Anton Glider
Something new on the snow
Glider intro for ski teaching pros
The Glider looks like nothing you’ve ever seen before. It didn’t evolve from an existing product: it was designed specifically to ameliorate two problems experienced by most beginners: the insecurity of unexpected sideslip, and the defensive backward lean.
We make no claim that the Glider is a revolutionary development – it’s not as radical as it looks. You don’t have to change your standard direct-to-parallel progression. Beginners can make all the standard Level 1 to Level 4 maneuvers. They’ll simply make them earlier in the day, and graduate to blue terrain earlier than normal. Few will feel frustrated; more will return for advanced lessons.
On the other hand, we have yet to see a beginner fall while using Gliders.
The problem: When we teach beginners, we learn that a lot of non-athletes feel very uncomfortable with the initial experience of skidding sideways. It’s something they’ve never felt before, and they sense it as a loss of control. This makes them insecure and hesitant to move to the higher edge angles necessary to stop the skid. Many react with a defensive backward lean, which immediately gets them into more trouble.
The Glider was designed to minimize sideslip, and its suspension system compensates for errors of stance, including defensive backward lean. It’s meant to feel reassuring, stable and easy. It tracks an accurate, secure traverse without slipping away, even on very hard snow, then skids predictably and smoothly into a slow parallel christie. The beginner relaxes, settles naturally into a comfortable, balanced stance, and listens appreciatively to coaching.
On the Glider, the beginner easily achieves smooth, comfortable linked parallel christies.
The mechanism is very simple: the Glider has a very narrow runner that tilts easily on edge, and the suspension engages the entire length of the edge immediately. Edge steering occurs at only one or two degrees of edge angle, at very low speeds. Moreover, the narrow runner doesn’t “swim” when skied flat. And the suspension, which works like a compound bow, means that it takes very little strength to hold the runner in reverse camber. A low intermediate can achieve a carved turn with very little muscle power, and at very low speeds. If he leans back, the suspension still loads the runner through its center and keeps the tip on the snow, steering.
The skills learned on Gliders can be transferred seamlessly to conventional shaped skis after a day or so, sometimes after three or four runs. We’ve brought drop-outs back to the beginner hill and turned them into lifelong skiers – in one lesson.
Make a run or two on Gliders, and you’ll be convinced.