KERS

[jbotti]

I am usually the last to believe the marketing BS from ski companies, but some of what I have experienced with the 2011 Head SS is undeniable. Several good skiers I know and I have all skied on the 2011 SS and all of us noticed a big difference between it and the old one. It is much stiffer and the tails release much better. I would have bet that they changed the dimensions, but when I checked, the dimensions are unchanged. Then I read what Head said in a press release on KERS and I now beleive that the only difference between the old SS and the 2011 SS is the addition of KERS. For anyone that has seen the video of me wiping out skiing the new SS, I know that the huge snap from the tail would never have occurred on the old SS's.

Here is what Head has released about KERS. I have added the bold:

HEAD Ski 2010/11

Fomula HEAD - KERS
The new HEAD KERS Technology shakes the World Cup race circuit.

Last year the HEAD racing team was one of the fastest teams of the entire season. And we intend to keep it that way. That?s why we made the fastest skis on earth a little faster for 2010/11. The secret is called KERS Technology. Originating in Formula 1 and putting Didier Cuche, Bode Miller and Co. where they belong: in pole. KERS will be winning loads of medals in the World Cup.

The Extra Boost.

KERS Technology works like a turbo charger that provides additional power and acceleration by stiffening the tail of the ski in outturns. The effect: a boost, catapulting the rider into the next turn. Just like when Formula 1 pilots push a button for that extra notch of speed. HEAD KERS Technology is an electronic, fully automatic and integrated system.

How It Works.

Skis experience maximum flex at the end of a turn. At this moment an active microchip releases energy into the fibers of the tail. The tail of the ski then stiffens up, immediately increasing rebound for maximum acceleration at the end of the outturn.
Technical Background.

HEAD KERS Technology is an evolution of the idea behind HEAD?s Intelligence Technology. But unlike Intelligence, KERS does not influence the torsional stiffness of the ski, KERS empowers the skis? longitudinal flex. Also KERS Technology is based on a completely new chip capable of accumulating power
and keeping it in store for the right moment. Piezoelectric fibers transform kinetic energy into electrical energy which is stored in the embedded chip in the ski. Electrical energy is immediately released to areas of the ski, where additional energy is requested by the sensor. Timing and release are automatically controlled and coordinated. Depending on the flex pattern of different ski models, sensors are programmed beforehand: the more aggressive the ski has to be, the stiffer the tail will become.


One thing is for sure, KERS makes a big impact on the ski. I don't think that you want this catapult effect from the tail when you are skiing off piste. Maybe this is why the i Titan is so unfogiving and overly stuiff. Perhaps more importantly, in a race ski KERS is everything that a skier wants and I feel confident that people will be raving about Head race skis this year.

I again can't say enough about he 2011 SS. It appears that what I am raving about is KERS. Everybody needs to get some (at leest in their carving skis)!!

[jim-ratliff]

My assumption.

This is an extension of the Intelligence fibers and Chip technology Head bought from K2 and has been using in skis and racquets for at least 10 years now. The difference is that they appear to have added the fibers to the tail of the ski while in the past it was only the front of the ski.  Maybe they've added a capacitor or otherwise changed the chips processing/filtering of the electrical pulses, but I think its pretty well accepted that the technology works (maybe too much, since Chip skis tend to be very damp relative to their non-chip equals).

[LivingProof]

My assumption.

This is an extension of the Intelligence fibers and Chip technology Head bought from K2 and has been using in skis and racquets for at least 10 years now. The difference is that they appear to have added the fibers to the tail of the ski while in the past it was only the front of the ski.? Maybe they've added a capacitor or otherwise changed the chips processing/filtering of the electrical pulses, but I think its pretty well accepted that the technology works (maybe too much, since Chip skis tend to be very damp relative to their non-chip equals).

Hey Jim,
Living proof that ski design is rocket science (pardon the obvious pun ). Capacitors in skis, who would have thought?

Already, I can't wait for the '11 January Elk Mountain demo day to do a KERS ski, but, it does not appear that the new SS will be available from Head next year per JB. John stated previously that the new SS is a more demanding ski, I hope to experience it.

Of interest from a skiing standpoint is that most of us ski with too much weight/pressure on the tails. That's a personal observation of both my skiing and what I see when riding chairs, so, please, no challenges on data source. Will a stiffer tail be enjoyed by the skiing public who sit back when in difficulty?  JB's trying to tell us to "watch out" on the new SS as it's a more demanding ski than the SS we know and love (if you are an eastern carver like me).

I took a ski racing clinic at my local mountain this winter, and, one concept that was stressed is the need to pressure the tips by moving the hips both to the inside and very much out over the tips during a turn. Ron calls this fore-againal. HH describes it a little different but the concept is the same. The feeling is very much like diving into a turn, using the pull of gravity without fighting it. It takes a while to be comfortable with this technique on groomed stuff, and, very difficult to use when pushing the envelope on more difficult terrain.

To digress a little, the sole benefit of the end of ski season is my VISA bills are much less painful to pay!

[Ron]

UPDATE ON FORWARDAGONAL- useful in off-piste, it's actually very easy on steeper and nastier stuff; you are just creating more countering movements tha drive the skis- I don't know if its really all that good for groomed condition carving type skiing. After skiing with (here's a name for you) Bob Barnes and others, forwardagonal skiing can create skidding because the body leads too far inside the turn causing the tails to wash due to the tork that's created, it's better to stand stacked on the downhill ski and ride it's radius (which you can tighten), with a strong countering movement and engaging ankles,knees ,hips but it's much more effective for that kind of skiing.let there's more but I can't explain it well so.... just .02  In april I was actually using a more upright stance on the downhill leg technique (I hate that word) with balanced shoulders, hands in good position, strong counter in heavy wet crud and steep headwalls and it was very effective. I was able to ski much faster and charge much harder. It was really like sking 90/10. I have to say, it was very effective wth less effort. I still like 2 footed balanced for powder but in crud, it seems like strong counter with 90/10 dowhill foot is the way to go.

[jim-ratliff]

Ron:  I'm not going to get very far into skiing training, but I believe "forewardagonal" has a big role.  I fell at Harb camp last year and Max complimented me on what a good fall it was.  When I asked why he said "because you really committed your body down the hill, you just didn't have all of the other things in place to balance."  That commitment down the hill is what I think of as forwaredagonal.  I don't find that this leads to torque or washing out the tails (but not going to argue with BB), just creates an early tipping in the direction of the turn and good forward pressure on the skis.  A bit of counter towards the outside of the turn helps to keep the feet from wanting to rotate the skis.

Living Proof:

A double pun??  Using your own forum name in a sentence along with the rocket science pun.  Very good (for an engineering type, especially).

Here's some rocket science for you.  I beleive the thunderstorms and tornadoes in the midwest yesterday are being made worse by explosive oil vapors being carried up from the gulf coast and then ignited by lightning.  There have been reports of blue aura's around some of the lightning, and the release of the extra heat has been causing the even more dramatic than usual super-heating of the air, and it's the rising hot air that creates the supercells and the dramatic hail and cloud rotation that spawns tornadoes.  At least, so thinks the Kansas boy.

[Ron]

Jim, the true Fowardagonal technique will pull your body too far across the fall line and not follow the arc of the ski's, its more useful in slalom type skiing, it is effective in off piste stuff. Strong countering is different as is commiting to the turn. but yes, committing to the turn is key for sure it will drive everything through in the direction of the body.

[jbotti]

I don't know about forwardagonal pressure, but I can tell you that staying forward on the skis and being able to pressure the tips is essential on piste and off piste. There are times in deep powder when getting back momentarily can work, but in general I want pressure at the beginning of every turn. On groomers when carving, there is now way to bend the ski and tighten the arc of the trun withouut getting way forward on the ski. When I ski bumps my main focus is staying forward. There is no way to turn a ski qucikly when ones weight is on the tails even if you want to pivot them. If what you want to do is tip them onto their new edge it is virtually impossible to do this with any efficiency and/or speed with the weight back. Trust me, I know this from first hand experience, having learned with a thick skull and making some terrible turns along the way. My friend Thor Kallerud who used to coach the US Ski team says that proper fore aft balance is by far the most important variable in good skiing. Good skiers are always in a position to pressure the tips and rarely get themselves in a position where the skis get in front of the center of mass.

[ToddW]

Jim,? whatever it was you did at camp that Max Sherwood liked, keep doing it.? In my mind, you earned the title "most improved" at last year's A-Basin dark blue camp.

John -- as always -- is spot-on about the importance of fore-aft to high performance skiing.? It's been one of my main focuses for a couple of years now, and most recently a focus of 3 days of private lessons with a black-level PMTS coach.? It's so important that when I filled out my registration for the next A-Basin camp the other day, I asked for a double helping of it in my goals section:? "BPST and stronger fore-aft."? First by outcome, truly bullet-proof, and secondly by name and degree.? Please, Santa, that's all I want for Christmas!

Since Santa's bringing me even stronger fore-aft, the ski buying's up to me.? I'm getting both the Icon TT 80 for all-round use, especially bumps, to replace my damaged Supershapes? and the new Supershape "RD" to get me some of that KERS to pull G's on hard, flat snow.? Thanks to some of the folks here for their advice on these purchases!?

[Ron]

John, I don't disagree with you (especailly for sr turns) except that it does depend on TR size.  A wide GS turn doesn't require a lot of tip pressure as you aren't making a turn that requires the tip to bend to a TR that's beneath (less than) it's true TR (like a ski rated at 15, can make 13m turn when bent) however, If a ski is pressured at it's mid-point- sweet spot, directly beneath the ankle, arch of the foot, the result is more stability and power. As you pressure the tips, they absorb engery, slowing the ski, although they will rebound it is a net loss of energy, not gain; the tips are the softest point of the ski. Ski's go fastest when they are flat, this is a fact. In off-piste keeping stacked over the same sweet spot of the ski will make it more stable and will allow the tip to actaully absorb more of the uneven snow as it is not actively pressured down- this allows it to act more like a shock absorber (too much is not good either). It can be driven from an upright posture or aggressively tipped. I did not beleive this until I just did this in April at Vail in true spring conditions on steet headwalls, vaired meadows and bowls. It something Rick Reichel (I am trashing his last name) teaches and it really works. I am not saying your method doesn't work because there's not one way to ski, but it's just another tool out there. I used to think two footed skiing was best in crud and broken but I am going back to my one-footed dominated skiing- more like you!

[jbotti]

Yeah for me in crud there really are only two approaches. Go straight at it with speed or get them tipped way over and bust through with your edges. In general that is the root that I take and yes there is more weight on the downhill ski. I ave found that my wife struggles much more n crud than I do and it is because she is brushing her turns so much. It is actually better to edge lock a decent part of the turns because the ski is unwaverable in that position and you get little deflection. It really is the one time that knowing how to edge lock carve is a real advantage off piste.

[Ron]

yes!  If you skid too much or even try to carve too tightly, the snow will just kick your ass!  gotta be slicing through it, speed is your friend, Too many try to cut speed or slow down too much in the heavy crudded up stuff. here's a great place to use the forwardagonal approach to realyl using a strong counter to pull/drive your skis through the crappy stuff.