PARK CITY — The ski world is going shorter. So much so, in fact, there are new rules in place limiting just how short ski racers can go with their skis.
In a world where long skis were the credentials of a good skier, this "shortsightedness" of skis all seems misplaced. Unnecessary. Even degrading.
  Graphic: The new shape of skisRequires Adobe Acrobat. | |
Long skis were always faster, more stable, more controllable. Short skis were always squirrelly, slow and embarrassing to be seen with by others.
Then something happened. Engineers in the ski industry found that if they widened the tips a little, flattened the tails and narrowed the waist, skis were easier to control. The result: In a matter of a few years, skis have gone from having little or no shape to being all shaped.
Shaped, shorter skis are in.
Among the last to embrace the new technology were the ski racers, always reluctant to give up something that worked for something unproven.
"What happened was that some of the younger racers started to come from the back of the pack and beat some of the old veterans," said Dan Harvey, race director for K2 Skis in Vashon, Wash.
"The younger skiers went to the shorter, shaped skis. The veterans found they had to go with the shorter skis to compete."
Technology is changing so rapidly that ski manufacturers introduce new skis among the World Cup racers almost weekly.
"It used to be you went through a whole season on one [pair]. You got used to the way it skied,"" said U.S. Ski Team member Bode Miller, after a race last season.
"Now you may get two or three different skis; each one is supposed to be better than the last. You don't have the luxury anymore of getting comfortable with a ski."
Just five years ago, the average length of a slalom ski for men was between 200 and 205 centimeters; for women, about 190. For the men's giant slalom, the length jumped up between 205 and 210 centimeters.
At the first of last year, the men were on skis between 185 and 195. Then an Austrian skier came out of the pack to win his first WC event on a pair of 170-centimeter skis.
"In one season, we saw the average length of a ski drop 20 centimeters, from around a 190 to 170," said Harvey.
This prompted the governing body of World Cup racing to set the barrier at 155 centimeters.
For America's Opening, the men will be on slalom skis running from 165 to 175, while the women's will be pushing the limit with skis from 157 to 165.
In the case of some skiers, the adjustment from tall to short hasn't suited their skiing style. Some have been forced to retire.
The success of the short ski is based on something called sidecut, which is the arch of the side of the skis under the foot.
The shaped ski allows for the same surface area as longer skis for greater stability but also allows for greater sidecut, which resulted in smoother turns.
The old way of turning was to ski a more direct line, then turn the ski on edge, brake, which meant scrubbing the speed, and then making the transition into the next turn.
"A pure carving turn is the fastest turn there is in ski racing," said Harvey. "The shorter, shaped skis with the greater sidecut allow for a rounder carving turn. And because of the arc, racers are able to carry more speed into the turn and come out of the turn with considerably more speed."
For a race such as America's Opening, each racer typically will bring a range of skis in order to best match snow conditions.
Come race day, there will be one pair used for inspecting the course, a second that has been fine-tuned and prepared for the race, and a third as a backup.
And where once it was common for skis to tower over the racer when held at the finish line or on the podium, look for the new skis to reach no higher than the eyebrows.
Shorter skis are here and will be staying — until something faster comes along.
E-mail: grass@desnews.com