THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 3, 1995 TAG: 9512010045
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
LENGTH: Long : 153 lines
LET IT SNOW, let it snow, let it snow.
While parts of Colorado were hitting record high temperatures late last month, parts of Pennsylvania were getting record snowfalls. The continental inversion is sending some locals rushing to ski stores for a quick tune and wax.
Winter's sudden arrival is also giving East Coasters early bonus time to try out the new gimmicks, gadgets and gizmos that are sweeping into retail stores like a lake-effect snow squall.
The early chance to hit the slopes ``was real unexpected,'' said Jay Haggerty, manager of Ski Center in Hampton. ``Early in the season, the west had the snow and the east had nothing. Then it reversed real quick. It caught a lot of people off guard. I think we're in for a good season.''
Snowshoe Mountain Resort in West Virginia, which usually struggles to open a half-dozen slopes by the first of December, already has more than 20 ready for business. And Pennsylvania's Seven Springs was blessed with a winter wonderland for its opening day late last month - every part of its extensive terrain was covered with a thick, wintry blanket.
To attract more skiers this year to a sport where growth has slowed or stalled, ski makers are cranking out more designs for more types of skiers.
This year ski makers will trot out another crop of fat skis, and variations of them - radical sidecut or hourglass skis.
``We've seen an explosion in new technology as people start thinking outside the conventional paradigm for building skis, which was to build a ski with a European design for a male racer,'' said Stuart Remple, marketing vice president for K2 skis.
Snowboard retailers will be stocking the first crop of workable step-in bindings and they'll feature more boards designed specifically for the growing number of female riders.
And this year could see the emergence of ``skate skis'' whose makers promise in-line skaters will now have a reason to migrate to the mountains just as surfers and skateboarders did with the explosion of snowboarding.
Here's a summary of the new snow stuff.
Two years ago, fat skis were the rage that opened the great out-of-bounds to less experienced skiers. As the name implies, fat skis are fatter than traditional skis - about 20 percent wider - and that extra surface area allows them to float through deep powder more efficiently than narrow planks.
Ski retailers say fat skis aren't a necessary item for those who stick to the groomed runs of the Middle Atlantic, but they could give intermediate skiers a boost on powdery runs in New England or out West, especially on heli-skiing trips or Sno-Cat excursions.
The first models of fat skis had a drawback, though: They handled groomed snow about as well as Princess Di handled her royal affairs. The same width that made fat skis a pleasure in powder doomed them on packed snow.
So ski makers tinkered with the ski's shape and sidecut to give them a more effective edge and created hourglass skis.
All skis are sidecut, trimmer in the middle than at the nose and tip. Hourglass skis are the most extreme example of the sidecut design, with oversized ends and a skinny middle.
Skis with a moderate sidecut move through powder well, and they turn efficiently on a packed surface, but they are less forgiving than traditional skis on groomed runs.
Hourglass skis smooth out turns on hardpack and are good in powder, but they can be harder to control when you're moving flat and fast.
Along with new designs for everyone, some companies offer skis and snowboards designed specifically for women.
A woman's pelvis is wider, and the femur - or thigh bone - is shaped differently from a man's. Women don't flex as far forward at the knees, and they carry their weight lower and farther back.
Racing-style skis built for men sometimes create problems for women - a knock-kneed stance, a more pronounced hop in turning that can lead to over-rotation and tail slide, and wandering tips because of bindings placed too far back.
Manufacturers took notice when the percentage of women skiers dipped, from 44 percent to 38 percent between 1984 and 1994, according to the National Sporting Goods Association. Furthermore, women are demanding new designs.
``We're saying `Hey guys, get a grip,' '' said Jeannie Thoren, a 1964 U.S. Junior National Team member and expert on fitting women to appropriate ski equipment. ``Women are not little men. Most women are built like me, with the classic pear-shaped body, and have classic problems on skis.''
Now companies such as K2, Olin, Salomon and Volant are making skis specifically for women. Many have different cores to produce a softer flex without sacrificing overall integrity, reflecting women's lesser strength. Binding platforms are farther forward for a better center of gravity.
Goddess Snowboards of Salem, Ore., now makes women's boards with a narrower waist for smaller feet and increased flex.
Ski and snowboard boots as well are being made specifically for women, with a narrower foot and ankle. Some have built-in heel lifts because of differences in the way women bend at the knee.
While some winter equipment is fast becoming more advanced - like skis with shock-absorbing technology - other innovations are marching the other way. One company has shrunk the ski to almost nothing, mounting a grooved plate on a ski-style boot to appeal to in-line skaters.
Introduced last year, Sled Dogs are the latest micro ski, or snow skate. Sled Dogs were developed by a Rollerblade designer so in-line skaters could extend the sport to mountain resorts.
Whether it's low-tech snow skates or high-tech, vibration-dampening performance skis, the idea is to get something comfortable and fun designed for what the skier or boarder wants, experts say.
``Everybody is spending time on technology now to make their equipment perform,'' said Matt Mahoney, who works in the rental shop of Crystal Mountain in Washington. ``The idea is for everybody to be able to find something they're comfortable with. They insist on it.'' MEMO: Staff writer Mike Mather contributed to this report. ILLUSTRATION: JANET SHAUGHNESSY/The Virginian-Pilot
Graphic
Color photos
NEW SKI STUFF
ALL EQUIPMENT COURTESY OF SKI CENTER, HAMPTON
Fat skis
Advantage: Extra surface area helps intermediate skiers handle
deep powder better.
Disadvantage: Hard to handle on packed surfaces.
Hourglass or radical sidecut skis
Advantage: Good powder handling, and better turning than standard
fat skis.
Disadvantage: They can be difficult to control when you're moving
fast on a flat stretch.
Step-in snowboard bindings
Advantage: The convenience of not having to sit on your tail to
strap in.
Disadvantage: The boot and binding must match, and performance
may suffer compared to traditional bindings. Hard-boot bindings that
have been on the market several years are already pretty
convenient, and cheaper.
Skate skis
Advantage: A fun diversion.
Disadvantage: Limited applications at the mountain, and many
resorts may not allow skate skis yet.
Skis for women
Advantage: Different cores to produce a softer flex without
sacrificing overall integrity. Binding platforms are farther
forward for a better center of gravity.
Disadvantage: Well, if you're a woman there is no disadvantage.
Color photo
VICKI CRONIS/The Virginian-Pilot
Bethany models the latest ski look created by Bogner. This one-piece
jumpsuit, $898. has ultra suede and embroidered details. Red cable
knit headband, $22. Goggles by Smith, $48.50. Black leather gloves
by Salomon, $38. Short fur boot with cuff by Oscar, $140. Leki
poles, $99. All ski wear available at Ski World. Cool location
courtesy of Cassco Ice, Norfolk. Make-up and fashion coordination
by Kim Wadsworth for Wadsworth Style.
by CNB