom Cassin competition tools that I cut the handles down on for my boys. You probably won’t find those around.  But the X all mountains and quantum techs work great.  
Hooking is definitely preferred to swinging when the kids are little. My boys have climbed some really steep long hooked out routes that they thought were really cool and fun.  There is no way they could of climbed them if they had been having to really swing.  Also if you can get them out with other kids they will have more fun.  We go to Ouray every year with several families so that the boys have friends to climb with, they look forward to that trip every year.  Both my boys have been climb ice since they were five— that doesn’t mean we always climbed ice though there were times where we went sliding instead of climbing because that is what they chose to do.  It’s all about just being out with them.  As they have grown we get to spend more time climbing now and they really like it and have fun.

As mentioned, if you can find a pair of speed climbing tools they are great. The Grivel Lil Monsters are what my kids use and they are great.

For boots my kids wear their ski boots as they are warm and stiff and will take a crampon. When my kids were about that same age (6) and had tiny feet, I took apart old aluminum crampons and used just the front toe piece. They fit great and they are light. Now my oldest two are 10 and 8 and their feet are bigger and their boots will take a crampon better but when they were little those old strap on toe pieces were great.

Thanks, I've looked at local shop and ski equipment hasn't arrived yet for the season. I'm going to try and find used pair somewhere and using the strap on toe section is genius!!!!! Thank you for suggestions.

I’ve got a set of grivel lil monsters I’ll sell ya for $100. Like new condition.

Edit- SOLD and on their way to SD

Christian I’ll buy the grivel lil monsters if they are not otherwise spoken for...

Anybody want these boots for their kids' ice adventure? Yes, they are ski (tele) boots, but they would be fine with a crampon for ice. Size 24.

Did I miss out on the grivel lil monsters? How much for the ski boots?

Tele boots are not a good option for ice climbing. The duck bill puts your front points so far out, they make for a lot of calf burn and unstable climbing. I love tree skiing and have climbed in my tele boots it’s tough.  T2s are a great teleboot though so if you have a kid that wants to try tele skiing I pick those up. 

Thanks for the information on boots. Definitely don't want to make him miserable.