Analisa
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Heyo! @newbieM asked in one of the "help me pick" threads about wanting to learn more about how ski construction influences ski performance. I wrote a construction cheat sheet for another review site about a year ago that never got posted, but figured it might be helpful to share here. There's some additions I'd like to make like laminate types, sidewall construction, tail rocker etc. but thought it might be a helpful resource in the meantime. I find this clicks most with people who have skied a decent handful of ski options. For people who have owned/skied at least one model, it's still helpful if we walk through the stats of the ski they own, and compare it to other options on the market. (Like a woman I'm working with doesn't like her Ripsticks in crud or deep powder, so stats help diagnose why that is and which skis on the market can fix both complaints).
Also, one of the terms she asked about was "playful," and so I wanted to call it out since it's missing for a reason. Some people use the term as synonymous to "easy" or even "soft." Some mean the ski is nimble and is quick edge to edge. Some use it to imply the ski is more "progressive" and surfy, with a forward mount point, softer tail, and full twin tip. Some people mean that the ski has a high "modulus of elasticity," or that it's really poppy and that the ski has a "bennnnnddd and SNAP" sensation when you weight and release the ski. I've tried to get out of the habit of using it in favor of a more concrete description of the sensations you'll feel when on a ski, or the kind of input a ski responds best to.
Happy to walk through stats if this still sounds like jibberish and see if we can find any trends in what you like vs. what you hate in a ski.
-Length and width: There are two general rules of thumb: For length, longer skis are harder to steer, but more stable than short skis. For width, narrower skis perform better on piste and wider skis are meant for powder. But these two rules are not absolute. Based on some of the other traits below, a 90mm ski might outperform a 100mm ski off-piste. Likewise, two different models of skis in the same length may not feel equally long while skiing.
-Mount point: All else equal, a ski with a forward mount (closer to the true center of the ski) is going to be easier to steer and more nimble and tolerate a more centered stance. A further back mount point will need to really be pressuring the front of your boot, driving the tips, and in a forward stance. It'll generally help skis perform better with speed.
The Line Honey Bee has a “progressive” mount point near center that makes it easy to pivot and steer, and also make it better suited for park skiing, while the Secret 92 has a more traditional mount point. The difference looks small on paper, but goes a long way in changing how the ski handles.
-Rocker profile: The flip up at the front (and sometimes back) of the ski. Measured in both tip splay (if you had the skis on the ground, how tall are the tips off the ground) and the rocker depth (if you put your bases together like you're about to carry your skis, how far down the tips do the skis touch).
Both splay and rocker depth help with floatation in powder. Rocker depth also changes how long the ski feels, since there’s less ski in contact with the snow. Below are the Line Pandora 84, 94, and 104, from left to right, all in a 165. The 84 is built more for firmer conditions, and has shallower rocker lines than the powder-biased 104. And for these, it makes sense that I like the 165 length for the 84, but size up to the 172 in the 104, and feel a little between sizes with the Pandora 94.
Most all mountain skis also feature at least a little bit of tail rocker. Like tip rocker, deeper tail rocker shortens the effective edge of the ski, and it also gives the skis a surfy feeling to them that makes it easier to transition from turn to turn.
-Tip Taper: Refers to how far the widest part of the shovels are from the tip of the ski.
Taper helps you ski off piste without catching an edge and makes the ski feel easier to steer since it reduces weight at the extremities of the ski.
-Turn Radius: How long it would take the ski to make a circle if you tilted it on edge. A little misleading sometimes, since the radius shortens as the ski flexes. So for a softer ski, a 20m turn radius might be easier to turn than a 16m turn radius on a stiff ski.
-Flex pattern: Generally how stiff or soft a ski is, but skis also variate their flex pattern, with softer tips that plane in soft snow and are easy to initiate turns, but stiff underfoot to keep you from getting bucked around in crud. Conventional wisdom assigns stiff skis to experts and soft skis to progressing skiers, but altering the other construction variables can make stiff skis fairly accessible. And preference also plays role – plenty of expert skiers like the “bend-and-snap” feeling on flexier skis.
Also, one of the terms she asked about was "playful," and so I wanted to call it out since it's missing for a reason. Some people use the term as synonymous to "easy" or even "soft." Some mean the ski is nimble and is quick edge to edge. Some use it to imply the ski is more "progressive" and surfy, with a forward mount point, softer tail, and full twin tip. Some people mean that the ski has a high "modulus of elasticity," or that it's really poppy and that the ski has a "bennnnnddd and SNAP" sensation when you weight and release the ski. I've tried to get out of the habit of using it in favor of a more concrete description of the sensations you'll feel when on a ski, or the kind of input a ski responds best to.
Happy to walk through stats if this still sounds like jibberish and see if we can find any trends in what you like vs. what you hate in a ski.
-Length and width: There are two general rules of thumb: For length, longer skis are harder to steer, but more stable than short skis. For width, narrower skis perform better on piste and wider skis are meant for powder. But these two rules are not absolute. Based on some of the other traits below, a 90mm ski might outperform a 100mm ski off-piste. Likewise, two different models of skis in the same length may not feel equally long while skiing.
-Mount point: All else equal, a ski with a forward mount (closer to the true center of the ski) is going to be easier to steer and more nimble and tolerate a more centered stance. A further back mount point will need to really be pressuring the front of your boot, driving the tips, and in a forward stance. It'll generally help skis perform better with speed.
The Line Honey Bee has a “progressive” mount point near center that makes it easy to pivot and steer, and also make it better suited for park skiing, while the Secret 92 has a more traditional mount point. The difference looks small on paper, but goes a long way in changing how the ski handles.
-Rocker profile: The flip up at the front (and sometimes back) of the ski. Measured in both tip splay (if you had the skis on the ground, how tall are the tips off the ground) and the rocker depth (if you put your bases together like you're about to carry your skis, how far down the tips do the skis touch).
Both splay and rocker depth help with floatation in powder. Rocker depth also changes how long the ski feels, since there’s less ski in contact with the snow. Below are the Line Pandora 84, 94, and 104, from left to right, all in a 165. The 84 is built more for firmer conditions, and has shallower rocker lines than the powder-biased 104. And for these, it makes sense that I like the 165 length for the 84, but size up to the 172 in the 104, and feel a little between sizes with the Pandora 94.
Most all mountain skis also feature at least a little bit of tail rocker. Like tip rocker, deeper tail rocker shortens the effective edge of the ski, and it also gives the skis a surfy feeling to them that makes it easier to transition from turn to turn.
-Tip Taper: Refers to how far the widest part of the shovels are from the tip of the ski.
Taper helps you ski off piste without catching an edge and makes the ski feel easier to steer since it reduces weight at the extremities of the ski.
-Turn Radius: How long it would take the ski to make a circle if you tilted it on edge. A little misleading sometimes, since the radius shortens as the ski flexes. So for a softer ski, a 20m turn radius might be easier to turn than a 16m turn radius on a stiff ski.
-Flex pattern: Generally how stiff or soft a ski is, but skis also variate their flex pattern, with softer tips that plane in soft snow and are easy to initiate turns, but stiff underfoot to keep you from getting bucked around in crud. Conventional wisdom assigns stiff skis to experts and soft skis to progressing skiers, but altering the other construction variables can make stiff skis fairly accessible. And preference also plays role – plenty of expert skiers like the “bend-and-snap” feeling on flexier skis.
