Specialty Skis: Super Sidecut and Fatboy

The trend in today's ski manufacturing industry has focused on the shape of the ski. The super sidecut skis allow the intermediate skier to make good carved turns, and the fatboy ski gives more surface area for gliding through the deep and heavy powder. The super side cut ski is shaped like an hour glass, and the fatboy ski is almost twice as wide as traditional skis.

According to a survey done at the Heavenly ski school in California (which employs 250 ski instructors), It is commonly felt that only 10% of all skiers make consistent carved turns when skiing. The new super side cut skis will enable you to feel the sensation of carving before they reach the expert level. The new technology is a boon for the skier. Give it a try. The performance skis of today have a deeper side cut, which means they have a wider tip and tail section combined with a narrow waist. The new design allows you to make the ski turn just by rolling the foot on its side and thus putting the ski on its side. The edged ski lays an arc type track in the snow, which in ski jargon is called the carve. If we compare the arc of a ski to that of an ice skate as it turns and follows the rounded end of the rink, it lays an arced track much like a ski. This is an important concept to visualize and feel, because anything less is only a skidded intermediate turn.

The super sidecut ski has an extremely fat tip and tail. The ski enables the intermediate skier to make an arced turn or carve much earlier in their skiing career. The new skis are designed to make better skilled skiers faster. The goal of using these skis is not to stay on the alternative skis, but to advance to the high-end all-mountain or race skis after mastering the turning mechanics. As in all skiing, the key that unlocks the door to upper level carving is learning that the shovel or front of the ski has to be pressured in order to engage the tip and make the ski bend, and thus, allow the natural design of the ski to lay the arc in the snow. With the advent of these two new ski designs, look for rental and lesson opportunities using the new benefits.

Alpine Skiing School section in english version of WWW.SKI.BG is based on
"A Guide To Becoming An Expert: From First Time To A Lifetime"
by John Mukavitz Copyright © 1998