Decade

Duct Tape

DECADE

If you want to prove that Darwin was right about evolution (and don’t we all; thankfully, he didn’t call his theory “progression”), forget about fossils and look no further than what’s happened to ski equipment in the 10 years since SKIER has been keeping track. Dare we make a comparison between the offerings in issues 1.1 and 10.1, and drag in an expert like Mike Douglas to comment? We dare. —Penny Buswell

SKIS

Then: “In today’s skis, the

desired size is short and fat,” announced SKIER, perhaps in comparison to the downhill skate-skis still sadly lodged in recent memory. Twin-tips were a “trend,” while the women’s category was going off—the K2 T:Nine series, Volant’s women’s sidecut, and Volkl shilling something “20 per cent lighter and 20 per cent softer” (and probably 20 per cent pinker with floral design). Nevertheless, SKIER only included one photo of a women’s ski in the entire Gear Guide. As for graphics: “You can have any colour you want, as long as it’s grey...”

Now: As in the rest of North America, obesity rules skiing. Fat skis are huge—literally and figuratively—and growing in both dimensions and popularity. There’s also something called “rocker” that apparently has nothing to do with your grandmother’s chair. It’s everywhere, and if it’s snowing as you read this you’ve probably got it on your feet right now. Oh, and there’s more selection: in 2001 there were 34 skis in the Gear Guide compared to 185 skis in this Buyers’ Guide. Are there more skis out there or did we finally get a clue? Don’t answer.

Douglas says: “The biggest shift is the popularity of rockered fat skis. Ten years ago that was viewed as something weird, wacky and way in the future. Now almost every manufacturer makes something with rocker.”

BOOTS

Then: Manufacturers were just starting to convince skiers that “skiing doesn’t have to hurt” with “custom liners and dual-density, multi-injection shells.” Fourteen out

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skier

of 20 boots featured were grey, and most looked like they’d been cut off of a 1984 Transformer toy.

Now: Boots look similar, but that’s fine, because so do feet.

Plus, Megan Fox has made Transformers popular again.

Manufacturers are still boasting about custom foot-beds (like, god forbid they were ever included), and have made two vs. four buckles the same kind of option as a power strap vs. general weakness.

Reluctant to mess with colour, boots can now be bought in both opaque and transparent grey.

Ground-breaking stuff.

Douglas says: “The biggest trend is towards the touring end of things: more high-tech hybrids between touring and regular alpine boots. There’s also the rise of specific park boots; racing isn’t dictating boots anymore.”

BINDINGS

Then: “Free-flex” bindings and “ski, boot and bindings that work together” were innovations.

Now: Bindings now incorporate colours and materials previously unknown to mankind. Nice.

Although, now there is an almost constant search for wider brakes.

Douglas says: “Not much has changed, except Marker rules on alpine touring bindings—it’s the only serious technical breakthrough in the last decade.”

OUTERWEAR

Then: In 2001, every piece of outerwear was decorated with a good, thick stripe in a classic colour (like grey). Skiing and rap music had yet to copulate: skiing was a sport, music was music, and most rap was the kind of head-nodding garbage you only

Lepage photo

listened to when you were drunk or executing a drive-by shooting. Enjoying skiing+rap involved carrying a portable CD player that skipped tracks on every bump; after October 2001, however, you could go gangsta legitimately and listen to A-rap, B-rap, and, mostly C-rap on a first-generation iPod (though the battery lasted about five minutes on the mountain).

Now: Because we’re on the mountain all day now (bell-to-bell, yo), we care a lot more about functionality, though style is still king. The digital age has made skiers more photo savvy: we like bright colours that show up well in our friend’s Facebook phone photos and self-indulgent helmet cam videos. Park skiers like tall Ts (WTF?) and muumuu hoodies that finish below the ankle. (On the plus side these will still fit if they gain 100 kilos as adults).

Douglas says: “Fashion comes and goes, so skiing’s look has obviously changed. I’d say overall, performance outerwear is getting lighter and less chunky. All the

high-end jackets are wired for iPods and cell phones and that kind of stuff.”

ACCESSORIES

Then: There was nothing greater than the feeling of cold air through our hair/shitty toques. On a sunny day we’d all work on our natural highlights in sunglasses, and SPF factor 2.

Now: After 10 years of sun and windburn, we’re covering up with giant goggles and face bandanas.

Or is that just the gangsta jib scene? And because we seriously value the money our parents spent on braces, we wear full-face helmets to avoid wildly swinging Tbars and other mountain hazards.

Douglas says: “The biggest change is helmet technology. Ten years ago helmets were based on motorcycle helmets, and so they were pretty geeky and clunky.

Now they’re lightweight, comfy and the norm. I’m kind of old school and never used to wear a helmet—now I always wear one."