Seth Masia

Picking Your Next Skis: The Essentials

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Picking your next skis is not as simple as it used to be.

Picking your next skis is not as simple as it used to be.

When buying skis, choose a ski based on matching width and turn radius to the kind of snow you like.

Hard snow: select a ski with a narrow waist – 76mm or narrower.

Soft groomers (or general western front-of-mountain skiing): select a moderate waist – 75 to 85mm.

Resort powder (with firm surface underneath): select a mid-fat waist – 85 to 90mm.

Deep snow (with unpredictable base beneath): select a fat waist – more than 90mm. If you’re big and heavy or carry a heavy pack, go even bigger – 100mm+.

The remaining decisions are length and shape. Most men skiing at resorts can get along nicely on a 165cm ski; most women on 155cm. If you’re stronger than average, go a bit longer, but it won’t buy you a lot of additional stability. If you’re much lighter than average, go a bit shorter. It will pay off in improved agility.

Shape means sidecut. A deeper sidecut with a shorter radius carves a shorter turn. In general, this helps best on groomers. It won’t help in bumps, where you want the tail to release to avoid hanging up at the end of the turn. A good mid-fat has a shape close to 115-80-105, which gives a theoretical radius of about 14 meters and a bearing surface — the ski’s ability to “float” on soft snow — of 1350 cm2. Furthermore, the mid-fat’s agility — its ability to bend easily into a turn — is vastly improved because it has a short turn radius.

Each dimension can be varied in different ski types. Know your preferences. Credit: Brittanica

Each dimension can be varied in different ski types. Know your preferences.
Credit: Brittanica

What shape should you buy? Start with a “generic” 115-80-105mm shape at your length, then select a wider waist if you’re going to ski a lot of soft snow, or a narrower one if you’re going to ski a lot of hard snow. If you’re an expert who loves to carve, go for a shorter radius. If you want to be able to slide the tail a bit in bumps and tight woods (or if you have to skid a bit when you teach intermediates) opt for a slightly narrower tail.

Seth Masia, former technical editor of SKI magazine, heads the Ski Younger Now program at Vail Village. Ski Younger Now is a retraining program for older skiers, and skiers returning to the sport after recovering from an injury. It teaches low-impact, low-torque techniques to enable efficient skiing in all kinds of terrain.

The workshops are scheduled for December 15-17, 2015; January 12-14, 2016; February 16-18; and March 8-10. To schedule or learn more, email sethmasia@gmail.com or call Vail Village Private Lesson Desk (800) 475-4543 and ask for Seth Masia.

mikemaginn

Women Only Skis and Boards? Yes, Says Coalition Snow

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Coalition Snow Fills Women’s Needs For Quality Equipment.

Coalition Snow has skis and boards for women only. Credit: Coalition Snow

Coalition Snow has skis and boards for women only.
Credit: Coalition Snow

Last spring, we’ve were impressed by Coalition Snow’s CEO Jen Gurecki when she talked with our friend The Ski Diva about her line of ski and boards for women only.  She recognized a niche market, defined a set of unique needs, and she put together products that are based on research. Now her challenge was getting the word out.

Last week, Jen won an entrepreneurial competition at the Nevada Governor’s Business Conference.  Her message was strong and simple:  There are a lot of women out there  (eight million) who spend a lot of money ($1-billion) on snow sports.  But their needs are not being met.  Instead of watered-down versions of men’s equipment, Jen has designed skis and boards “that don’t suck”.  She’s made a lot of progress in promoting her company since last spring; her Kick Starter campaign raised $31,000 in 31 days.

Check out her company’s elevator pitch.  Pretty sharp.  Makes us wonder:  We know there are senior-friendly ski boots and bindings.  Is there a need for senior-only skis and boards?  Your thoughts?

mikemaginn

Skis Just For Women

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Should We Have Ski Equipment Just For Seniors, Too?

Jen Gureki saw a clear need for women's skis and founded Coalition Snow. Credit: The Ski Diva

Jen Gureki saw a clear need for women’s skis and founded Coalition Snow.
Credit: The Ski Diva

At the ski shows last fall, we heard rumblings in the ski industry about products for specific segments.  Now, our friend and colleague The Ski Diva has tracked down and interviewed Jen Gureki, CEO and Founder of Coalition Snow, which manufactures skis for women.  Her rationale for developing a ski for women is interesting to us at SeniorsSkiing.com: The segment was getting second shrift from the industry.  Existing women’s skis were shoddy, filmsy and didn’t meet the needs of advanced skiers.  So, Jen designed and manufactured skis to meet their needs.  Pursuit of opportunity. Just like perenial innovator Denny Hanson did with senior-friendly Apex Boots.  Read her story and let us know what you think about segment-specific equipment.  If someone made senior skis, what would they be like?  What about cross-country equipment?  Boots? Clothing?  We think there is something here to dig into, don’t you fellow senior snow enthusiasts?  Click below for the whole interview.

SkiDiva