NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

LONSDALE SKI & Snowboard owner Vince Alien adjusts the new
Salomon M1SC binding to an Elan MBX ski. Both the binding and
ski — and the Salomon boot in the foreground -~ represent the
latest in technological advances in ski equipment.

Cold comforts

Latest ski equipment gets
you to the bottom in style

THE WHITE frosting on
North Shore mountains
means different things to
different people.

By A.P. McCredie
Sports Reporter

Christmas is coming. Better get
the snow tires on the = car.
Remember to get the heavy
clothing out of the closet. Time to
buy a new umbrella.

All trivial things, really.

Of course, what ‘‘snow on the
mountains” means is let the skiing
begin!

And with every new ski season
comes the latest in technological
advances in equipment and
clothing, developed to help get
you to the bottom quicker, safer,
and in better style. It's aiso a
good way to separate you from
your hard earned dollars.

Vince Allen, owner of North
Shore Ski & Sailboard on Lons-
dale Avenue, sat down with the
News recently and outlined the
fatest advances in ski and
snowboard equipment on the
inarket.
® Skis: Last year Salomon and
Elan came out with the MBX, or
mono-blocked ski — rather than x
torsion box design with a base,
two sides, and a top sheet, the
MBX design entails a ‘*capped”*
ski, in which the base of the ski is
capped with a domed arch from
edge to edge.

The design makes the ski
stronger, lighter, adds torsional
stiffness, and cleans up the
esthetics of the top of the ski.

“This vear all the other manu-
facturers are coming out with this
design,” said Allen. ‘The good
thing is that this kind of techno-
logy is now being used in lower
priced skis.’’

Another new development is the

design of skis specifically for the
left and right foot.

Dynastar has a ski out this year
that is designed with the core of
each ski offset from the centre,
allowing a skier an caster transfer
of pressure on the inside edge of
each ski.

@ Boots: The combination of the
best attributes of rear-entry boots
and traditional overlap buckle
boots is used in a Salomon
“underlap’” boot.

Rather than utilizing a two-
piece shell, the underlup design
has three pieces, allowing a
“floating cuff’ at the top of the
boot to move forward and back
with the angle of your leg.

Your foot slides into the bovt
much like in a rear-entry design,
but the buckle-down feature gives
a snugger (fit than either of the
iraditional designs.

Also, the Salomon boot comes

in narrow or wide in all sizes,
something most boot manufactur-
ers do not offer.
@ Bindings: Marker has come out
with a binding called the MISC, a
selective contre! binding thal
allows vou to set the flex of the
binding plate to nmiatch both skiing
conditions and skiing sivie.

For hard, icy conditions the
hard setting will stiffen the boi-
tom of the binding, while a soft
setting adjusts the binding for
powder conditions,

The third setting, ‘‘free,”
allows the binding to flex with the
ski.

“eis by far our most asked-for
binding, and as a result Marker is
sold out,’’ reparts Allen.

Considering that the binding
selis for $300 — ‘ta whole new
price-point for bindings** — it
probably won't be long tll
Marker restocks the shelves.

Snowboards: Without a doubt,
snowboards are the most exciting,

See Snawbourding pave 22

me A

Wednesday, Nov. 25. 1992 - North Shore News - 19

ey

8pm Sai to 5pm Sun, Dec 5&6, 1992

Who builds Easter Seal Houses? Who supplies
Fuster Seal Buses and provides Pagient Can
Grants? Who supports the Frver Valley Child
Development Centre? Whe enables Summer
Camps? That Whe is You, when vou watch our
annual Timmy's Christmas Telethon and call in
with your generous donation

@ YOUR CALL IS THE BEST GIFT OF ALL § ate -

This vear we have a full 21 hours of all-Canadian
talent including Michelle Wright, The Nvions,
Frank Mills, Bobby Curtola, Laurie Thain, Carroll
Baker and many. many others,

Who shows the true holiday spirit, with a donation
to Tinin’s Christnas Telethon? That Who is You.

AN iB

ae

Featuring All Canadian Talent! nde P25

LADIES’ ONLY!

On November 26 from 3:30am to
9pm, we'll offer 12 hours of savings
to ali our female cilents.
Refreshments and flowers too!

SKI SUITS
‘92-93 couloir «= 20% =f
‘1-92 couloir «=950% Off
DeNeve e6.$70 Only 99
‘9293Nevica 25% Off

All Ladies’ Boots 20-50% off

Ladies' Carrera Goggles :e9. «5.00 29"
sring your skis
Free Hot Waxing and Tune-up
Of Skis, value $20.00, Nov. 26 only!