Why don't ski dimensions change with size?

tedmgee

tedmgee

Active member
A question just popped up and maybe some people can enlighten me.

So ski models come in a few different sizes to fit different people. But why don't the tip/waist/tail widths change also? I feel like a 171 skis that has the same dimension as the 181 model would ski/feel differently.

So why not reduce the dimensions proportionately to the length difference.

My first thought was the cost and time it would take is much more so companys opt out.

So did I just answer my own question?
 
13551282:tedmgee said:
Oh haha, I'm the opposite. I've only noticed a few that changed
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I think fatter skis change while thinner skis dont. recently ive been looking at fatter skis so ive noticed it alot but skis that are like 80-90 underfoot i dont think change as often
 
It depends on the model or the brand. The Salomon foil, from a few years ago, did change the dimensions of the ski, so that each length would have the same arc radius. But most skis are sold with the waist size being in the name of the model, so that means you could really only change the tip and the tail, and now you have to do a lot of math to figure out what is the right shape (imagine how wide the tip would have to be on the Volkl Three in its longest length to get it to have the same turn radius as its shortest length)

OR you could just make the ski the same dimensions across the different lengths and the only real drawback will be the difference in turnin radius. And the benefit is that you save a lot of R and D money
 
13551249:BenFrost said:
they almost all do change only a few i have encountered dont
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Women's skis are so fucked with this.

Faction, Line, Rossi, Moment, Liberty, K2, and Icelantic all have like the same dimensions throughout sizes(women's skis at least). And considering most women's skis are designed based off a guys ski it just distorts the sidecut more and more as you scale up and down from the intended length of the ski. So longer skis and shorter skis may ski very different from the median length. Which kind of sucks. You can be riding a ski that is completely different from the intended design. So fuck that.
 
13551483:Mingg said:
Women's skis are so fucked with this.

Faction, Line, Rossi, Moment, Liberty, K2, and Icelantic all have like the same dimensions throughout sizes(women's skis at least). And considering most women's skis are designed based off a guys ski it just distorts the sidecut more and more as you scale up and down from the intended length of the ski. So longer skis and shorter skis may ski very different from the median length. Which kind of sucks. You can be riding a ski that is completely different from the intended design. So fuck that.
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just buy dude skis
 
13551523:brett_fisher said:
just buy dude skis
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Well I could do that! But that doesn't change the fact that I ski 160-165cm skis and the average ski is between 175-180. So that is the length companies are going to design and then scale up and down from there. So yeah, I could buy a mens ski but it's just going to be distorted either way. Unless you're a dope company like on3p or armada and others who resize their tips and tail so the ski is proportional to it's original design!
 
13551552:Mingg said:
Well I could do that! But that doesn't change the fact that I ski 160-165cm skis and the average ski is between 175-180. So that is the length companies are going to design and then scale up and down from there. So yeah, I could buy a mens ski but it's just going to be distorted either way. Unless you're a dope company like on3p or armada and others who resize their tips and tail so the ski is proportional to it's original design!
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i'm sure i heard a while back that marker and k2 plus the other ski brands it works with did a bunch of research with a university about womens skis/binding setups and what works for women. they have changed the cores of their skis and the dimensions to suit women riders now i believe

i feel tom may know something about this
 
13552188:.Roockley. said:
i'm sure i heard a while back that marker and k2 plus the other ski brands it works with did a bunch of research with a university about womens skis/binding setups and what works for women. they have changed the cores of their skis and the dimensions to suit women riders now i believe

i feel tom may know something about this
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Oh word! I'm not sure if that affects it much. But from what I know, when you keep the tip, waist, and tail dimensions equal but increase/decrease the length of the ski the sidecut gets distorted which can change the way a ski feels. Just an example of the many women's skis that do this:

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So as you can see, there are a lot...
 
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