| Multi function clothing has arrived. Check out the kenpo
ipod jacket. Oakley's thump
are sunglasses with a built in MP3 player. |
| Air Boards - these
are already on the slopes at some ski resorts |
| Battery powered "wax" to slow down or speed up
skis? Check out Dartmouth College's Ice Research Laboratory report on Ski
Friction Control. |
|
| Cat skiing and
riding at Alta! And Snowboarders are allowed!!! |
| There's a new resort in Colorado called Silverton.
It's near Red Mountain pass in Southwest Colorado. Lift tickets are
$25/day. One chairlift. Expert only terrain, beacon, probe and shovel
required. 2002 season is guided groups only at $99/day. |
| New base materials are using composites impregnated into
the p-tex to increase strength and durability. Some of the materials are
indium, gallium, graphite and ceramics. Another benefit for racers is that
snow friction is reduced (i.e. ski go fast). |
| Avalung has come out
with a $100 model. This thing extracts oxygen from the snowpack in case
you are buried in an avalanche. The avalung 2 is more like a snorkel,
while the original version was a vest model that you had to wear as
the external layer (btw STP has
it on sale for $60!) |
| Burton has introduced a combination snowboard/skateboard
called the junkyard |
| A new snow toy is called the Gravity Cart (at Big Sky, Park
City and Vail in 2001-2002). It's a bucket seat sit down thing, with a
snowboard under the middle, four little outrigger skis and a claw braking
system. (skiing mag - Dec 2001, page 50) |
| Speaking of new toys - here's the WindSki.
It's like windsurfing on snow! |
| The ASTM has introduced new helmet standards to take effect
in the 2001 - 2002 season. These standards will require more protection
than the current standard, but will still be less than the current
European standard (which Rusty thinks is a good thing). Rusty thought
there would be big
sales on helmets, but has not seen any. Check out Rusty's tips on
helmets (Why wear a helmet, buying
a helmet). |
|
American Ski Company has a new Graduated Learning Method methodology that involves
short skis. It's a little like the old Graduated Length Method, but it is based on shape
ski technology and is focused on the total learning experience that includes a separate
lodge for first time skiers. It sounds like a good thing. If you or someone you know has
tried this program please send me email describing
your experience.
|
|
| Most people have heard of GoreTex by now. But new fabrics
and clothing technologies are being invented all the time. Rusty loves the
Outlast in his Boeri helmet. Some ski
stores have little demo bottles of the stuff. It's cool. Vphenix
(site under construction) has new fabric called Diaplex that is heat
activated so that when it is cold, it traps body heat, when you get hot,
it lets heat and moisture escape while remaining waterproof. |
