north shore news

<p BUSINESS

Wednesday, October 22, 1997 — North Shore News — S4

Skis now shaped for people who pay

Recreational
‘market spurns

So why didn’r they think
of this sooner?

Gardner says the advent
of “cap technology” approxi-
mately seven years ago has

allowed for the performance
improvement in shaped skis.

Cap technology separates
the twisting motion of the
ski trom the bending move-

ment,

If you’re in the ski mar-
ket, Gardner suggests talking
to staff in the store first to
help you pinpoint your

needs. Then head up to
Cypress Mountain to try a
pair from the demonstration
fleet.

The cost to try them for

the day is comparable to a
rental package and if you
decide to buy a pair, the
demo cost will be deducted
from the ski price,

racer influence

By Deana Lancaster

News Reporter
deana@nsnews.com

AT last, downhill ski
producers are thinking
about their market
instead of their skis.

_o ce Ninety per cent of the skis
in stores this year are para-
bolic, or shaped, skis.

- ’The'réason? ‘They're more
fun; says Paul Gardner, retail
manager and ski guru at

.. Cypress Mountain Sports in

~~ Park Royal.”

so. 7) “Up until:now, all the ski
"-. “technology has’ been put into’

‘-race-end product. .Two per
cent of the population is at
that level. The industry has-

-n’t been fun for the average
skier.” ">

1, Snowboarding has been
‘taking -over as. the. sport

“of choice for beginners. It
has a much faster learning
curve, :

“... According to Gardner, a

: beginner takes an average of

"five days to, learn. the basics
of snowboarding.

~For skiing, it’s 30 days.
“>: : Since the average. person |
“puts in approximately five to
six days on the mountain per
. 2} Season, it takes one year to

“. become .. an: intermediate

snowboarder. ; ;
It'takes five years to

. “become a decent skier. It’s
. estimated that parabolic. skis

_ cut that time in half.

~o. “For- someone starting

out‘in lessons, if you tell

* them ‘Practise this and in five

“years you'll be able to turn,”
that doesn’t sound like a lot
of.fun.” .

>The side cuts in the
shaped skis make turning

-easier. And when it takes less

"effort, the enjoyment is

_ increased, says Gardner.

- “Gardner said people

-. ~~ : who’ve been’ skiing for 2
while will se¢ an immediate
improvement in their tech-
nique ‘when they get on
shaped ‘skis. , .

’ -Butche realizes there are

- traditionalists who think par-
abolic skis are a fad. He does-

- n't agree,

“There is actually a differ-
ence you can feel, and manu-
facturers know that. The
companies who didn’t
believe in it before jumped
on board this year.

“They’re responding to
the average skier’s needs, and

-it’s about time.”

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