The RS1 Ski - Hinged ski design - this is an interesting concept

[speden]

I asked the guy creating them on LinkedIn and he told me they are not designed for moguls, and reinforced the beginner / intermediate intent. I'd like to hear his take in more detail on the physics of it and why he thinks this helps.

It would be interesting to hear the physics behind it. Just from looking at the video it does seem like it would be very useful for beginners. For beginners they want to be able to quickly change the direction their skis are pointed, but they don't know how to flatten their skis to get off the edges to allow that. With a flexible tail, it might free up the skis for quick panic steering adjustments to control speed. Beginners also have trouble coordinating their two skis, so if one ski is aimed wrong, the tail could flex out and perhaps prevent them from crossing their skis and crashing.

I would think the loose tail would make carving more difficult, but beginners and casual skiers probably won't be carving turns anyway, and will generally be using skidded turns until they get more experience.

For more experienced skiers, this might allow them to use a longer length of ski than they otherwise would. I find that when I use a ski that's too long for me, the tails seem to drag and catch on the snow when I do skid turns (not that I consider myself an experienced skier ).

They should get better pictures of the ski though. When I first saw it I thought the front of the skis was hinged, which made no sense. Only after I read the posts did I see that it was actually the tails that are hinged.

 

[Nick]

They should get better pictures of the ski though. When I first saw it I thought the front of the skis was hinged, which made no sense. Only after I read the posts did I see that it was actually the tails that are hinged.

Good point on the photos, I noticed that as well at first.

 

[marcski]

Why not just learn how to ski?

 

[Nick]

I dunno I'm interested in hearing the guys take. I admit I'm skeptical as well (it just looks like "too much"), but you never know. I'm sure the first guy who decided clipless pedals on a mountain bike were a good idea probably was lambasted also :lol:

 

[jaja111]

They look like something from "The Jerk". Its gotta be a gag.

 

[JimG.]

I asked the guy creating them on LinkedIn and he told me they are not designed for moguls, and reinforced the beginner / intermediate intent. I'd like to hear his take in more detail on the physics of it and why he thinks this helps.

I was going to comment on mogul skiing.

This reminds me of the hinged golf club that is supposed to help golfers hit the ball straighter and longer. That device works I'm told. Not so sure about this idea.

 

[RS1SKI]

Hi everyone from Alpine Zone, thanks for all your comments, really appreciated. Firstly, I'm not the inventor but I stumbled upon the RS1 last year and started skiing on it, helping to test it out and writing about it. I have tried to answer some questions on a new post on the RS1 website (www.rs1ski.com). The crucial thing is that it is aimed at beginners and entry level intermediate skiers. Also, the tail is not loose at all and the spring inside the unit ensures the tail always goes back to the middle if the skis run straight. There are two main functions in my opinion, 1. making turn initiation easier and 2. making steering of the inside ski from wedge to parallel easier, after that, the skis feel generally smooth to ski on and the tail supports you completely. In fact, the tail has been developed so that there is pressure applied downwards to keep snow contact at all time, obviously a crucial element for the ski to perform well.

Hopefully will get some more info up on the site very soon. Comments regarding the video have been noted and we are working on a better version. But, I don't want to remove anything because of those comments - it was just meant to be a story about where we are with the project at this time.

Thanks again

 

[JimG.]

2. making steering of the inside ski from wedge to parallel easier, after that, the skis feel generally smooth to ski on and the tail supports you completely. In fact, the tail has been developed so that there is pressure applied downwards to keep snow contact at all time, obviously a crucial element for the ski to perform well.

2 makes sense to me.

Is the downwards pressure you describe due to camber or something else?

 

[RS1SKI]

Hi JimG, the down pressure is not to do with the camber but simply a reinforced plate that pushes down on the tail. This counter acts the upwards pressure on the tail itself. Please understand that this is how it has been constructed in a prototype model and ensures the basic principle is applied. In a manufacturing situation the construction could be further improved to maximize weight efficiency etc. Hope that helps.

 

[JimG.]

Hi JimG, the down pressure is not to do with the camber but simply a reinforced plate that pushes down on the tail. This counter acts the upwards pressure on the tail itself. Please understand that this is how it has been constructed in a prototype model and ensures the basic principle is applied. In a manufacturing situation the construction could be further improved to maximize weight efficiency etc. Hope that helps.

That's what I figured.

 

[deadheadskier]

RS1SKI

First, let me apologize for my, "Does RS mean Real Stupid?" comment. I may think your concept is way beyond the left field foul pole, but I commend you for trying to create a product that might get more 1st timers to take to the sport.

What I question is do we really need a "revolution" in beginner ski design? Equipment technology has grown leaps and bounds over the past 15 years. From better outerwear to easier turning skis to more comfortable boots, it would appear to me that very little is needed regarding equipment advancements to make a beginners time more enjoyable on the slopes.

For your sake, I hope I'm wrong, but with all the great equipment out there right now, I feel that there's minimal market for a product like yours. I think years ago, poor equipment was a barrier for entry to the sport, but not today. Today, I'd say the primary barriers limiting growth of the sport are cost of equipment and participation.

Guess I just want to hear about your market goals for this product when skeptics like me don't think a market exists.

Best of Luck to you and your venture!

 

[JimG.]

RS1SKI

First, let me apologize for my, "Does RS mean Real Stupid?" comment. I may think your concept is way beyond the left field foul pole, but I commend you for trying to create a product that might get more 1st timers to take to the sport.

What I question is do we really need a "revolution" in beginner ski design? Equipment technology has grown leaps and bounds over the past 15 years. From better outerwear to easier turning skis to more comfortable boots, it would appear to me that very little is needed regarding equipment advancements to make a beginners time more enjoyable on the slopes.

For your sake, I hope I'm wrong, but with all the great equipment out there right now, I feel that there's minimal market for a product like yours. I think years ago, poor equipment was a barrier for entry to the sport, but not today. Today, I'd say the primary barriers limiting growth of the sport are cost of equipment and participation.

Guess I just want to hear about your market goals for this product when skeptics like me don't think a market exists.

Best of Luck to you and your venture!

DHS, if there is room for new types of equipment, this very small window of learning (wedge-wedge christie-open stance parallel) is the area most learners have the most difficulty with and is often the plateau at which skiers get stuck. For that reason only I find this concept interesting and perhaps very useful.

 

[RS1SKI]

RS1SKI

First, let me apologize for my, "Does RS mean Real Stupid?" comment. I may think your concept is way beyond the left field foul pole, but I commend you for trying to create a product that might get more 1st timers to take to the sport.

What I question is do we really need a "revolution" in beginner ski design? Equipment technology has grown leaps and bounds over the past 15 years. From better outerwear to easier turning skis to more comfortable boots, it would appear to me that very little is needed regarding equipment advancements to make a beginners time more enjoyable on the slopes.

For your sake, I hope I'm wrong, but with all the great equipment out there right now, I feel that there's minimal market for a product like yours. I think years ago, poor equipment was a barrier for entry to the sport, but not today. Today, I'd say the primary barriers limiting growth of the sport are cost of equipment and participation.

Guess I just want to hear about your market goals for this product when skeptics like me don't think a market exists.

Best of Luck to you and your venture!

Hi, no offense taken....your points are valid, but I would say that if we simply stood still and said, 'skis are great, why do anything else', then we would not have great skis in the first place.

I agree with your statement about barriers to the sport, but again it's not a reason to stand still with equipment, yes skis today are easier to turn (rocker etc) but this element is designed also to aid steering of the inside ski, which I'm not sure right now anything else can do.

I just hope that the industry will support a product that is trying to encourage new skiers to come into the sport as it has been on the decline for many years (we are UK / Euro based, but lack of new skiers is not limited to here). Yes, there are other challenges to that like you say (even harder in the UK for example with cost of travel / exchange rates).

Hope that helps...

 

[Nick]

I think as more experienced skiers here we are initially skeptical of anything like this ... until there is a release that can be actually tested or skied on it's hard to say how it will or won't work. I agree like many my initial reaction was and still might be skeptical, but I am open minded about the possibility it could work for beginner skiers.

One thing I do wonder is if this makes the transition to non-beginner skies more complex, or causes any form or posture issues that will need to be unlearned later.

From a sales perspective, one thing that I think will be difficult is convincing people to purchase a ski that is inherently designed to be used for an initial period only, a good target market for this might be ski schools instead of personal consumption.

I don't really know "how far" the skis are expected to go .... in other words how long until a skier is ready to make the switch to a more typical ski?

 

[JimG.]

I think as more experienced skiers here we are initially skeptical of anything like this ... until there is a release that can be actually tested or skied on it's hard to say how it will or won't work. I agree like many my initial reaction was and still might be skeptical, but I am open minded about the possibility it could work for beginner skiers.

One thing I do wonder is if this makes the transition to non-beginner skies more complex, or causes any form or posture issues that will need to be unlearned later.

From a sales perspective, one thing that I think will be difficult is convincing people to purchase a ski that is inherently designed to be used for an initial period only, a good target market for this might be ski schools instead of personal consumption.

I don't really know "how far" the skis are expected to go .... in other words how long until a skier is ready to make the switch to a more typical ski?

I believe ski schools would be the target market for these...they are a tool for learning, not high level skiing.

 

[SkiDork]

Just remember, sidecut was thought to be stupid/for beginners only when it first appeared...

 

[Nick]

Some interesting commentary on these on LinkedIn concerning the supposed development cost, etc. .... after getting some feature by Unofficial I'm pretty interested in seeing where this goes.

 

[Nick]

Check out this article on PlanetSki

http://www.planetski.eu/news/4319

Guy is actually very positive about the ski concept.

I was amazed to feel the difference in the very first turn I made on the RS1 skis.

Initiating a turn felt very natural and was much easier than on conventional skis, quite simply because the tail unit starts to move as soon as you start to turn.

After a couple of runs of pretending to be an absolute beginner, I changed into the intermediate version of the RS1 skis and imagined that I was now moving into the "plough parallel" phase of my skiing.

This is often a frustrating phase of development for many beginners as they desperately try to leave their snowploughing days behind and become parallel skiers.


Once again I was amazed at how the RS1s facilitate the steering of the inner ski.


Very often, at this stage of their skiing development, skiers will try to force their inner ski to turn or even lift it.


Obviously the skier will still need to work on stretching and bending his legs in order to apply pressure to the ski even when using the RS1s, but the inner ski will glide into place much more smoothly and naturally.


I thought it was important to do a couple of runs using conventional rental skis next, just so that I could make a direct comparison, and I can categorically state that after using the RS1 skis, the regular skis felt very rigid and unresponsive.

 

[Nick]

Some fresh pics are up on their site -- http://www.rs1ski.com/?goback=.gde_104817_member_159362374