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"SKIING
IS A SLIDING SPORT":
Conventional Skiing Wisdoms (CSW's)
by
Bill Jones, Ski
Instructor
Certified Professional Ski
Instructor (Registration #110478)
CSW
#20: "New shaped skis are just a fad; the fad
won't last."
There have been so many fads in
skiing that it is easy to understand why many thought shaped skis were just
another one. Experience shows the shaped skis are not a fad, however. They are
common today and so prevalent that the earlier-era models are the ones that
stand out.
A curious situation has developed,
however. Beginner and intermediate skiers almost universally are on shaped skis.
One sees more upper-level skiers--especially older ones--on earlier-era skis,
although still a much lesser number than is on shaped skis even in this group.
This situation is curious because it is these older-model upper level skiers who
could most benefit from the shaped skis if they would only invest a few hours
learning how to use them. They would add carving to their skill package, find
turns easier to make, and generally improve their skiing enjoyment.
On the other hand--and here you have
a personal observation--beginner skiers are often challenged by the shaped skis.
Beginners find skidding a ski very useful in controlling speed, yet the shaped
skis tend to go up on their edges and to carve around the turns with more speed
than the beginners can handle. So be it. The industry's rental shops have
switched over to shaped skis and that is all that is available. Beginners and we
instructors are left to deal with this issue. And of course most beginners don't
know any better, but this instructor taught beginners before there were shaped
skis as well as now, and so has his opinion based on that experience. Meanwhile
the beginners, believing that shaped skis are best, want them. An argument can
be made that using shaped skis at first then avoids the problem of then
adjusting the shaped skis as skill levels improve. A good experiment would be to
try out groups in various combinations of ski styles and measure these aspects.
Probably won't happen.
main CSW page
prior CSW #19: "Skiing is
dangerous"
next CSW
#21: "Old people can't ski well"
 "SKIING
IS A SLIDING SPORT"--a skiing web manual:
Skiing Web Manual
Contents Why Read This Skiing Web
Manual
That First Lesson A
Little Skiing History
Motion in Skiing CONVENTIONAL SKIING
WISDOMS Skier Excuses
Fear in Skiing Conditioning for Skiing
Equipment and Technique Skiing Equipment
How Skis Work
How to Develop Balance on
Skis A Skiing Turn Simplified
Tactics for Terrains and Snow
Textures Skiing Tips and Tales--a
potpourri
Children and Skiing
Age and Skiing
Gender & Skiing Culture
& Skiing Skiing Ethics and
Survival
Slope Safety
Skiing
Environment Glossary Acknowledgements
SkiMyBest Website Contents
This "CSW #20; 'New shaped skis...'" page last modified
11/18/2009: \webski\skiCSW20.htm
Copyright © 2010 William R Jones.
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