Winter Frequently Asked Questions

What is sidecut/sidecut radius and how do I make sense of it?

(Note: Though the information that follows is most useful for alpine/tele/snowboard selection, it provides a good base level of information for nordic skiers as well.)

The Straight Dope on Sidecut

Sidecut is that elegant arc that creates the edge of a ski or snowboard. A ski without any sidecut is completely straight; a ski with lots of sidecut flaunts the ubiquitous hourglass figure. Before we settle any other definitions, let's examine the information that is commonly presented with skis and snowboards as a reference. Manufacturers typically display the following parameters somewhere on their product, be it upon a visible sticker or etched in permanent print on the topsheet. We'll use a specific alpine ski as our example:

Atomic Metron M:11
Dimensions: 127-76-114
Sidecut: 22mm
Radius: 11m at 162cm

Dimensions: These represent the width of the ski at the widest points of the tip, waist (or middle) and tail. The exact details of measurement may vary with manufacturer slighty with manufacturer. From the dimensions above, we know that the Metron M:11 has a width of 76mm at the waist.

Sidecut: Technically this is the difference between an average of the tip and tail measurements and the waist of the ski or snowboard, divided by two. Practically speaking, if you placed the ski sideways against a wall so that the edges at the tip and tail were touching the flat surface, the sidecut would turn out to be the distance from the waist edge of the ski to that wall. Instead of listing the sidecut as a single number, like 22mm, some companies use the terms sidecut and dimensions interchangeably. Sidecut tells you how much arc or shape your skis possess.

Turn Radius: If you think of the sidecut as an arc, imagine that this arc describes part of a gigantic circle, one that you could draw in chalk on pavement if you traced the curving edge of your ski and extended beyond it. The turn radius (sometimes called sidecut radius as well) of a ski or snowboard is defined by this imaginery circle, always expressed in meters. Though the dimensions of a ski remain fairly constant throughout the differing lengths it is offered in, the turn radius increases with length. Imagine that as the distance from tip to tail increases, that visible arc simply gets longer. This increases the size of the imaginary circle which consequently lengthens the radius, and is the reason that a turn radius is refered to only with a specific length.

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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 is sidecut/sidecut radius and how do I make sense of it? (Note: Though the information that follows is most useful for alpine/tele/snowboard selection, it provides a good base level of information for nordic skiers as well.) The Straight Dope on Sidecut Sidecut is that elegant arc that creates the edge of a ski or snowboard. A ski without any sidecut is completely straight; a ski with lots of sidecut flaunts the ubiquitous hourglass figure. Before we settle any other definitions, let's examine the information that is commonly presented with skis and snowboards as a reference. Manufacturers typically display the following parameters somewhere on their product, be it upon a visible sticker or etched in permanent print on the topsheet. We'll use a specific alpine ski as our example: Atomic Metron M:11 Dimensions: 127-76-114 Sidecut: 22mm Radius: 11m at 162cm Dimensions: These represent the width of the ski at the widest points of the tip, waist (or middle) and tail. The exact details of measurement may vary with manufacturer slighty with manufacturer. From the dimensions above, we know that the Metron M:11 has a width of 76mm at the waist. Sidecut: Technically this is the difference between an average of the tip and tail measurements and the waist of the ski or snowboard, divided by two. Practically speaking, if you placed the ski sideways against a wall so that the edges at the tip and tail were touching the flat surface, the sidecut would turn out to be the distance from the waist edge of the ski to that wall. Instead of listing the sidecut as a single number, like 22mm, some companies use the terms sidecut and dimensions interchangeably. Sidecut tells you how much arc or shape your skis possess. Turn Radius: If you think of the sidecut as an arc, imagine that this arc describes part of a gigantic circle, one that you could draw in chalk on pavement if you traced the curving edge of your ski and extended beyond it. The turn radius (sometimes called sidecut radius as well) of a ski or snowboard is defined by this imaginery circle, always expressed in meters. Though the dimensions of a ski remain fairly constant throughout the differing lengths it is offered in, the turn radius increases with length. Imagine that as the distance from tip to tail increases, that visible arc simply gets longer. This increases the size of the imaginary circle which consequently lengthens the radius, and is the reason that a turn radius is refered to only with a specific length. back to FAQ