WATAUGA COUNTY, N.C. — With a chilly weekend expected for the region, many people will be thinking of heading up to the mountain to ski or snowboard.
If you’ve been skiing for awhile, you may have noticed that skis are getting smaller.
Advances in ski technology are completely changing the kinds of conditions people can shred on.
Let's connect the dots.
Throughout the 1900s, people pretty much only had one option when it came to skis. Those were 3-inch boards essentially, which made it difficult to get down the mountain unless it was perfect snow on the slopes.
As more people started to ski, their options expanded. By the early 2000s, ski manufacturers started releasing skis made of carbon fiber with shovel-like tips. This made it much easier to get over pretty much any type of snow, including powder.
But these days, powder can be hard to come by, especially on the East Coast. On hard snow like we see more in this region, those wide skis can feel like a butter knife. So skinnier, sleeker skis are coming back into style as folks are met with different conditions out on the slopes.
These new skis are also easier for beginners to use.
That’s because they rip through snow and plow through just about anything else, making it ideal for people just starting out.
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