Since your gear works in harmony with your muscles, fluid, efficient skiing requires choosing the most appropriate equipment for your height, weight, terrain choice, skill set and body type. Your ski equipment forms a communication network between your body's movements and the snow. It must therefore help you sense the terrain, and enable your body to respond with the most appropriate movements. Your different pieces of equipment must complement each other. Flexible beginner boots, for example, will not work well with a stiff, expert ski.
Ski Boot Benefits
Your feet initiate most skiing movements, making your boots the most important piece of ski equipment. Different ski boots suit different types of terrain. Beginner boots are more flexible than intermediate and expert boots. Racers must make fast, tight turns, and therefore use boots whose stiffness would be uncomfortable for most recreational skiers.
Ski Identification
Your ski's unique features are specific to their function. A carving ski will be stiff and shapely, allowing a skier to place her skis on edge and perform quick, tightly-carved turns, whereas a powder ski will be more flexible and have a wider waist, enabling the skier to float on top of the powder. A racing ski is a stiffer version of a powder ski and a twin-tipped ski is curved at tip and tail, enabling forward and backward skiing in the terrain park and half-pipe. Smaller, slimmer women should consider female-specific skis, with forward-mounting bindings and heel lifts that accommodate a woman's lower center of gravity.
Pole Function
Some instructors compare ski poles to a cat's whiskers. Skiers use poles to sense the terrain and make the right movement choices. Powder ski poles have wider baskets, which prevents them from getting stuck in the deep snow. If you watch the Winter Olympics, you might notice that racers use bent ski poles. These poles are more aerodynamic than traditional ski poles, which means that they resist wind drag.
Ski Binding Safety
Your bindings connect your boots to your skis. They have a DIN or release setting, which relates to the skier's proficiency level and terrain preferences. A higher DIN setting means that the bindings will be less likely to release during a fall. This is important for powder skiers. A ski released in powder may be impossible to find. High DIN settings are also important for steep terrain. If the binding releases, the ski may slide uncontrollably down the hill. Beginners and less aggressive skiers may have a lower DIN setting. This means that the binding will easily release.
Ski Pant Considerations
While skis, bindings and boots are the major pieces of ski equipment, ski clothing is also crucial to comfort and efficient skiing. Stretch pants, which tuck inside the boot, are an example. Ski filmmaker Warren Miller blames the demise of stretch pants on skiing's diminishing popularity. While stretch pants may be sexier than functional ski-wear, Miller's statement does not consider skier comfort. Modern ski pants have a two-layer design. The pants fit over the ski boots, and function like a shower curtain, preventing water and snow from entering your boots. Stretch pants do not provide that type of protection. They also interfere with proper boot fit, and improper boot fit impedes technique.
Ski Glove and Jacket Features
Proper ski jackets also complement ski skills. They are wind resistant, and feature special lift-tickets attachments and zippered vents. Shorter jackets may be more stylish, but if you ski in places that have cold, wet chairlift seats, they may not be as comfortable. The wrong type of glove can impede poling technique. Choose warm but flexible gloves. Some ski gloves have wrist straps, which keep them secured when you remove them while riding the lifts. If you tend toward cold hands, choose gloves that have special pockets for hand warmers.
Injury Prevention Gear
Supplementary ski accessories, such as helmets and goggles, keep your head and face warm, protect your head from injury and protect your eyes from ultra violet damage. Your goggles must fit properly with your helmet. Avoid what ski town locals call "gaper gap," which is the gap between the rim of your helmet and the top of your goggles.
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