Skiing 101: Getting Started

 

SKIS

Writing a detailed description of every type of ski would yield a very long and muddled article. In today’s world of ski manufacturing, where new construction methods and composite technologies turn out more and more complex ski designs, the lines between different ski types are blurring. So, for the sake of clarity (and my own sanity), below is a simplified, intro-level look into each of the most distinct ski-types out there. The goal here is to give you a basic idea of what’s lined up against the wall in a ski shop.

We’ll start with the ski type that’s perhaps the most difficult to define: all-mountain.

 

All-Mountain Skis

The majority of the ski-owning population has one pair of skis, so the all-mountain class is extremely popular. If you’re looking for your first pair of skis, you’ll likely be looking at skis that fit within this broad category.

An all-mountain (or “one-ski quiver”) ski is designed to do perform fairly well in a wide range of conditions, from carving on groomed snow, to moguls, to trees, to powder.

Nowadays, most all-mountain skis will feature a mid-fat waist width of around 85 to 95mm. That dimension underfoot allows the ski to perform manageably on groomed snow, but will still have a sufficient amount of flotation in deeper snow. If you live in an area where firmer conditions are experienced more frequently, your typical all-mountain ski might have a narrower waist (75-85mm) and more sidecut for better edge hold.

(For a detailed discussion of the elements of ski construction, like “sidecut, and an explanation of  “ROCKER” technology, see BLISTER’s Rocker 101: A Brief History of Rocker + A Glossary of Terms.)

The important thing to recognize about all-mountain skis is that each one has a certain performance bias within its “do it all” design. Not all all-mountain skis are created equal. A ski like the Rossignol Experience 98 has a reasonably wide waist, but with traditional camber underfoot and a flat tail, the ski maintains design characteristics that make it a strong directional ski on groomers. The Experience 98 is a ski that can handle powder, but it excels in carving performance.

Skiing 101: Getting Started, BLISTER
Rossignol’s all-mountain carver, the Experience 98

On the other hand, the ON3P Jeronimo, with tip and tail rocker and a nearly symmetrical twin-tip design, gives some hard carving performance away for the capability to land jumps and ski switch (backward), and have a surfier feel in powder. This “new-school” all-mountain ski design is becoming increasingly popular in today’s market.

There is no hard and fast way to describe a “typical” all-mountain ski. They are the products of company design teams banging their heads together trying to defy the laws of ski design physics (and make you think they’ve pulled it off). So, to make things easier as you find yourself browsing through the sea of all-mountain offerings, it helps to have an idea of where your skiing interests lie. Do you envision yourself spending a lot of time lapping groomers with the occasional venture off into the trees? Or are you looking to jib around the park in the mornings before ripping bump lines after lunch? Based on your developing riding style and the kind of conditions you ordinarily encounter at the resort, it’s your job to decide which of those “performance biases” you prefer.

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