Oooohhh.? Not sure that I want to go here again.
If you consider just the physics of leverage, a wider ski has a greater distance from the edge of the boot to the edge of the ski, and since that is a form of a lever then it takes more effort to tip that edge.? If two comparative skis were wide and narrow, then the difference could be easily felt.? However, the sidecut plays a role as well, because a ski with greater sidecut requires less tipping to get a similar amount of turning.
Head iM75 from 2004.? 114-74-103
Head iM78 from 2008.? 124-78-110
Fischer Watea 78. 122-78-107
The following is from Peter's archives several years back (when 70mm was a midfat), but most of these skis had a sidecut that resulted in 15-16 meter turn radius.?
The secret of mid-fats
The physics of 70mm skis on the groomed, where 80% of skiers use them 80% of the time, is surprisingly simple. 70mm waists come up on edge more slowly, and return to flat more rapidly, than do the 62 to 65mm skis that are the preferred tools of hard-snow technocrats. What this means is that they skid more easily and adapt better to traditional technique in which tips are pressured and the downhill ski is steered into the new turn. That's it, that's all.
But, it's a big all...
The effect of this behavior is that 70mm skis are more forgiving and easier to ski (remember, we're talking about the groomed here) and make skiing more fun than it otherwise would be for a big segment of the skiing population. And that, in turn, is mid-fats continue to be the best selling shape.
You take it from there. If skiing is something you do, rather than something you have to do, and barring certainly anatomical anomalies, chief among them extreme bowleggedness, and you spend most, if not all of the time roaming corduroy groomed, the this is the shape for you. As always, we urge everyone to try before buying, but if "leisure" describes your approach to skiing, 70mm skis are the ones to start with.
If, on the other hand, technical improvement, especially acquisition and polishing of top-level carving skill is your passion, 70mm skis are among the worst choices possible. Your ride to Nirvana will likely turn out to be either in the slalom footprint GS modes. We'll delve into the highs and lows of those more "technical" shapes in upcoming columns.
Home
Login
Register