The high-tech world of skis

Let’s take a break from business technology and celebrate the snow! Wow – what a fantastic opening season! We’ll take a look at ski technology for this week’s topic.

Skis and snowboards have benefited greatly from advancement in high-tech modern materials, some manufacturers even incorporate microchip technology, to the great advantage of us wanna-be super-hero powder hounds and weekend warriors. Thanks to these advancements in technology, it is now easier than ever to ski or snowboard like a pro. It goes without saying that since the advent of “shaped” skis, a design innovation evolved from snowboard design, beginners more rapidly become intermediates, and intermediates more readily master the perfect carved turn.

Head Ski Co seems like one of the top technology innovators, and also happens to be one of my favorite ski manufacturers. Head has a few key technologies worth highlighting, namely Intelligence technology, incorporating “smart” fibers, a microchip in the premium models, Liquid Metal and SuperFrame construction. According to Head’s website, the Intellifiber technology is a kind of energy feedback system. The fibers react to mechanical energy; the flex of the ski can generate up to 400 volts of electrical energy, and this energy is fed back into the fibers, causing them to stiffen, thereby reducing torsional flex and increasing edge grip with the snow. Head’s premium ski models also incorporate a microchip, whereby the electrical energy produced by the Intellifibers is not just recycled, but accumulated and released bit by bit through a pre-programmed chip – individually timed to match the oscillation properties of the ski.

To describe Liquidmetal technology, Head’s website gives us a physics lesson, and describes the differences between water and ice as a way to describe how Liquidmetal works. Quoting directly from the site, “Water and ice are the same material – H2O. Water is H2O’s liquid state, ice is the solid state. The molecules in ice are in a fixed array, with more distance between the molecules and thus, less dense than the free-moving molecules in water.” Presumably, this means that Liquidmetal has a liquid-like molecular structure which cannot break, and does not break down with use.

It is highly unlikely that the average skier is consciously aware of all these physics principles at work while blasting down the couloirs, or racing down the groomers, but if the sport is easier and more pleasurable as a result, who cares? Expert skiers can feel the difference this technology provides, and will settle for nothing less. It’s kind of like the increasingly popular “active handling” of modern cars, perhaps not noticeable to the average driver, however indispensable to the driver who likes to push the limits.

Most ski manufacturers now integrate ski design with binding design, and nearly all ski models now have a “floating” binding bed. Instead of simply bolting the toe and heel of the bindings directly to the ski, which until recently was the norm, modern bindings are secured with a single screw in the center. The toe and heal slide on a rail as the ski flexes, allowing the ski to maintain a perfect arced shape as load is placed on the ski, providing a superior carve.

Go grab a set of these fantastic, modern boards, and shred like never before!