The New Skis: You haven’t tried them yet?
By Dick Butler
Photos provided by Mount Sunapee

November 15, 2005

Are you skeptical? I’m not easily convinced, and I don’t readily part with $600 to $1,100 for a pair of skis and bindings. I have skied them since the early years of their introduction, and like so many others, at first I did not like them. Then a light turned on inside my noggin after one short run down a ski hill in Quebec with a young French Canadian instructor. “Get your hips inside the turn“, he hollered. This was the most important tip that I have heard about adapting any dated technique to the new shaped “wonder” skis. You have seen the photos. A young man or woman “carving” a turn down a corduroy slope, with hands out front and their downhill leg extended, and their uphill hip inside of the turn and low to the surface of the snow. It is extreme technique, but it gets the point across: up and down movements and skidding your turns don’t hack it anymore. The second most valuable tip comes from me: stay out of the “back seat”! You must pressure the tongue of your boots, by keeping your weight slightly forward to set these skis on edge and make them carve a turn. Once you do, they will do most of the work.

If you have skied for a long time and still have not tried “shaped” skis, it will take some persistence and determination on your part to take advantage of the technology. Your technique has to change, if you want to reap the rewards. Hang in there and I assure you that your new purchase will allow you to have the finest ski experiences of your life.

Skiing has been reinvented by the introduction and refinement of these boards! The ride is smooth, effortless and rewarding. They’ll bring a smile to your face and rejuvenate your enthusiasm for the sport. It is impressive that so much beneficial technology can be incorporated into such simple pairs of boards with turned up tips. Epoxy, wood, graphite, foam, titanium, microchips, integrated bindings, damping systems, and more, are some of the hi-tech materials and systems incorporated into these shorter skis.

“Get your hips inside the turn,“ he hollered. This was the most important tip that I have heard about adapting any dated technique to the new shaped “wonder” skis.

According to ski manufacturer Volkl, integrated binding systems allow several benefits: freedom of ski flex, lighter weight, ease of installation and adjustment, and more precise pressure distribution over the length of the edge. There no longer is a flat spot under your boots.

Head skis have an “Intelligence System” that automatically adjusts a ski’s torsional behavior, through the incorporation of a microchip.

Damping systems reduce unwanted vibrations i.e., chatter in a ski, by simple materials or sophisticated mechanical and even electronic means.

Shaped skis have been around for more than a dozen years, and it has taken some time for manufacturers to get it right. Now they are dialed in. It’s hard to find a bad ski, but you can get a bad match for your preferences and your ability. To minimize miss-matches will take some effort on your part.

Match your ability to your ski length. The new skis are much shorter. If you are a novice (type I skier) pick a ski length to meet your chin height, if you are an intermediate (type II) go nose height, if you are an expert (type III) go forehead height.

This is the “use your head rule”, as recommended by Volkl and your skier type is as defined on binding release forms.

Skis vary in their stiffness, torsional rigidity, and their widths at the tip, waist and tail. The new skis turn by carving a turn as oppose to skidding a turn. To get a shaped ski to carve it must be set on its edge. The sharper a ski turns will depend on the pressure applied to the edge and the ski’s edge characteristics. The larger the difference between the tip and the waist widths the shorter the radius of the turn and the quicker it will turn. The fatter the waist, the better they will be in powder. Skis for experts can be stiffer.

Each year there are published ski comparisons, and they are a good starting point for narrowing your choices. Go armed with your short list to a specialty ski shop with a knowledgeable sales force. Tell the salesperson what kind of terrain you like, i.e. groomed snow, powder, on or off trails, how often you ski, and where you spend most of your time skiing (east or west). If you aren’t queried as to your ability and snow preferences, go elsewhere. Start the process before the season starts.

Then demo your short list, make your choice, dig into your wallet, and have fun doing it. There is no substitute to getting on those babies and letting gravity do the rest.