SKIING SHAPES UP

                                         (RECREATIONAL NEWS WIRE, 10/22/98)--Hollywood
                                         grip and zealous Salt Lake skier James Kerr felt like
                                         quitting after his first experience with "shaped" skis.

                                         "I jumped on hourglass parabolics the minute they came
                                         out and set my skiing back years. I hated them," he recalls.
                                         "I chalked it up as more bogus hype from the ski industry. I
                                         stayed away for another two seasons."

                                         The most significant technological advance since the
                                         introduction of plastic boots 35 years ago has transformed
                                         the sport from an intimidating athletic endeavor to a leisure
                                         pursuit more like a wintry theme-park ride than the survival
                                         exercise cum grand prix race it has too often seemed. The
                                         ride, however, is not entirely without bumps.

                                         Ski design has changed, rendering turning, stopping and
                                         overall control easier than was possible with old-fashioned,
                                         straight-sided--or "pencil"--skis. The new design paradigm
                                         launched the so-called shape revolution three seasons
                                         back, although the industry has thus far managed to
                                         maintain but mediocre momentum.

                                         Shaped skis sport wide tips and tails, linked by curvy
                                         hourglass sidecuts that do most of the turning work.
                                         Bottom line: Skiers experience a flattened learning curve.
                                         High-performance skiing becomes accessible to all but the
                                         most severely gumption-challenged. If this sounds familiar,
                                         it's because the scenario is very like that of golf during the
                                         introduction of large-headed drivers. But there are
                                         differences.

                                         Golf enjoys continuing growth, in part because new
                                         equipment makes the game easier. Shaped skis make
                                         skiing easier and in a more physically challenging
                                         environment--that's you flying down the course, not some
                                         ball--yet skiing participation remains static, technology
                                         avalanche notwithstanding.

                                         Despite on-going storms of hype in special-interest press,
                                         the industry has thus far failed to convince a majority of
                                         skiers and would-be skiers that shape technology makes
                                         the sport easier.

                                         One regrettable notion making the rounds is that the new
                                         skis demand new technique. Advanced skiers are loath to
                                         change technical styles; they like how they ski. In fact, 80
                                         percent of skiers above entry level avoid ski school with a
                                         passion. Certain to benefit from shape technology are
                                         first-time skiers who in the bad old days often quailed
                                         before skiing's technical demands; nearly 50 percent never
                                         returned after the first lesson. Shape technology holds
                                         promise for both groups and everyone in between.

                                         More Than One Shape
                                         Just as skiers vary in skill, technique and zeal, so are there
                                         various ski shapes. The trick is to discover the right one.

                                         Kerr's experience is all too typically that of strong skiers
                                         who have become shape skeptics. "Finally, I got on
                                         Atomic's BetaCarvX. My skiing improved immediately and
                                         I'm at a level now I never figured I'd reach. My skiing
                                         hasn't changed; it just keeps getting better."

                                         Bill Bendel, Atomic's vice president of sales, describes the
                                         Beta models as "ski improvement products."

                                         "We concentrate on making products that enhance the
                                         experience from the first moment as well as promote
                                         technical improvement," he said.

                                         It is axiomatic that the best skiers have the most fun. They
                                         go everywhere on the mountain, at any speed and in any
                                         condition. Few experiences in sport equal the sensation of
                                         riding through the arc of a perfect, high-speed carve, save
                                         perhaps the feelings skydivers enjoy in the moments of
                                         free fall, before the chute opens. The difference is that
                                         nowadays, virtually anyone can learn to carve and carving
                                         is skiing's Holy Grail.

                                         Skiing is about turning and the skier can make a turn in
                                         three distinct ways. In a carve, the steel edge of the ski
                                         slices forward through the snow at a steep angle, like a
                                         knife arcing through whipped cream. There is virtually no
                                         lateral movement across the snow, the ski tail follows the
                                         path inscribed by the tip.

                                         At the other end of the efficiency spectrum is the sliding
                                         turn in which skis sit flat on top of the snow and the turn is
                                         created as the base slides across the snow. Skidding,
                                         which most skiers use most of the time, is a combination of
                                         carving and sliding.

                                         It is very difficult to carve turns on old-fashioned skis with
                                         shallow sidecuts. The secret of the new deep-sidecut skis
                                         is that recreational skiers can carve turns at speeds much
                                         lower than racers use to carve on traditional skis. But,
                                         there's a catch. Even with the aid of the new sidecuts, a
                                         skier can't carve until he or she has learned how to carve.

                                         And therein lies the principal problem for the ski industry
                                         and skiers alike.

                                         Choosing the Right Shape
                                         The first super shapes had extremely deep sidecuts; they
                                         resembled barbells with bulbous tips and tails and wasp
                                         waists underfoot. The technical elite, who know how to
                                         carve, loved them right away. They allowed good skiers to
                                         achieve race-like carving sensations, but at area-legal
                                         speeds.

                                         Beginners and casual skiers liked early super shapes, too.
                                         The extreme sidecut made turning a flat ski easier than
                                         ever before. But the 80 percent of skiers in the middle, the
                                         vast majority of recreational skis, whose fundamental turn
                                         is the workhorse skid, found them all but uncontrollable.
                                         Radical shapes like to carve, or to slide flat across the
                                         snow, but do not respond well to skidding. Finding the right
                                         shape for your style and ability is crucial.

                                         This is not as difficult as it may seem. Manufacturers have
                                         settled on three basic shapes and one variation. The rule of
                                         thumb: the more skilled the skier, the wider the choice of
                                         shapes. Experts can use any shape; beginners should stick
                                         with the single shape that makes life easier right away.

                                         Radical shapes, with strikingly deep sidecuts, work well for
                                         learners and casual skiers who are unlikely to invest time
                                         to climb the ability ladder. Intermediate and advanced
                                         skiers, who depend on skidded turns, prefer moderate
                                         shapes with less dramatic sidecuts. This middle-of-the-trail
                                         design facilitates skidding and helps the skier learn basic
                                         carving skills without fighting a bucking bronco, especially
                                         on hard snow.

                                         Experts choose the tool for the job: radical sidecuts for
                                         extreme carving, more moderate race-derived designs for
                                         high-speed, groomed-snow arcing. Perhaps the most
                                         exciting new shape is the midfat, essentially a moderate
                                         sidecut on a wider-than-usual platform. Midfats carve like
                                         race skis on the groomed and float like dedicated powder
                                         skis in deeper snow and may be the first skis truly worthy
                                         of "all terrain" classification.

                                         Of course, within the basic shapes are variations in
                                         stiffness, length and construction that differentiate one
                                         performance level from another. In the end, it is still
                                         necessary to test a variety of models to pick out the
                                         perfect one. Most skiers can find test opportunities at local
                                         areas, increasingly within ski schools themselves, and most
                                         specialty retail shops organize on-snow demo programs
                                         throughout the season.

                                         Any shaped ski is guaranteed to change your skiing one
                                         way or the other; the right one can revolutionize it.

                                         Writer's Bio:
                                         Keelty is a contributing editor to Inside Tracks skier
                                         newsletter and technical columnist for AMI On The Snow
                                         website www.aminews.com. His background includes
                                         stints as Product Manager for Salomon, consultant to
                                         Lange, Superfeet In Shoe Systems and the PRE Ski
                                         Company. He is best known for his innovative ski
                                         equipment test using real-world skiers rather than
                                         professional ski testers.