The Skinny On Skis. 
From Fat to Phat to Skinny.

So you’ve read the ski magazines and the buyers guides.  You know the names of all the hot skis for the year.  You have an idea of what might be good for you.  Then again, maybe you didn’t read any of the ski magazines and you have no idea whats out here.  Either way, you’ve come to the right place.

The first question you need to ask yourself is pretty obvious.  What kind of skier do you consider yourself?  Beginner, intermediate, advanced?  What region do you ski in mostly?  What type of terrain and conditions do you prefer?  

The main assets that determine how a ski is going to perform are waist width, sidecut (shape), and flex. 
Width
The wider the ski the better it floats. It might sound silly to talk about float, after all, these aren't water skis, but when you hit the deeper snow you will float.  More or less depending on the width of your skis.
Sidecut
The smaller the sidecut, the tighter it turns. 
Flex
The stiffer the flex, the more responsive the ski is at faster speeds.  It is also a little more difficult to turn at slow speeds.

Keeping these elements in mind, we like to lump skis into four categories: Frontside Carvers, All Mountain, Twin Tips, and Big Mountain.  Don’t worry, nobody is putting Baby in a corner.  Many skis, can easily reside in multiple categories.  For example, a lot of twin tips can fall into the All Mountain category or even the Big Mountain category because they perform very well in those conditions.  Sometimes the lines get a little blurred, which can be a really good thing for a lot of people, unless you are a racer or somebody who wants an impossibly simple world of black and white.          

So let’s examine the main styles:

Frontside Carvers
This category consists of narrow waisted skis any where from 65mm under foot to 72mm under foot.  These are for the folks who like to stick to the groomers (groomed runs to you newbies out there).  They roll from edge-to-edge quickly and easily.  They generally have a small turn radius although some do defy this norm.  They grip well on icy conditions.  A lot of East coast and Midwest skiers prefer a ski like this. This is due to the typically firmer snow conditions and infrequency of deep powder.

All Mountain
The All Mountain category is vast, for good reason.  Nobody wants to hit the hill and only stay in one place. An all mountain ski is geared around doing a lot of things well.  This isn’t the best choice for racers or powder hounds.  But if you want one pair of skis to tackle most everything you should probably scope out one of these.

By industry standards the waist width of these “one ski quivers” starts at 72mm.  There is quite a bit of argument on how big the waist width can get before it is considered a Big Mountain ski.  The ski industry says 78mm under foot is the ultimate All Mountain ski.  This is really left up to preference and proximity though.   If you live in the Rockies a waist width in the 80mm to 90mm range is probably a better choice for “the perfect All Mountain ski” for you, whereas that 78mm waist might be the best for the Midwest or East coast skier. So there is a lot of play in this category.  Just remember the wider the ski, the more it floats in deeper snow.  Wider skis can still grip on icy conditions.

Twin Tips
Twin tips are characterized by a turned up tail and a slightly wider waist.  This category used to be mainly for freestyle skiers, but nowadays many Twin Tips serve as great All Mountain skis.  They have a wider waist than the average ski, which allows for a more stable feel underfoot and better performance in varying conditions.  The Twin Tips that are solely for freestyle are very specific in their flex and shape.  These particular skis have soft flex points that make it easier to slide rails.  Also, some of them are completely symmetrical to behave the same whether the skier is going forwards or backwards.

Big Mountain
Big Mountain skis are wide.  Actually they are really wide.  Chances are, if you are buying this type of ski, you know what you are looking for.  These skis get upwards of 100mm under foot.  They are designed for skiing powder.  Some of them have a rocker to soften them up so they are more buoyant in the deep snow. (Rocker Illustration) If you own a pair of these bad boys and use them weekly, then you are envied by many…including the guy writing this article.

High End Skis VS. Not So High End Skis
(How much do I really need to flip for?) 

Here’s the deal.  You want to get skis that match your present ability and your aspired ability.  When you buy a ski you usually go out and use it. The more you’re on the snow, the better you will become.  Keep that in mind and look for a ski that will accommodate the new improved you.

The performance of the ski is derived partially from the flex.  To make the ski work you need to be able to flex it adequately otherwise you won’t be getting the full potential out of the ski.  On the flip side of things, a softer ski is more forgiving, but if it is too soft you will over flex it and get a lot of chatter out of it during your average run. The faster you ski, the easier it is to flex a ski and the more you need a stiffer ride that isn’t overpowered by the force you put on it.  When you are just starting out, a softer ride is easier to flex and turn at slower speeds. Basically that means don’t get skis that are way to stiff for you or way to soft for you. 

The cost difference between skis is derived from the type of materials used to build it.  The basic ski’s core is comprised of wood (sometimes a composite material) and fiberglass.  As skis get more expensive, elements like carbon, titanium, and elastomers might be used to give the ski a certain feel.  Carbon generally makes the ski more stable at speeds and gives it more snap in and out of turns.  Metal, though it tends to stiffen the ski, is used to dampen vibrations and stiffen the ski torsionaly. Torsional stiffness= great grip on hard snow and icy conditions.

Base material comes into play here as well.  On your lower end skis the base material is less porous but lower maintenance and easier to repair.  This material is called extruded.  Sintered material comes on your higher-end skis.  It is more porous, softer and retains wax much better.  Sintered is faster when taken care of, but it is also higher maintenance.

Cap VS. Sidewall Construction
The term cap refers to the construction of the ski.  A capped ski is when the top sheet of the ski wraps all the way down to the edge of the ski.  This allows to make the core slimmer and lighter weight.  Cap skis are usually very forgiving and easy to maneuver.

Sidewall or Sandwich skis are built a little bit different.  These are the skis that are generally higher performance as it is easier to incorporate metals into this construction style.  They tend to be stiffer.  Most of the world cup skis are built in this fasion.  Sandwich is a very popular way to build skis because the sidewalls act as vibration dampeners and they tend to have better edge grip.

Integrated Bindings
The idea behind integrated binding systems was to make the ski flex more naturally.  A seemingly good cause.  It also alleviates the customer from having to make yet another decision.  It’s easy, all the work is done for you.  Buy a ski, and get a binding that matches the performance level of the ski. 

There are, however, people who would prefer to choose their binding—big mountain skiers and freestyle skiers to name a few.  They want to choose a binding that is specific to their needs.  A big mountain skier might want to buy some alpine touring bindings to make hiking out of bounds easier, whereas a freestyle skier wants to reduce weight and gain strength out of the binding.  There is nothing wrong with either way.  Both styles have upsides.

Sidecut
Sidecut determines what types of turns the ski likes.  It is also referred to as turning radius and is usually marked in meters somewhere on the ski.  Slalom skis generally have a tight turning radius to make short quick turns, whereas GS skis and wide skis have a large turning radius.  A lot of people are obsessed with this part of the ski when they really shouldn’t be unless they have a very specific purpose in mind for their skis.  For the most part, unless the skis are absurdly wide (powder skis over 100mm at the waist) skis have a pretty easy going generalized sidecuts that only differ by a few meters in the all mountain range.  The only people who should be overly concerned about this are racers.

Flex
The flex of the ski defines the skis character.  It is what gives the ski life.  It is what allows the ski to hold an edge through the turn.  It is what gives the ski its snap out of the turn- which is the feeling that has us all coming back for more.   Typically the beginner or the less experienced skier wants a softer flexing ski as it allows the ski to be worked over a little bit easier.  A stiff ski keep the ski more stable at higher speeds and gives it a snappy feel coming out of turns.  More experienced skiers generally have a preference as to how they like their skis to feel depending on what they are doing with them.

Camber
Camber goes hand in hand with flex.  The more camber a ski has the stiffer it becomes, generally.  Camber is the slight rising of a ski between the tip and the tail (underfoot).  It allows the ski to flex into a turn. 

Reverse Camber
Reverse camber is exactly what is sounds like.  It gives the ski a sort of banana shape.  This makes the ski quite a bit softer.  It is especially good for people skiing the urban features of the park such as rails and people skiing powder.

Construction Materials
The main component in the vast majority of skis is laminated wood.  The type of wood varies between ski styles and companies.  Sometimes a blend of wood is used to create a very specific flex.  Once the laminates of wood are in place, they are typically wrapped in ‘weave’ of fiberglass.  Carbon fiber is a common additive as well.  This adds liveliness, stiffness and elasticity to the ski.  It also helps to dampen vibrations and reduce chatter in the tip of the ski.  Various metals can be used to have a similar effect as carbon fiber.  Metal absorbs vibrations well and makes the ski much stiffer.  Generally you find metal in premium skis.

Base Materials
There are two main types of base material:  Extruded P-tex and sintered P-tex.  Extruded  bases are on lower end ski.  This base material does not require a lot of maintenance and will perform reasonably under any condition.  Sintered is a higher performance base material.  It is more porous, so it absorbs more wax.  This ultimately makes it faster, but it does require more maintenance.  If a sintered base is not taken care of (waxed often), it will become noticeably slower.

Now the question is: Did you actually read all of this?  If so, you are either that much closer to your purchase or that much more confused.  Either way, feel free to give us a call with questions. (877-228-2742)