It's no secret that skis look different these days. The wide tips and tails and proportionately narrower waist of a new generation of skis have become ubiquitous at ski resorts across the country, and actually around the world. Curiously, this new geometry in ski design has given rise to the term "shaped skis," although our classic skis were anything but shapeless. They too had a waist that was narrower than either tip or tail; but modern skis have exaggerated this shape to a great degree, and with impressive results.
Are you already skiing on shaped skis? If not, I can predict that you soon will be. These new skis are a dream come true. They literally make everything you try to do on skis easier. Carved turns and skidded turns are both cleaner and simpler. Although they are somewhat shorter than traditional skis, they are also more stable, so you will feel steadier at high speeds. Shaped skis can actually make you a better skier. They'll expand your horizons, your technique, and the limits of your performance on snow. How? Why?
It's simple. The sidecut or side curve of skis has always been what made them arc graceful turns across the snow. The wide tip bites deeper into the snow than the rest of the ski and pulls you into the start of your turn. At the same time, the narrow waist is pressed out into the snow by the skier's weight so that the ski itself becomes bent into an arc--that's why skilled skiers always make such an effort to transfer their weight to the outside ski of each turn: to bend the ski. Then, instead of tracking forward in a straight line, your ski wants to track in an arc, following its own curved shape. Voilá, a carved turn.
Carved turns have always been an expression of polished, expert skiing. Carved turns look great, and they feel even better. By carving the end of each turn you can control your speed without skidding and without fatiguing your legs. Yet until recently, skiers had to ski very fast to create enough energy to bend their skis and carve.
Today, on shaped or super-sidecut skis, skiers discover that their skis will bend into smooth arcs at much slower speeds, at any speed really, because most of that arc is already present in the deep curve of the ski's edge. Shaped skis have put carving within reach of virtually every skier. And if you are already an expert, if you already know how to carve turns, you will soon discover that your carving skills are amplified and refined by these new skis. Mine certainly have been.
What's the downside of this extreme shaped-ski geometry? I've been skiing on super-sidecut skis for three seasons now and I have yet to find any disadvantages. Their wide tips offer greater flotation on powder. Their deep sidecuts make your turns through moguls quicker and more secure. Above all, you can carve perfect arcs on the snow that you never thought possible. These skis are not a fad; they are here to stay. World Cup racers are winning international races on shaped skis. Instructors are having more fun than ever before on shaped skis. And I'm betting that you will too. Remember, these new skis don't work differently than classic skis, they just work better!
Naturally, there are a host of small, easy to master tricks for getting the most from your new shaped skis (subtle techniques like "phantom edging"). I've condensed my experience teaching hundreds of skiers on these stunning new tools into a one-hour videotape, Breakthrough on Skis III, The New Skis (available from Western Eye, (800) 333-5178). But even without specialized instruction, I know you will feel the difference. Shaped skis will change your life as a skier--for the better. That's a promise.