Skis are critical equipment.

Your steel-headed Pittsburgh Persimmon Driver might have served you well in the 80’s but its unlikely you’re still carrying it in your bag. No way it would be your go-to driver on the links today. The Jack Kramer Autograph Tennis Racquet was introduced in the 1950’s and around for forty years. Thousands of professional tournaments were won with this racquet. But no one would play with it today if they wanted to be competitive.

Skis are continually changing, and manufacturer’s continually integrate new technologies to enhance performance. If your skis are a few years old, it’s worth reviewing this section and asking if new skis are likely to offer you a better ski experience.

At The Great North American Ski Adventure, we believe that the only way to optimize your GNASA is to have equipment that allows you to address all your objectives. If skiing the steeps, bumps and powder is on your list, it’s important to know what skis are best for those objectives. If you don’t want a quiver of specialty skis, we believe you need to know what makes for the best all mountain skis, are what these skis sacrifice relative to specialty skis.

Michael and I approach this in the following way.

• First principals: ski shape and profile;
•  Ski materials and technologies:  materials, construction techniques, techniques
•  Ski care & Maintenance: tuning and waxing  

One last point. Knowing what a manufacturer is doing to create performance characteristics is never a substitute for testing a ski. Every major resort offers ski shops that will let you demonstrate skis. Always demonstrate before you buy.

What Drives Ski Technology

Innovation in every industry can be driven by  a number of factors. The ski industry is no different. At the core of innovation is the belief that the target customer will buy it, use it and appreciate it. The ski industry is easy. The end user always wants a way to make skiing easier and more enjoyable. So manufacturers are always on the lookout for ways to help.

Techniques form other industries are frequently borrowed to try and enhance the ski experience. Snowboards were created based on surfboard technology. The rockers inherent on surfboard designs were introduced to skis in the early aughts. Composites, curing techniques, adhesives and enhanced alloys developed for the aerospace industry routinely circulate into the ski industry.