ski guyNEW TRENDS IN SKI DESIGN
September 7th 2009 13:28
Back in the mid-90s, "shaped skis" were the alpine ski design
that revolutionized the sport. Suddenly, everyone from
neophyte to Olympic champion could purchase skis that
were actually designed to, well..........turn!
Shaped skis were like driving an automobile equipped
with power steering as opposed to the muscular
effort required for the manual steering of what
are now commonly called "straight skis."
Except for the speciality ski jumping market
or nordic skiing, "straight skis" have been
delegated to the ash heap of history. They
are not made anymore. Heck, many ski swap
sales won't even accept them for sale at any price!
This season the "next big things" in ski design
are:
1. Reverse Camber: a design which keeps
the tips and tails elevated. Helps prevent
the skis from augering in while deep powder
skiing
2. Early Rise: reverse camber in the tip but
not the tail. Works in deep powder and on
hardpacked slopes.
3. Zero Camber: no camber under foot.
Designers claim this design is good for
deep powder, yet still stable on hardpack.
4. Tapered Skis: The tip is wider than the tail.
Supposedly helps the skier stay afloat in
deep powder conditions while the tail sinks
allowing ease of body centering over the ski.
5. Fifth Dimension: Widest point of the ski is between
the tip and the binding toe piece. Throw in
reverse camber in the tip and the tail to make this
design even more interesting to play with in a wide
variety of conditions.
The only way to feel how these new ski designs work for you
is to demo a pair sometime this season. You may love
one design and hate the other, or enjoy them all. Depends on
your skiing style and the type of conditions you usually ski.
One thing is for sure, demoing these new designs will certainly
make for interesting skiing.
that revolutionized the sport. Suddenly, everyone from
neophyte to Olympic champion could purchase skis that
were actually designed to, well..........turn!
Shaped skis were like driving an automobile equipped
with power steering as opposed to the muscular
effort required for the manual steering of what
are now commonly called "straight skis."
Except for the speciality ski jumping market
or nordic skiing, "straight skis" have been
delegated to the ash heap of history. They
are not made anymore. Heck, many ski swap
This season the "next big things" in ski design
are:
1. Reverse Camber: a design which keeps
the tips and tails elevated. Helps prevent
the skis from augering in while deep powder
skiing
2. Early Rise: reverse camber in the tip but
not the tail. Works in deep powder and on
hardpacked slopes.
3. Zero Camber: no camber under foot.
Designers claim this design is good for
deep powder, yet still stable on hardpack.
4. Tapered Skis: The tip is wider than the tail.
Supposedly helps the skier stay afloat in
deep powder conditions while the tail sinks
allowing ease of body centering over the ski.
5. Fifth Dimension: Widest point of the ski is between
the tip and the binding toe piece. Throw in
reverse camber in the tip and the tail to make this
design even more interesting to play with in a wide
variety of conditions.
The only way to feel how these new ski designs work for you
is to demo a pair sometime this season. You may love
one design and hate the other, or enjoy them all. Depends on
your skiing style and the type of conditions you usually ski.
One thing is for sure, demoing these new designs will certainly
make for interesting skiing.
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