Winter Frequently Asked Questions

What’s so great about all these new-fangled shorter "shaped" skis?

The Shaped-Ski Manifesto

Unless you ski in stonewashed jeans with a tapered leg and a New England Patriots jacket (and maybe even a blaze-orange hat if it's below zero) and the year is 1985, you’ve no doubt been introduced to parabolic/shaped/super-sidecut skis. They seem to be endowed with wide tips, narrow middles and wide tails when compared with your old "straight" downhill planks. The dramatic hourglass shape of today’s skis make it much easier to carve turns at lower speeds; tip them on edge and it feels like they do the rest of the work. Though they still give the same thigh-burning workout, now you’ll be making tighter, more controlled turns between first tracks and apres ski.

Origins of Shaped Skis

Before the mid-90s, long skis, straightish skis with minimal sidecut were the norm. Through the previous hundred years, ski construction materials had matured (from hand-hewn wood to modern fiberglass/wood/foam hybrids), but the overall shape or sidecut of the skis was still virtually unchanged. In 1990-91, Elan introduced the first super-sidecut prototypes to the world, intially as learning tools for the beginning skier. Shaped skis quickly caught on with skiers of all ability levels and began to dominate the marked in '94 and '95. Today just about every ski is "shaped", meaning they possess a dramatic sidecut.

Transitioning from Straight Skis to Shaped Skis

Straight skis tend to make long, sweeping turns because of their shape. To get them to make tighter carves, they require lots of forward pressure from the skier. Most straight-ski devotees tend to skid their skis around instead of actually carving with them for this reason. You'll notice a dramatic difference when you strap on a pair of today's shaped skis. Carves are easily done at any speed simply by putting the ski on edge; you'll be making more condfident and satisfying turns in all conditions almost immediately with a greater degree of control. Most people feel like they quickly jump up to a higher ability level when making the transition from straight to shaped.

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Bike: Johnny's 10 Bike Tips Local MTB Rides Ski & Board: How-To Waxing Guide Winter Ski/Board F.A.Q. 06-07 Ski Gallery		Winter Frequently Asked Questions back to FAQ What’s so great about all these new-fangled shorter "shaped" skis? The Shaped-Ski Manifesto Unless you ski in stonewashed jeans with a tapered leg and a New England Patriots jacket (and maybe even a blaze-orange hat if it's below zero) and the year is 1985, you’ve no doubt been introduced to parabolic/shaped/super-sidecut skis. They seem to be endowed with wide tips, narrow middles and wide tails when compared with your old "straight" downhill planks. The dramatic hourglass shape of today’s skis make it much easier to carve turns at lower speeds; tip them on edge and it feels like they do the rest of the work. Though they still give the same thigh-burning workout, now you’ll be making tighter, more controlled turns between first tracks and apres ski. Origins of Shaped Skis Before the mid-90s, long skis, straightish skis with minimal sidecut were the norm. Through the previous hundred years, ski construction materials had matured (from hand-hewn wood to modern fiberglass/wood/foam hybrids), but the overall shape or sidecut of the skis was still virtually unchanged. In 1990-91, Elan introduced the first super-sidecut prototypes to the world, intially as learning tools for the beginning skier. Shaped skis quickly caught on with skiers of all ability levels and began to dominate the marked in '94 and '95. Today just about every ski is "shaped", meaning they possess a dramatic sidecut. Transitioning from Straight Skis to Shaped Skis Straight skis tend to make long, sweeping turns because of their shape. To get them to make tighter carves, they require lots of forward pressure from the skier. Most straight-ski devotees tend to skid their skis around instead of actually carving with them for this reason. You'll notice a dramatic difference when you strap on a pair of today's shaped skis. Carves are easily done at any speed simply by putting the ski on edge; you'll be making more condfident and satisfying turns in all conditions almost immediately with a greater degree of control. Most people feel like they quickly jump up to a higher ability level when making the transition from straight to shaped. back to FAQ