What are Shape Skis?
Answers:
Is it worth learning to snowboard if you prefer to ski?
To answer in a bit more detail, shaped skis are essentially "squashed" skis from days of old. You notice that not only are they wider at the tips and tails, but are shorter as well. The overall surface area of a "shaped ski" would be roughly equivalent to the surface area of a "straight ski" (from say, 10 years ago) that is about 15 centimeters longer. The new shape gives you a more severe "sidecut". Sidecut means the turning radius of a ski. What's that? Imagine if you set a ski on the snow and pressed on it in the middle (where the ski 'bows-up' - camber), then pushed the ski forward. Eventually, because of the curve of the ski, or "sidecut", you would push the ski in a complete circle. A shaped ski simply would make a smaller circle. The end result? It's easier to initiate a turn on a "shaped" ski than it was on a "straight" ski, making skiing less work!shape skis are the new type of skis that curve out in front of and behind your binding. On older skis the width of the ski is the same distance the whole length of the ski. Shaped skis go(from top to bottom): point, wider, narrower under the binding, wider again, and then point.
What are called straight skis still have a sidecut (curved profile) - it is just not as pronounced as with modern skis.
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