Snow Skills

The world of sports has many examples where the introduction of new equipment has changed the nature of the activity. Consider what hockey was like before goalie masks. Consider playing in the NBA with low-top sneakers. Consider sailing with cloth sails. The equipment innovations that replaced these conditions were far from a crutch; they allowed athletes to refine their movements and reach new levels of performance.

In the early nineties, the availability of skis with exaggerated sidecut dimensions brought renewed ease of effort and fun to skiers of all abilities. These new style of skis were so exotic in appearance that they were initially referred to by such phrases as “hourglass skis, parabolics, or goofies”. After barely a decade, this class of skis is simply referred to as “shaped” and represents the contemporary ski of choice on the slopes today.

Conventional skis could be considered shaped skis, too, as they have a sidecut measurement where the ski width at the waist is narrower than at the tip and tail. It’s the significant difference in sidecut measurements that identifies a shaped ski, however, and makes them easier to turn. A previous precedent was the 1980’s introduction of a tennis racquet with an over-sized striking surface. This larger surface produced a superior “sweet spot”, where players used essentially the same swing motions with a greater probability of a successful shot. The shaped skis of today provide a larger sweet spot than conventional skis.

Conventional and shaped skis both require skills such as edging movements, pressure movements, rotary motions, and balance to generate turns. The significant advantage of shaped skis is their ease in turning, which allows skiers to develop more efficient skills movements. Sculptors produce works of art by removing unwanted pieces from a block of raw material to emphasize the parts that remain. Shaped skis allow skiers to follow a similar means to effective skiing by encouraging positive motions and discouraging less desirable movements.