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Middle Aged Ski Instructors Association |
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Equipment advice From 1974 to 1994 I had the good fortune to work as technical
editor of SKI Magazine, running the magazine's equipment testing program.
Then I was alpine ski product manager for K2 Corp. for awhile. I had
the chance to get Boots are easy. Buy the smallest shell that fits comfortably. Unless you have a very rigid foot, a custom footbed will work wonders to improve your skiing power and control. If you need help finding that special boot, or need custom work done, I can hook you up with an expert bootfitter, either here in Colorado or near your home. I use the Lange Comp 120 with a Zipfit liner. With the advent of shaped skis, no one needs to use a ski that's too wide or too narrow, too heavy or too light. You can always find the perfect ski for the type of snow you like. Most skiers carve their best turns on a ski with 15 to 18mm of sidecut. This usually means that the widest part of the tip should be about 110mm wide (about 4 inches), and the waist between 66 and 70mm wide (about 2.5 inches). The dimensions for tip, waist and tail width are often printed someplace on the top of the ski, in this format: 110-68-97. I like the K2 Crossfire, 167cm, with the Marker Piston IBS binding, but I now teach and ski on a Wagner Custom with a laminated maple and ash core, 166cm, 119-72-104mm. Waist width is a critical measurement. For best float in deep snow, you need a wide waist. For best leverage for edging on ice, you need a narrow waist. Here's a guide to what works best for most skiers:
Ski length: We used to be able to give simple formulas for this, but that was back when most skis were of roughly the same width and shape. Today (2004), most adult men will be happy skiing groomed snow on a 165 to 175cm ski of 66 to 72mm width. If you use a wider ski for deep powder, go to a shorter length. Most adult women can start experimenting with about a 150 or 160cm ski -- shorter if the ski is fatter. Beginners customarily start on a 120 or 130cm ski and move up in length -- and sidecut depth -- as they attain higher speeds and better balance skills. A skilled ski tuner can change a ski's feel dramatically, by polishing the edge to a new bevel angle or playing with the tip and tail rollback. This means that if you're not satisfied with the way a ski works for you, it can probably be fixed with a file and whetstone. For more information on this subject, please see my videotape on Ski Tuning With Hand Tools. Feel free to contact me about special equipment problems you may encounter. |
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Not affiliated with PSIA |
Photo: Seth descends the North Couloir of the Aiguille Grive in Les Arcs. Photo by Del Mulkey. |
inside
most of the world's top ski factories, and helped to design a number
of successful models. I learned a lot about what works, and what doesn't,
for all types of skiers.