- The first downhill skis looked very different from those of the present. Skis were made of wood and originated in the Nordic areas of Sweden and Norway where people used long skis to get from one place to the next. Skis were a travel necessity transformed into a luxury and extreme sport. The first Winter Olympic Games were held in 1924, but races had been held in Europe since the 1880s. The modern alpine racing most are familiar with did not come about until the 1950s. With these advancements the physical make of the downhill ski began to change from wood to a laminated ski with a wood core, Cellulix bases and then P-tex bases and the preferred tension-release bindings.
- The types and designs of skis have multiplied, ski movies have become huge and many jobs have been created through this ski industry at resorts, making and designing skis and running competitions. An industry has been formed but underneath it all the motive and interest is the same as the first famous downhill racers. Stein Eriksen, Jean-Claude Killy and Ingemar Stenmark were taken by the irreplaceable rush of gliding over snow and speeding down beautiful mountains.
- To enable descent down steep slopes, through trees, down big lines and these days over jumps and rails, a lot of strategic engineering goes into the making of skis. Skis made and tuned specially for slalom racing can allow a racer to reach deathly speeds of over 80 miles an hour. Skis made with extra wide bases can float skiers in waste-deep powder snow.
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Women's alpine touring skisThere are three main types of downhill skis. Alpine which can include racing, telemark or free heel and alpine touring. Alpine skis are fitted with a tension-release binding. This means that the stiff plastic boots are secured into the binding unless an adequate amount of torsion forces the skis to "pop" off. This is a safety measure during crashes. Telemark skis are mainly different in their bindings which allow the heel of the skier's boot to rise up during turns down the mountain resulting in a more fluid movement. Alpine touring are similar in the boards but this binding allows a skiers boot heel to free up when hiking or "skinning" up a mountain and then lock down for a regular alpine descent. - Skis used for back country usually need a softer flex compared to those used on groomed trails. All downhill skis have tips that curve slightly up at the ends with more curve on the front end and a base that narrows at the midpoint. There are all sorts of waxes for ski bases to improve performance. Edges are kept tuned and sharp to allow optimal carving in all conditions.
- Skis come in all sizes from little tyke skis to big man, big mountain skis. The average male skier has a pair of 160cm to 180cm skis and the average female skier has a pair of 140cm to 160cm and maybe a second pair of longer and wider or 'fat' powder skis for those days it dumps several feet of snow or if they choose to go in the back country. It can be much harder to maneuver fat skis, unless the skier is experienced and maintains strong leg muscles.
- Skis aren't just for the groomed run--with skill they have the potential to take you through huge terrain. People have skied Everest and Denali, over snow and ice fields, even the army uses them in certain areas. Extreme skiing as it is known, often involves the skiers being dropped off by helicopter on top of a huge back country mountain. New technology in bindings, boots and skis constantly allows extreme skiers to push the envelope.
