ALL ABOUT DOWNHILL SKIING


THE CONSTRUCTION OF ALPINE SKIING

  • The tail : this is the lower part of the ski, which is at the back of the binding. It is shaped differently according to your practice. For the piste, the heel is cut straight and the closer you get to a freeride practice, the more the heel is raised for better handling.
  • The waist : represents the width of the ski at the level of your arch. The narrower the skate, the better the maneuverability. On piste, the skate is rather thin but the closer you get to freeride, the wider the skate is for excellent stability and buoyancy.
  • The tip : this is the upper part of the ski, which is at the front of the binding. This one is different according to the discipline since it will be more or less wide, or more or less long. Indeed, for on-piste practice, the tip is moderately wide and not very raised, but the closer you get to freeride, the wider and higher the tip is for better handling and stability.


On the Alpinstore website you will find the graph below for each pair of skis, showing the three main dimensions. It will help you to select your pair of skis, according to the practice:

  • The edges: represent the grey/metallic part on each side of your ski. They allow you to make turns and carve curves. The more your ski will be inclined on your edge, the faster you will turn. On a long term, they require regular sharpening to keep this grip.
  • The sole: this is the part (often black) of your ski that is placed on the snow. It allows you to slide down the slopes. The flatter your ski will be, the faster you will go.
  • The radius: it is the radius of the circle that a ski can make on the edges. The higher the radius, the more you will make long turns and the smaller the radius, the more you will be able to make short turns. The radius, which characterizes the behavior of your ski in a cut turn, is often noted on the back of your ski, towards the heel.

THE DIFFERENT PRACTICES OF ALPINE SKIING

  • Downhill skiing : Downhill skiing is defined by descents on marked and groomed slopes. This practice, which is accessible to all, can be practiced by children as well as adults, from beginners to experts. To please the greatest number of people and meet all levels, there are four colors of piste: green/blue/red/black (from the easiest to the most difficult).

  • All mountain skiing : All mountain skiing is defined by descents on all types of terrain, whether on groomed slopes, the edge of the piste or off-piste. This practice, which also takes into account all types of snow, i.e. smooth, crusty, bumpy or fresh, is accessible from the intermediate level since it requires a minimum of technicality.

  • Freeride skiing : Freeride skiing is defined by descents on terrain where the snow is not groomed and often where there are no tracks. This practice, which is accessible for confirmed to expert levels, requires physical effort as well as technical skills. Since off-piste skiing is not secured, it is important to have notions or to know perfectly the environment as well as the security rules.

  • Freestyle skiing: Freestyle skiing is defined by the execution of jumps and tricks whether in snowparks or off-piste (backcountry). This acrobatic ski practice is like all other disciplines, accessible for all ages. 

THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF THE SKIER

  • Beginner: A beginner skier is a person who has never skied before or has skied very few times. This person will therefore make snowplough turns at low speed and then skidding. The terrain is obviously groomed and the difficulty of the slope is low (green and blue slopes).
  • Intermediate: An intermediate skier is a person who can handle variations in speed and slope, who still lacks coordination in his movements but who moves parallel skis on groomed slopes. He/she begins to look for terrain movements and new situations. The trails used by an intermediate skier: green, blue and red.
  • Advanced: An advanced skier is someone who is comfortable with their equipment, who controls their skis, their trajectory, their speed and changes in direction. This skier is looking to move away from the classic flow by descending on varied snow and steeper slopes. This skier is able to ski down all types of slopes such as green, blue, red and black.
  • Expert: An expert skier is a person who has a technical level that allows him/her to find pleasure in all situations (on and off-piste). Having good physical qualities, this skier performs well on all the different qualities of snow and on the different types of relief.

YOUR PAIR OF SKIS IS SELECTED ACCORDING TO THREE MAIN CRITERIA


YOUR PRACTICE 

Piste skis : To be an excellent skier on the slopes, your equipment must be adapted. Therefore, your pair of downhill skis must meet the following criteria:

  • A classic camber (ski/snow contact in tip and heel)
  • A narrow skate width (less than 85mm) in general for good skiability
  • A radius adapted to your desires (low for short bends / high for longer bends)
  • An excellent grip because the passage "edges to edges" is systematic.
  • Good handling to make all types of turns

Here, Alpinstore offers you a large choice of skis with the Rossignol and Dynastar brands.

All mountain skis : To have fun on all types of snow, it is imperative that your pair of skis is presented with ..:

  • A classic camber with a front rocker (spatula slightly raised) to facilitate turns on ungroomed snow.
  • A +/- wide width for good skiability/floatability in powder snow. The wider the ski is, the more pleasant it will be to handle in fresh snow but the more difficult it will be to turn it on the slopes (more difficult to hold and less good grip).
  • Versatility to be able to take you from anywhere, whatever the terrain.

Here, Alpinstore offers you a large choice of skis with the brands  BlizzardFischerK2Volkl and Zag

Freeride skis : A freeride ski must be perfectly suited to this crazy and committed practice. For that, your pair of skis must have :

  • A classic camber with rocker front/back OR a flat camber with rocker front/back OR an inverted camber.
  • A wide skate width (usually more than 110mm) for perfect skiability in powder snow.
  • A long enough length to be able to gain speed while remaining stable and to ensure excellent buoyancy in fresh snow.

Here, Alpinstore offers you a large choice of skis with the Black Crows and Faction brands.

Freestyle skis : To be able to jump and get laid, you need a pair of skis adapted to this practice and this one must :

  • Be bi spatulated for a good switch ride (backwards) OR have a classic camber with rocker front/backwards.
  • Have a narrower width for parks / wider for the backcountry
  • Be a little shorter (in size) than for other practices.

Here, Alpinstore offers you some models of freestyle skis, in the majority of its brands.


On the Alpinstore website, you will find the illustration below to help you understand the uses adapted to each pair of skis. Thanks to these stars, you will be able to find the ski you need, according to your practice and your desires.

YOUR LEVEL

  • Skis for a beginner skier : A beginner will first of all turn to a ski of slope to be able to evolve and to link turns on packed snow. This one must be flexible to be able to handle it easily, without too much physical effort. To have fun and keep good memories of skiing on the slopes, the ideal is to wear a "short" ski, i.e. smaller than your height, for excellent skiability.
  • Skis for intermediate skiers: An intermediate skier should equip himself with a pair of skis that will allow him to go a little faster and better control his trajectories. It is therefore always necessary to have a flexible ski for an easy piloting, short for a good skiability and a little more reactive to be able to go for bigger slopes.
  • Skis for confirmed skiers : A confirmed skier must choose his pair of skis according to his practice (piste, all mountain, freeride, freestyle) since the constructions and the shapes are different. The skid of the ski must be at least 80mm to 100mm for an all mountain practice. Here, it is important that the skier selects a dynamic pair of skis to get a good reactivity under the feet, on various terrains.
  • Skis for expert skiers: An expert skier must also select his pair of skis according to his practice and should ideally choose a skate width of at least 95mm to have fun in powder snow. The ski must of course be as reactive as possible, to be able to evolve on different reliefs and different snow.

YOUR SIZE

As you may have understood, the choice of the size of your ski depends on the practice but also on your level. To make your choice easier, Alpinstore offers you this table, which presents the ideal size of your pair of skis, according to the two main criteria.

Beginner Intermediate Confirmed Expert
Slopes 10 to 15cm less 10cm less your size to 5cm less your size to 5 cm less
Allmountain - 5 to 10cm less your size to 5cm less your size or more
Freeride - - 5 to 10cm more 5 to 15cm more
Freestyle - - your size to 5cm less your size to 5cm less

On the Alpinstore website, in the size guide of your skis (on each ski product sheet) you will find the illustration below to give you an idea of the ideal size you need, according to your level : 

TO SUMMARY


As you will have understood, the practice of skiing is complex because it takes into account many criteria. In order to choose the right pair of skis for you, here are the three things you need to define precisely:

  • Define your practice (piste, all mountain, freeride, freestyle) to be able to orient yourself towards a range of skis adapted to your needs. Because as we explained above, skis are different according to their activity.
  • Once you have defined your practice, it is important to evaluate your level. This will allow you to orient yourself on coherent models with either a greater rigidity for a maximum of dynamism, or a more flexible ski that will require less effort and technique to rotate it.
  • Then it's time to choose the ideal size of your pair of skis to please you all winter long. As explained several times, this will depend on your practice, your level and your size.

You know everything about skiing so go to Alpinstore to find the pair of skis that makes you dream. All schuss!

Find all our alpine skis and all our alpine packs (skis + bindings).