CA1060494A - Rearwardly controlled snow skis - Google Patents
Rearwardly controlled snow skisInfo
- Publication number
- CA1060494A CA1060494A CA269,409A CA269409A CA1060494A CA 1060494 A CA1060494 A CA 1060494A CA 269409 A CA269409 A CA 269409A CA 1060494 A CA1060494 A CA 1060494A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- ski
- skis
- pair
- rearwardly
- planing
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63C—SKATES; SKIS; ROLLER SKATES; DESIGN OR LAYOUT OF COURTS, RINKS OR THE LIKE
- A63C5/00—Skis or snowboards
- A63C5/02—Skis or snowboards collapsible; divided
Landscapes
- Footwear And Its Accessory, Manufacturing Method And Apparatuses (AREA)
Abstract
A B S T R A C T
A pair of rearwardly controlled snow skis for mounting ski bindings thereon and each including a relatively rigid weight bearing portion for mounting of ski bindings thereover, such ski projecting rearwardly from the binding to form a trailing portion extending behind the binding heel a distance no greater than 20% of the overall ski length. Each ski then projects forwardly of the binding toe to form a relatively flexible planing portion turned upwardly at the front extremity to form a shovel. The top and bottom surfaces of the planing portion taper gradually inwardly toward one another to form such planing portion to become progressively more flexible at the shovel, the overall length of such ski being at least 90 centimeters.
A pair of rearwardly controlled snow skis for mounting ski bindings thereon and each including a relatively rigid weight bearing portion for mounting of ski bindings thereover, such ski projecting rearwardly from the binding to form a trailing portion extending behind the binding heel a distance no greater than 20% of the overall ski length. Each ski then projects forwardly of the binding toe to form a relatively flexible planing portion turned upwardly at the front extremity to form a shovel. The top and bottom surfaces of the planing portion taper gradually inwardly toward one another to form such planing portion to become progressively more flexible at the shovel, the overall length of such ski being at least 90 centimeters.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention:
The rearwardly controlled snow ski of the present invention relates to a relatively short ski which enables the skier to practice a novel skiing - technique accommodating turns wherein the ski is essentially pivoted about the rear extremity of the ski.
Description of the Prior Art:
As described in my United States Patent No.
:~ 10 4,007,946 dated February 15, 1977, the evolution of ~kiing has led to current day parallel ~kiing wherein turns are accomplished in a number of different styles, one of which involves ahifting of the weight abruptly forwardly on the skis in order to swing the tails of the skis to one side about the more forward portion of the skis, thus accommodatingthe turn to the side opposite such one side. Other styles emphasize merely sliding the ~ tails of the skis away from the direction of the turn and 0 further styles even emphasize unweighting of the tips of the ski~ i* what is known a~ a '' jet tw n". Skis comr~only ulied in .
:lQ60494 - . . . - - . . .
these various styles of skiing generally incorporate a ski constructed of metal, fiber glass or the like to assume a ca~ber wherein the central portion of the ski is self-biased to a raised position elevated slightly from the opposite ends .. , _ . .. . . . . ....
of the ski and having mounted thereon bindings for receiving the skier's boots. Efforts have been made to simplify the teaching of skiing by a technique known as a graduated length method ~G~M~ wherein a skier initially begins on shorter skis, as for instance skis in the neighborhood of ~100 centimeters long and even shorter, and then advances to longer skis as his skills develop, such GLM skis being conventionally shaped and of conventional flexibility throughout their length. While all of the aforedescribed skis offer great enjoyment for the skier, they are all characterized by central location of the ski bindingin a forward-aft direction ~i on the ski and by the fact that they are all formed with ! tails projecting rearwardly of the binding and having a length nearly equal to the leading portion of the ski projecting forwardly of the binaing, with both such tail and leading portions having substantially the same flexibility.
Such design characteristics extremely limit the ski performance, thus preventing the skier from performing styles of turns wherein the ski itself essentiall~ pivots about the tail of the ski and requiring the tail to always be shifted to one side or the other relative to the remainder of the ski while a turn is being accommodated. Further, such prior art skis provide substantially equal balance between the front and rear of the skis and fail to mount the skier rearwardly on . ' , .
' the ski to enable the flexibility o~ the leading ski portion to lead the way over irregularities and obstacles without the resistance normally offered by the leverage exhibited the ski tail. . , . .- .-- .
. SU~IMARY OF THE- INVENTION
, .. . The rearwardly controlled snow ski of the present invention is characteri~ed by a configuration mounting the : ski binding rearwardly on the ski over a relatively rigid weight-bearin'g portion for r.eceipt thereon of the skier's boot and having a flexible leadlng portion projecting forwardly ~herefrom to turn rather-abruptly upwardly at it5 forward extremlty to form a ski shovel. ~ short trailing portion may extend rearwardly of the weight-bearing portion but in no instance should extend rearwardly from the skier's heel a distance greater than 20% of the length of the planing portion projecting forwardly of the skier's toe~ The forward planing portion may curve gradually forwardly and upwardly from the weight-bearing portion to the abruptly upturned shovel to provide a camber which is reversed in comparison to .conventional ski cambers to enable such planing portion to project forwardly and upwardly with respect to the weight-bearing portion to thereby prevent hooking thereof and give excellent tracking charactexistics .
' -5-- , .
.
.
:
DESCRIPTION OF THE- DRAWIN(~S
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a ski embodying the present invention;
, FIG. 2--is a side eleva~ional view similar to FIG. 1 but showing a heel-elevatea binding mounting on such ski;
.
.. ..
, ~ FIG. 3 is a top plan view, in enlarged scale, ' of the ski shown in FIG. 1 ,.. ...... . . .
' ~ - 'FIG. 4 is an elevational view of a second ''' embodimRnt of the ski of the present invention;
h ~t. - - FIG. S is a partial end view, in enlarged ;, gcale, of the'trailing portion of the ski shown in ~ ' FIG, 4;
'. - '-' ' -........ : - , ,~, - - FIG; 6 is a bottom view of the traili,ng portion s ~ 15 . ' shown in FIG. S; '-: i; ~ . - - - . - - -'j' FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the trailing ) ' . portion of,a third embo,diment of the ski of present invention;
~ . .
. ' FIG. 8 is a force distribution diagram associated with the operation of a conventional ski , and ~ , . I -- . ,, --6-- .
, - .
-.1060494 FIG. 9 is an elevational view of the ski shown in FIG. 1 and force distribution diagram associated therewith. ..
... . , , ~ , , .
DESCRIPTION OF THE PR~FERRED EMBODIMENTS
.... . . . . . . ..
Referring to FIG. 1, the rearwardly controlled ski of the ~resent invention has an overall apPearance some-what similar to conventional skis except that the ski which is intended for use by both children and adults is only about 106 centimeters long ana about 10 centimeters wide .~ , . .... . .
and is formed with a medial rigid weight-bearing portion 11 having a co~ventional ski binding 13 mounted directly B thereover and normally ~pannLng approximately ~ of the overall length of the entire ski to receive a ski boot 141.
Pro~ecting forwardly from the weight-bearing portion 11 1s a relatively flexible leading portion 15 which curves upwardl~
slightly for approximately 32% of the overall length then curves abru~tly upwardly to form within about 17~ of the forwardmost portion a conven~ionally shaped shovel 17.
Projecting rearwardly from the rear end of the medial weight-~ 20 bearing portion 11 is a trailing portion 19 which is also :1l relatively rigid and constitutes approximately 17% of the ; . overall ski length termina~ing at its rear end in a trailing edge 21. Consequently, the skier's weight is positioned .
~: rearwardly on the ski itself thus enabling the flexible ~, 25 leading portion 15 to ridge above the snow surface and act .~ . to negotiate various undulations and obstacles appearing over .
, , .
' .
' ' ' ' ' , ~ .
, ~ . .
1060494the ski course and the skier himself may initiate a turn by merelv rollina his knees in the direction of the turn thus causina the rear edge 21 to dig into the snow on the side o~ the skis toward which his k.nees have rolled thus causing the leading portion 15 o~ ~he sXi to be drawn sideways in the direction of the turn therebv causina the ski to, in éssence, pivot about the heel of the skier with very little, if any, resistance thereto bein,a, offered bv the trailing portion 19 or the front ~ortion 15. - --- . . . .. ... . . .
- TyPically, adult skis are on the order of 1~5 centimeters long and longer with a maximum width of about 8 to 9 centimeters and are formed with a self~biasing camber causing the lonaitudinal media~ portion thereto to be raised slightly with respect to the leadin,g an~. trailinq ' endsi o the ski. m e wei~ht-bearing portion of the ski 1s conventionally located meaially alona the fore-aft length ~,. of the ski with the tail of the ski beinq only sliqhtly ' less'flexible than the leading portion thereof. Con-'i ~equently, typical skiing techniues on such conventional skis result in the ski itself beinq rotated either ahout the median Portion thereof during a turn or about a portion somewhat orwardly of the ski binding. These , skiing techniques have led to manv teaching methoas i, emphasizing a skier keeping his weiqht forward on the ski 2S and even tending to shift his weight abruDtly upwardlv and :
.~
, -8-1060~94 'forwardlv when cominq into a turn in order to raise ~he tails of the skis momentaxily of the ski trail while simultaneously shiftin~ the tails to one sifle in a direction opposite the direction of the turn in order to facilitate such pivoting of thé s~i about a forward portion thereof. Heretofore, there have been no efforts to ', provide a snow ski which essentially pivots about the trailin~
.
extremity thereof and oroviaes for the weight of the skier 'being borne rearwardly of the ski median leaving the flexible leading portion of the ski free to plane over the , ski terrain thus leading the weiqht-bearing ~ortion graduaily o~er obstacles and undulations encountered on the ski trail.
'-- While the particular ski shown in FI~. 1 is 1~6 . 15' centimeters long, it will he understood that the lenath of such ski, while being shorter than conventional adult sk.is, will,vary in length from approximatel~ 90 centimeters to 'approximately 110 centimeters. It is only important that the weight-bearing portion 11 be formed rearwardlv on the ski, that the trailing portion l9 not exceed 2n% of the overall ski length and that the leading portion 15iff~ be relativel,y flexible to enable upward and downward flexing thereof as the ski maneuvers over the ski trail.
.~
. _g_ .
. . ..
In order to support an adult skier's weight on the 106 centimeter ski, the ski is formed with a width ; approximately 10% greater than that of conventional skis and to enhance tracking and the planing effect of the leading portion 15 to the widest portion thereof, immediately behind the shovel 17, is approximately 10 centimeters wide and tapers rearwardly and inwardly therefrom to the trailing portion 19 which is approximately 8.5 centimeters wide. The widest section of the planing portion 15 must be approximately 10 centimeters wide for adult skiers.
The weight-bearing and trailing portions 11 and 19 are substantially rigid for 40.5% of the overall ski length to maintain their straight planar configuration when weight i5 applied thereto and commencs curving gradually upwardly and forwardl~ from the horizontal plane thereof at a gradually decreasing radius of curvature from a point directly beneath the ball of the boot 14, the ski continues to curve upwardly and forwardly and gradually becomes flexible to, at about the toe of the boot, incorporate the flexible leading portion 15 projecting forwardly of the boot. The entire reverse cambered planing portion, gonerally designated 22, forms 42.5% of the ski length and raises in its unflexed condition, to 0.5 centimeters above the plane of the weight-bearing portion I 11 at the base of the shovel 17~ While the reverse camber i of such planing portion 22 may be sufficient to raise the -, front thereof several centimeters off the snow it should be sufficient to raise it at least 0.3 centimeters and preferably 0.5 centimeters. Such planing portion 22 becomes gradually more flexible as it projects forwardly and in-corporates the leading portion 15. Such planing portion 22 must exceed 35% of the overall ski length for proper ski performance.
.
. 106~494 In skiing stee~ slopes the entire weight of the skier may at: times be bor~ by such trailing edge 21 so it is important from a performance standpoint that the traillng portion be rela~ively short, not exceeding 20% of the ski length and preferably no more than 17% of the,overall ski length. Also since the trailing edge 21 acts as a third edge it should incorporate a metallic edge or other wear resistant covering ¦ to be discussed hereinafter.
: .- . . . .......... .. . ... .. .
The ski may be constructed as set forth in mY
U,S~ f~tQ n~ O ~ ~ ~6 o B aforementioned parcnt appli~atlon to incorporate longitudinally ~ ' ,.
extending spaced apart I-beams of extruded polystyrene and wrapped with layexs of various different weaves of fiber .. . . . . . .. . . .
cloth pre-impregnated with resin with the space between such ~ I-beams being filled with expanded urethane foam. The sides ', 15 of the ski are closed by adhering plastic strips to the ends of the impregnatéd fiber cloth and elongated steel strips are secured to the opposite sides of the ski to form edges 25. The longitudinal I-beams may gradually decrease-in- ;
cross section toward the forward extremity of the planing ~ 20 portion 15 to thereby gradually increase the flexibility j of such planing portion thus providing the greater relative flexibility with respect to the weight-bearing and trailing portions 11 and 19.
, . .
.~, In operation, the ski binding 13 may be of conventional construction and is mounted over the weight-bearing portion 11 with the toe thereof being positioned approximately medially in-a fore-aft direction on the ski. ~.he skier's boot will then be received in such binding and in standing on such ski his weight will be positioned rearwardly on the ski thus distributing his weight in a gradually increasing magnitude toward the rear of the ski as depicted by the broken line forçe diag~am shown in FIG. 9.
..... ... .. .. . . . . .
T~is weight distribution should be contrasted with' that for'a conventional ski as shown in FIG. 8 wherein thé'weight-bearing portion is located ce~trally in a fore-aft directian and the ski is formed with a conventional camber raising the central portion theréof relative to the shovel and tail. Consequently, as the skier skis down the ski ~lope, the relatively unweightea shovel 17 and planing portion 22 wiIl encounter various obstacles and unevenness in the terrain and will flex upwardly and downwardly in response to s'uch encounter, thus leaaing the weight-bearing portion over the~obstacles.. It will be appreciated that such flexing of the planing portion 22 will not only absorb sho~k ana forces resulting from consequent changes in direction as dictated by such obstacles, but will essentially telegraph forces applied thereto to the skier's foot, thus providing advance notioe of the expected encounter with such obstacles by the weight-bearing portion 11 thereby giving the skier an opportunity to anticipate sudden changes in direction, s~eed and the like.
- i060494 ~ It will be appreciated that with the weight positioned rearwardly on the ski, there is no necessity or the skier to make extra effort to manipulate his bodv in such ~a manner as to unweight the tails of the ski during turnina maneuvers, thus enablina the skier to utilize an entirelv 'new skiin~ techni~ue ~n ne~otiatin~ a turn. Surprisingly, a mere rolling to one side of'the skier's knees will cause the edges of the skis on such one side to'be weighted and -with the weights positioned rea~ardly on the ski, the rear corner of the trailing edge 21 on such one side will dig into the snow, thus tending to'draw'the planing portion 15 Of the ski to such oné side theréby causing the ski itself ~' to pivot about the skier's heel, thereby ne~otiating such turn~ This turnin~ maneuver can be further.facilitated by the skier shi~ting hls weight even further rearwardly on the -skis, as by assuming a n~arlv sitting position, thus applying ~ ' ~éven more wéight to the trailing edge 21 as depicted by the i solid line force distribution diagram shown in FI~. 9 to ' -thereby exaggerate the braking effect of the corner digging ~' 20 into the snow and further sharpening the curvature of the turn.
-~ : ~ It has been found that in norma~ skiing over relatively'hard-packed snow, the planing portion 22 may project upwardly from the plane'of the snow at an angle of '~ approximately seven degrees, thus causing the forwardmost .
: , ' ; .
:
1~6049~
portion thereof to onl~ encounter rises in the terrain itself and to normally be elevated from the snow surfacP.
~ However, when the skier is skiing down an extremely steep -slope or skiing through soft powder, the planing portion '5 ' 22 may project from the snow surface at an angle of 80 ''degrees' or more, as shown in FIG. 4.
. .
~ ' ~~'~' ~~he''flexibility of the planing portion 22 enables .' '''the leading extremity thereof to flex upwardly to facilitate 'plowing'through soft powder while the rigid trailing portion l9 enables the skier to dig the trailing edge 21 into either hard or loose snow on a steep slop~ to thus act as a highly -èfective brake enabling the skier to maneuver essentially '5traight down an e~tremely steep slope, even up to an 80 ' ~degree incline, without making significant contact of the ..
~ lS underside of the pl aning portion 22 with the snow. Con-.'' sequently, the combination of the rigid weight-bearing and trailing portions 11 and lg with the flexible planing ` 'portion 22 exhibits an entirely new ski performance heretofore ' . -unknown. ' Because of the nature of the skis being rearwardly controlled, the skier normally assumes a position leanin~
further rearwardly from the vertical than for normal skis in order to apply greater pressure ~n the third edge of the ski.
.
I ' ; . 14-` 1060494 This position may lead to early fatigue or eventual dis-comfort so it is desirable to provide a new ski binding, generally designated 30, which incorporates a suPport wedge 31 which acts to elevate the heel of the boot relative to the toe itself, thus enabling the skier to maintain his weight rearwardly on the trailing portion without assuming a skiing position angling his body excessively rearwardly of the vertical. It will be appreciated that the angular binding support may take many aifferen~ forms, as shown in my aforementioned co-pending application, and the wedge type support 31 is merely shown as a representative embodiment.
.
Referring to FIGS. 4, S and 6, the trailing edge 21 may be formed by the rear edge of a pressure plate, generally designated 37, which is received in a relief i5 formed in thé underside of the trailing portion 19 and is removably secured thereto by méans of screws 39 so the pressure plate may be removed and replacea with different pressure plates having other configurations and characteristics for different snow conditions and intended use.
.~ .
Referring to FIG. 7, the pressure plate may be formed with one or more longitudinal downwardly projecting skegs 41 to enhance maneuverability and facilitate control, - it being appreciated that in many instances the longitudinal edges 25 of the ski may have little contact with the snow, 25 thus placing great emphasis on such pressure plate for control.
;
From the foreaoin~, it will he apparent that the s~ki of present invention exhibits characteristics enabling a skier to ski a totallv new stvle of skiing whereby a xelatively unaccomplished skier may accommodate what were heretofore considered extremely challenqina sl~pes and adverse snow conditions. A relatively unaccomnlished skier will not be plagued by the feeling of awk~ar~ness normallv ; accompanying the learning to master skis having rather lengthy tails projecting substantial distances rearwardly of the binding and offering resistance to turning of the ski. Because of the rearward control a ski in the 100 centimeter range will be suitabie for use by both male and female adults thus eliminating the necessity of carefullv , ~electing the ski length in accordance with the physical size of the skier.
" . . . . .
Various modifications and changes may be made with regard to the foregoi~g detailed descri~tion without departing from the s~irit of the invention.
.
-lh-' , .., .._ _
Field of the Invention:
The rearwardly controlled snow ski of the present invention relates to a relatively short ski which enables the skier to practice a novel skiing - technique accommodating turns wherein the ski is essentially pivoted about the rear extremity of the ski.
Description of the Prior Art:
As described in my United States Patent No.
:~ 10 4,007,946 dated February 15, 1977, the evolution of ~kiing has led to current day parallel ~kiing wherein turns are accomplished in a number of different styles, one of which involves ahifting of the weight abruptly forwardly on the skis in order to swing the tails of the skis to one side about the more forward portion of the skis, thus accommodatingthe turn to the side opposite such one side. Other styles emphasize merely sliding the ~ tails of the skis away from the direction of the turn and 0 further styles even emphasize unweighting of the tips of the ski~ i* what is known a~ a '' jet tw n". Skis comr~only ulied in .
:lQ60494 - . . . - - . . .
these various styles of skiing generally incorporate a ski constructed of metal, fiber glass or the like to assume a ca~ber wherein the central portion of the ski is self-biased to a raised position elevated slightly from the opposite ends .. , _ . .. . . . . ....
of the ski and having mounted thereon bindings for receiving the skier's boots. Efforts have been made to simplify the teaching of skiing by a technique known as a graduated length method ~G~M~ wherein a skier initially begins on shorter skis, as for instance skis in the neighborhood of ~100 centimeters long and even shorter, and then advances to longer skis as his skills develop, such GLM skis being conventionally shaped and of conventional flexibility throughout their length. While all of the aforedescribed skis offer great enjoyment for the skier, they are all characterized by central location of the ski bindingin a forward-aft direction ~i on the ski and by the fact that they are all formed with ! tails projecting rearwardly of the binding and having a length nearly equal to the leading portion of the ski projecting forwardly of the binaing, with both such tail and leading portions having substantially the same flexibility.
Such design characteristics extremely limit the ski performance, thus preventing the skier from performing styles of turns wherein the ski itself essentiall~ pivots about the tail of the ski and requiring the tail to always be shifted to one side or the other relative to the remainder of the ski while a turn is being accommodated. Further, such prior art skis provide substantially equal balance between the front and rear of the skis and fail to mount the skier rearwardly on . ' , .
' the ski to enable the flexibility o~ the leading ski portion to lead the way over irregularities and obstacles without the resistance normally offered by the leverage exhibited the ski tail. . , . .- .-- .
. SU~IMARY OF THE- INVENTION
, .. . The rearwardly controlled snow ski of the present invention is characteri~ed by a configuration mounting the : ski binding rearwardly on the ski over a relatively rigid weight-bearin'g portion for r.eceipt thereon of the skier's boot and having a flexible leadlng portion projecting forwardly ~herefrom to turn rather-abruptly upwardly at it5 forward extremlty to form a ski shovel. ~ short trailing portion may extend rearwardly of the weight-bearing portion but in no instance should extend rearwardly from the skier's heel a distance greater than 20% of the length of the planing portion projecting forwardly of the skier's toe~ The forward planing portion may curve gradually forwardly and upwardly from the weight-bearing portion to the abruptly upturned shovel to provide a camber which is reversed in comparison to .conventional ski cambers to enable such planing portion to project forwardly and upwardly with respect to the weight-bearing portion to thereby prevent hooking thereof and give excellent tracking charactexistics .
' -5-- , .
.
.
:
DESCRIPTION OF THE- DRAWIN(~S
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a ski embodying the present invention;
, FIG. 2--is a side eleva~ional view similar to FIG. 1 but showing a heel-elevatea binding mounting on such ski;
.
.. ..
, ~ FIG. 3 is a top plan view, in enlarged scale, ' of the ski shown in FIG. 1 ,.. ...... . . .
' ~ - 'FIG. 4 is an elevational view of a second ''' embodimRnt of the ski of the present invention;
h ~t. - - FIG. S is a partial end view, in enlarged ;, gcale, of the'trailing portion of the ski shown in ~ ' FIG, 4;
'. - '-' ' -........ : - , ,~, - - FIG; 6 is a bottom view of the traili,ng portion s ~ 15 . ' shown in FIG. S; '-: i; ~ . - - - . - - -'j' FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the trailing ) ' . portion of,a third embo,diment of the ski of present invention;
~ . .
. ' FIG. 8 is a force distribution diagram associated with the operation of a conventional ski , and ~ , . I -- . ,, --6-- .
, - .
-.1060494 FIG. 9 is an elevational view of the ski shown in FIG. 1 and force distribution diagram associated therewith. ..
... . , , ~ , , .
DESCRIPTION OF THE PR~FERRED EMBODIMENTS
.... . . . . . . ..
Referring to FIG. 1, the rearwardly controlled ski of the ~resent invention has an overall apPearance some-what similar to conventional skis except that the ski which is intended for use by both children and adults is only about 106 centimeters long ana about 10 centimeters wide .~ , . .... . .
and is formed with a medial rigid weight-bearing portion 11 having a co~ventional ski binding 13 mounted directly B thereover and normally ~pannLng approximately ~ of the overall length of the entire ski to receive a ski boot 141.
Pro~ecting forwardly from the weight-bearing portion 11 1s a relatively flexible leading portion 15 which curves upwardl~
slightly for approximately 32% of the overall length then curves abru~tly upwardly to form within about 17~ of the forwardmost portion a conven~ionally shaped shovel 17.
Projecting rearwardly from the rear end of the medial weight-~ 20 bearing portion 11 is a trailing portion 19 which is also :1l relatively rigid and constitutes approximately 17% of the ; . overall ski length termina~ing at its rear end in a trailing edge 21. Consequently, the skier's weight is positioned .
~: rearwardly on the ski itself thus enabling the flexible ~, 25 leading portion 15 to ridge above the snow surface and act .~ . to negotiate various undulations and obstacles appearing over .
, , .
' .
' ' ' ' ' , ~ .
, ~ . .
1060494the ski course and the skier himself may initiate a turn by merelv rollina his knees in the direction of the turn thus causina the rear edge 21 to dig into the snow on the side o~ the skis toward which his k.nees have rolled thus causing the leading portion 15 o~ ~he sXi to be drawn sideways in the direction of the turn therebv causina the ski to, in éssence, pivot about the heel of the skier with very little, if any, resistance thereto bein,a, offered bv the trailing portion 19 or the front ~ortion 15. - --- . . . .. ... . . .
- TyPically, adult skis are on the order of 1~5 centimeters long and longer with a maximum width of about 8 to 9 centimeters and are formed with a self~biasing camber causing the lonaitudinal media~ portion thereto to be raised slightly with respect to the leadin,g an~. trailinq ' endsi o the ski. m e wei~ht-bearing portion of the ski 1s conventionally located meaially alona the fore-aft length ~,. of the ski with the tail of the ski beinq only sliqhtly ' less'flexible than the leading portion thereof. Con-'i ~equently, typical skiing techniues on such conventional skis result in the ski itself beinq rotated either ahout the median Portion thereof during a turn or about a portion somewhat orwardly of the ski binding. These , skiing techniques have led to manv teaching methoas i, emphasizing a skier keeping his weiqht forward on the ski 2S and even tending to shift his weight abruDtly upwardlv and :
.~
, -8-1060~94 'forwardlv when cominq into a turn in order to raise ~he tails of the skis momentaxily of the ski trail while simultaneously shiftin~ the tails to one sifle in a direction opposite the direction of the turn in order to facilitate such pivoting of thé s~i about a forward portion thereof. Heretofore, there have been no efforts to ', provide a snow ski which essentially pivots about the trailin~
.
extremity thereof and oroviaes for the weight of the skier 'being borne rearwardly of the ski median leaving the flexible leading portion of the ski free to plane over the , ski terrain thus leading the weiqht-bearing ~ortion graduaily o~er obstacles and undulations encountered on the ski trail.
'-- While the particular ski shown in FI~. 1 is 1~6 . 15' centimeters long, it will he understood that the lenath of such ski, while being shorter than conventional adult sk.is, will,vary in length from approximatel~ 90 centimeters to 'approximately 110 centimeters. It is only important that the weight-bearing portion 11 be formed rearwardlv on the ski, that the trailing portion l9 not exceed 2n% of the overall ski length and that the leading portion 15iff~ be relativel,y flexible to enable upward and downward flexing thereof as the ski maneuvers over the ski trail.
.~
. _g_ .
. . ..
In order to support an adult skier's weight on the 106 centimeter ski, the ski is formed with a width ; approximately 10% greater than that of conventional skis and to enhance tracking and the planing effect of the leading portion 15 to the widest portion thereof, immediately behind the shovel 17, is approximately 10 centimeters wide and tapers rearwardly and inwardly therefrom to the trailing portion 19 which is approximately 8.5 centimeters wide. The widest section of the planing portion 15 must be approximately 10 centimeters wide for adult skiers.
The weight-bearing and trailing portions 11 and 19 are substantially rigid for 40.5% of the overall ski length to maintain their straight planar configuration when weight i5 applied thereto and commencs curving gradually upwardly and forwardl~ from the horizontal plane thereof at a gradually decreasing radius of curvature from a point directly beneath the ball of the boot 14, the ski continues to curve upwardly and forwardly and gradually becomes flexible to, at about the toe of the boot, incorporate the flexible leading portion 15 projecting forwardly of the boot. The entire reverse cambered planing portion, gonerally designated 22, forms 42.5% of the ski length and raises in its unflexed condition, to 0.5 centimeters above the plane of the weight-bearing portion I 11 at the base of the shovel 17~ While the reverse camber i of such planing portion 22 may be sufficient to raise the -, front thereof several centimeters off the snow it should be sufficient to raise it at least 0.3 centimeters and preferably 0.5 centimeters. Such planing portion 22 becomes gradually more flexible as it projects forwardly and in-corporates the leading portion 15. Such planing portion 22 must exceed 35% of the overall ski length for proper ski performance.
.
. 106~494 In skiing stee~ slopes the entire weight of the skier may at: times be bor~ by such trailing edge 21 so it is important from a performance standpoint that the traillng portion be rela~ively short, not exceeding 20% of the ski length and preferably no more than 17% of the,overall ski length. Also since the trailing edge 21 acts as a third edge it should incorporate a metallic edge or other wear resistant covering ¦ to be discussed hereinafter.
: .- . . . .......... .. . ... .. .
The ski may be constructed as set forth in mY
U,S~ f~tQ n~ O ~ ~ ~6 o B aforementioned parcnt appli~atlon to incorporate longitudinally ~ ' ,.
extending spaced apart I-beams of extruded polystyrene and wrapped with layexs of various different weaves of fiber .. . . . . . .. . . .
cloth pre-impregnated with resin with the space between such ~ I-beams being filled with expanded urethane foam. The sides ', 15 of the ski are closed by adhering plastic strips to the ends of the impregnatéd fiber cloth and elongated steel strips are secured to the opposite sides of the ski to form edges 25. The longitudinal I-beams may gradually decrease-in- ;
cross section toward the forward extremity of the planing ~ 20 portion 15 to thereby gradually increase the flexibility j of such planing portion thus providing the greater relative flexibility with respect to the weight-bearing and trailing portions 11 and 19.
, . .
.~, In operation, the ski binding 13 may be of conventional construction and is mounted over the weight-bearing portion 11 with the toe thereof being positioned approximately medially in-a fore-aft direction on the ski. ~.he skier's boot will then be received in such binding and in standing on such ski his weight will be positioned rearwardly on the ski thus distributing his weight in a gradually increasing magnitude toward the rear of the ski as depicted by the broken line forçe diag~am shown in FIG. 9.
..... ... .. .. . . . . .
T~is weight distribution should be contrasted with' that for'a conventional ski as shown in FIG. 8 wherein thé'weight-bearing portion is located ce~trally in a fore-aft directian and the ski is formed with a conventional camber raising the central portion theréof relative to the shovel and tail. Consequently, as the skier skis down the ski ~lope, the relatively unweightea shovel 17 and planing portion 22 wiIl encounter various obstacles and unevenness in the terrain and will flex upwardly and downwardly in response to s'uch encounter, thus leaaing the weight-bearing portion over the~obstacles.. It will be appreciated that such flexing of the planing portion 22 will not only absorb sho~k ana forces resulting from consequent changes in direction as dictated by such obstacles, but will essentially telegraph forces applied thereto to the skier's foot, thus providing advance notioe of the expected encounter with such obstacles by the weight-bearing portion 11 thereby giving the skier an opportunity to anticipate sudden changes in direction, s~eed and the like.
- i060494 ~ It will be appreciated that with the weight positioned rearwardly on the ski, there is no necessity or the skier to make extra effort to manipulate his bodv in such ~a manner as to unweight the tails of the ski during turnina maneuvers, thus enablina the skier to utilize an entirelv 'new skiin~ techni~ue ~n ne~otiatin~ a turn. Surprisingly, a mere rolling to one side of'the skier's knees will cause the edges of the skis on such one side to'be weighted and -with the weights positioned rea~ardly on the ski, the rear corner of the trailing edge 21 on such one side will dig into the snow, thus tending to'draw'the planing portion 15 Of the ski to such oné side theréby causing the ski itself ~' to pivot about the skier's heel, thereby ne~otiating such turn~ This turnin~ maneuver can be further.facilitated by the skier shi~ting hls weight even further rearwardly on the -skis, as by assuming a n~arlv sitting position, thus applying ~ ' ~éven more wéight to the trailing edge 21 as depicted by the i solid line force distribution diagram shown in FI~. 9 to ' -thereby exaggerate the braking effect of the corner digging ~' 20 into the snow and further sharpening the curvature of the turn.
-~ : ~ It has been found that in norma~ skiing over relatively'hard-packed snow, the planing portion 22 may project upwardly from the plane'of the snow at an angle of '~ approximately seven degrees, thus causing the forwardmost .
: , ' ; .
:
1~6049~
portion thereof to onl~ encounter rises in the terrain itself and to normally be elevated from the snow surfacP.
~ However, when the skier is skiing down an extremely steep -slope or skiing through soft powder, the planing portion '5 ' 22 may project from the snow surface at an angle of 80 ''degrees' or more, as shown in FIG. 4.
. .
~ ' ~~'~' ~~he''flexibility of the planing portion 22 enables .' '''the leading extremity thereof to flex upwardly to facilitate 'plowing'through soft powder while the rigid trailing portion l9 enables the skier to dig the trailing edge 21 into either hard or loose snow on a steep slop~ to thus act as a highly -èfective brake enabling the skier to maneuver essentially '5traight down an e~tremely steep slope, even up to an 80 ' ~degree incline, without making significant contact of the ..
~ lS underside of the pl aning portion 22 with the snow. Con-.'' sequently, the combination of the rigid weight-bearing and trailing portions 11 and lg with the flexible planing ` 'portion 22 exhibits an entirely new ski performance heretofore ' . -unknown. ' Because of the nature of the skis being rearwardly controlled, the skier normally assumes a position leanin~
further rearwardly from the vertical than for normal skis in order to apply greater pressure ~n the third edge of the ski.
.
I ' ; . 14-` 1060494 This position may lead to early fatigue or eventual dis-comfort so it is desirable to provide a new ski binding, generally designated 30, which incorporates a suPport wedge 31 which acts to elevate the heel of the boot relative to the toe itself, thus enabling the skier to maintain his weight rearwardly on the trailing portion without assuming a skiing position angling his body excessively rearwardly of the vertical. It will be appreciated that the angular binding support may take many aifferen~ forms, as shown in my aforementioned co-pending application, and the wedge type support 31 is merely shown as a representative embodiment.
.
Referring to FIGS. 4, S and 6, the trailing edge 21 may be formed by the rear edge of a pressure plate, generally designated 37, which is received in a relief i5 formed in thé underside of the trailing portion 19 and is removably secured thereto by méans of screws 39 so the pressure plate may be removed and replacea with different pressure plates having other configurations and characteristics for different snow conditions and intended use.
.~ .
Referring to FIG. 7, the pressure plate may be formed with one or more longitudinal downwardly projecting skegs 41 to enhance maneuverability and facilitate control, - it being appreciated that in many instances the longitudinal edges 25 of the ski may have little contact with the snow, 25 thus placing great emphasis on such pressure plate for control.
;
From the foreaoin~, it will he apparent that the s~ki of present invention exhibits characteristics enabling a skier to ski a totallv new stvle of skiing whereby a xelatively unaccomplished skier may accommodate what were heretofore considered extremely challenqina sl~pes and adverse snow conditions. A relatively unaccomnlished skier will not be plagued by the feeling of awk~ar~ness normallv ; accompanying the learning to master skis having rather lengthy tails projecting substantial distances rearwardly of the binding and offering resistance to turning of the ski. Because of the rearward control a ski in the 100 centimeter range will be suitabie for use by both male and female adults thus eliminating the necessity of carefullv , ~electing the ski length in accordance with the physical size of the skier.
" . . . . .
Various modifications and changes may be made with regard to the foregoi~g detailed descri~tion without departing from the s~irit of the invention.
.
-lh-' , .., .._ _
Claims (11)
1. A pair of rearwardly controlled snow skis for mounting ski bindings thereon for receipt of ski boots, each ski comprising;
a relatively rigid weight-bearing rear portion for mounting of said ski bindings to position the boot received therein with the toe and heel over the respective front and rear of said weight-bearing portion, said ski projecting rearwardly to form a trailing portion projecting rearwardly of the heel of said boot a distance no greater than 20% of the overall ski length and terminating in a trailing edge and further projecting forwardly to form a relatively flexible planing portion turned upwardly at its front extremity to form a shovel, the bottom surfaces of said rear and planing portions being substantially flat to facilitate shifting from side-to-side of said ski and having a substantially continuous downwardly facing longitudinal contour; and the top and bottom surfaces of said planing portion tapering gradually and continuously forwardly and inwardly toward one another to form a relatively thick aft-end joined with said weight-bearing portion and narrowing to a relatively thin forward end joined with said shovel, the lateral sides of said ski further tapering inwardly and rearwardly from the width of said shovel to terminate at said trailing portion in a relatively narrow aft-end, the total length of said ski being at least 90 centimeters.
a relatively rigid weight-bearing rear portion for mounting of said ski bindings to position the boot received therein with the toe and heel over the respective front and rear of said weight-bearing portion, said ski projecting rearwardly to form a trailing portion projecting rearwardly of the heel of said boot a distance no greater than 20% of the overall ski length and terminating in a trailing edge and further projecting forwardly to form a relatively flexible planing portion turned upwardly at its front extremity to form a shovel, the bottom surfaces of said rear and planing portions being substantially flat to facilitate shifting from side-to-side of said ski and having a substantially continuous downwardly facing longitudinal contour; and the top and bottom surfaces of said planing portion tapering gradually and continuously forwardly and inwardly toward one another to form a relatively thick aft-end joined with said weight-bearing portion and narrowing to a relatively thin forward end joined with said shovel, the lateral sides of said ski further tapering inwardly and rearwardly from the width of said shovel to terminate at said trailing portion in a relatively narrow aft-end, the total length of said ski being at least 90 centimeters.
2. A pair of skis as set forth in claim 1 wherein said trailing portion is substantially planar.
3. A pair of skis as set forth in claim 1 wherein said ski is at least 9.5 centimeters wide.
4. A pair of skis as described in claim 1 that includes binding means including means to dispose the heel of the skier's boot at a predetermined angular elevation above and with respect to the toe of the boot.
5. A pair of skis as described in claim 4 wherein the means to elevate the heel of the skier's boot comprises a triangular wedge.
6. A pair of skis as set forth in claim 1 wherein said planing portion constitutes at least 35%
of the length of said ski.
of the length of said ski.
7. A pair of skis as set forth in claim 1 wherein said trailing portion constitutes substantially 17% of the length of said ski.
8. A pair of skis as set forth in claim 1 wherein said planing portion constitutes substantially 42.5% of the overall ski length.
9. A pair of skis as set forth in claim 1 that includes a wear resistant pressure plate mounted on the underside of said trailing portion.
10. A pair of skis as described in claim 9 that includes means for removably mounting said pressure plate 50 it can be removed and replaced by a differently contoured pressure plate for different snow conditions.
11. A pair of rearwardly controlled snow skis as set forth in claim 1 wherein said trailing portion projects rearwardly of said heel a distance no greater than one-third the length of said planing portion.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US05/648,140 US4007946A (en) | 1976-01-12 | 1976-01-12 | Short ski |
| US05/669,643 US4085947A (en) | 1976-01-12 | 1976-03-23 | Rearwardly controlled snow skis |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1060494A true CA1060494A (en) | 1979-08-14 |
Family
ID=27095324
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA269,409A Expired CA1060494A (en) | 1976-01-12 | 1977-01-10 | Rearwardly controlled snow skis |
Country Status (8)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (1) | JPS52110139A (en) |
| AT (1) | AT360883B (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1060494A (en) |
| CH (1) | CH616082A5 (en) |
| DE (1) | DE2700728C2 (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2337564A1 (en) |
| IT (1) | IT1076502B (en) |
| NZ (1) | NZ183048A (en) |
Families Citing this family (9)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR2546764B1 (en) * | 1983-06-02 | 1986-10-03 | Desoutter Michel | SHORT AND LARGE SKI, WITH SPECIAL PROFILE, PROVIDED WITH A REMOVABLE RETAINER PLATE |
| IT1181028B (en) * | 1984-11-09 | 1987-09-23 | Marcello Stampacchia | SELF-STEERING SKI WITH GRADUAL ABSORPTION OF STRESSES |
| FR2591119B1 (en) * | 1985-12-10 | 1988-10-21 | Blanc Desire | VERSATILE SKIING. |
| AT403991B (en) * | 1990-04-04 | 1998-07-27 | Atomic Austria Gmbh | ALPINSCHI |
| DE4107173A1 (en) * | 1990-06-11 | 1991-12-12 | Kneissl Tirol Sportartikel | Short ski type of sports gear - has front middle and back section, with binding, and plastics coating |
| US5618053A (en) * | 1990-06-11 | 1997-04-08 | Kneissl Dachstein Sportartikel Ag | Short ski-like sports device |
| DE9010388U1 (en) * | 1990-06-11 | 1990-10-31 | Kneissl Tirol Sportartikel Ges.m.b.H., Kufstein | Short ski-like sports equipment |
| FR2788227B1 (en) * | 1999-01-12 | 2001-02-09 | Rossignol Sa | SLIDING BOARD |
| FR2864451B1 (en) * | 2003-12-24 | 2006-01-27 | Skis Dynastar | SKI |
Family Cites Families (10)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE285338C (en) * | ||||
| CH208197A (en) * | 1938-12-17 | 1940-01-15 | Neuhauser Willi | Shoe support on skis. |
| US3212787A (en) * | 1963-01-28 | 1965-10-19 | Leland R Werntz | Snow ski for making fast turns |
| GB1247715A (en) * | 1967-10-20 | 1971-09-29 | Western Electric Co | Improvements in or relating to electric cables and methods of making them |
| FR1595534A (en) * | 1968-02-22 | 1970-06-15 | ||
| CH504877A (en) * | 1969-03-25 | 1971-03-31 | Burri Erhard | ski |
| US3675938A (en) * | 1970-07-22 | 1972-07-11 | Jon D Sigl | Ski with inclined boot platform |
| US3724866A (en) * | 1971-06-04 | 1973-04-03 | Skijor Mfg Co | Ski especially adapted for use by skiers towed by a snowmobile or the like |
| US3907315A (en) * | 1973-04-30 | 1975-09-23 | Joseph P Charneck | Skies |
| DE2338407A1 (en) * | 1973-07-28 | 1975-02-13 | Unitika Ltd | SHORTENED SKIS |
-
1977
- 1977-01-10 CA CA269,409A patent/CA1060494A/en not_active Expired
- 1977-01-10 DE DE2700728A patent/DE2700728C2/en not_active Expired
- 1977-01-11 AT AT10177A patent/AT360883B/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1977-01-11 NZ NZ183048A patent/NZ183048A/en unknown
- 1977-01-11 FR FR7700624A patent/FR2337564A1/en active Granted
- 1977-01-12 JP JP157877A patent/JPS52110139A/en active Pending
- 1977-01-12 CH CH36177A patent/CH616082A5/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1977-01-12 IT IT19220/77A patent/IT1076502B/en active
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| NZ183048A (en) | 1979-12-11 |
| DE2700728C2 (en) | 1983-12-08 |
| IT1076502B (en) | 1985-04-27 |
| ATA10177A (en) | 1980-06-15 |
| DE2700728A1 (en) | 1977-07-14 |
| JPS52110139A (en) | 1977-09-16 |
| FR2337564A1 (en) | 1977-08-05 |
| AT360883B (en) | 1981-02-10 |
| FR2337564B1 (en) | 1983-09-02 |
| CH616082A5 (en) | 1980-03-14 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| US4085947A (en) | Rearwardly controlled snow skis | |
| EP0253660B1 (en) | Alpine ski | |
| EP0496352B1 (en) | Monoski | |
| EP0279648B1 (en) | Board | |
| US5257793A (en) | Skate with adjustable runner | |
| EP0371514B1 (en) | Mono-ski with deep side cuts for improved user stability and control | |
| US5375868A (en) | Ski having compound curve undersurface | |
| CA1060494A (en) | Rearwardly controlled snow skis | |
| EP0230126A2 (en) | Asymmetric alpine ski with offset boot platform | |
| US4715612A (en) | Alpine ski | |
| US4180275A (en) | Ski attachment | |
| US4343485A (en) | Reverse camber ski | |
| US5603522A (en) | Wide short ski | |
| US5277141A (en) | Ice and snow surf-board | |
| EP1702657A1 (en) | Ski with improved edging characteristics | |
| US3212787A (en) | Snow ski for making fast turns | |
| US5228705A (en) | Wintertime exercise device | |
| EP1848515A1 (en) | Snowboard and skis for use in loose snow | |
| WO1991004770A1 (en) | Short, wide ski and binding | |
| EP0327367A2 (en) | Ski | |
| CA1324180C (en) | Ice and snow surf-board | |
| WO1999065577A1 (en) | Serrated ski edge | |
| WO1996022135A2 (en) | Alpine skis | |
| CA1158680A (en) | Reverse camber ski | |
| WO2001066202A1 (en) | Cross-country ski for skiing especially on ice |