Why Buy Women's Skis and Boots?
Even the most athletic, powerful women are rarely as strong as men of comparable size. As a result, women tend to develop a skiing style based more on finesse than raw power. Women also have physical differences from men that affect ski and ski boot performance, and ski boot fit.
Ski equipment manufacturers have responded to women's needs more than ever before. Women of any ability have a choice of brands that will help her improve to the next level.
Skis
Problem: You sit back a lot, or worse, you constantly cross your tips or have trouble starting a turn.
Here's why: Compared to a man, your hips are probably wider, your height and your legs in particular are shorter, and you carry more of your weight lower on your body. As a result, when you stand on your skis with your knees bent, your center of gravity is lower and farther back, making it more difficult to apply tip pressure necessary to start a turn and to stay balanced over the center of your skis.
Solve it with women's skis! Most women's skis allow the mounting point for the binding to be one to two centimeters ahead of the center of the ski. One manufacturer actually moves the entire waist of the ski forward. Both options make it much easier to balance in the middle and pressure the front of the ski. In addition, women's skis usually have a softer tip, which draws the ski into the turn with less effort.
Problem: You can't seem to carve a turn, only skid them, even on new "shaped" skis.
Here's why: In order to turn a ski, you must be able to put the ski on edge and put pressure on it. The pressure, which is aided greatly by your body weight, is what bends the ski into an arc. Unisex skis are designed and tested by men, who usually weigh more than women of equal height. In other words, if you weigh 140 pounds, you have to work a lot harder to pressure a ski than a man of the same height who weighs 160. If you're only 115 pounds, you have to work even harder.
Solve it with women's skis! Women's skis are made of more flexible materials than men's skis, so it takes less energy to bend them into an arc without giving up edge grip or carving performance. They're usually light weight, too, making them easier to maneuver.
Ski Boots
Problem: You can't flex your boots forward, making it difficult to start a turn, and you often sit back, off balance.
Here's why: Shorter legs, less weight and a lower center of gravity give you less leverage over unisex boots, making it more difficult to flex them. (Think lever and fulcrum.)
Solve it with women's ski boots! The tops of most women's ski boots end lower on your leg and are made of softer materials, which help solve the leverage issue. To stay forward, some boots include a rear spoiler (plastic reinforcement), and some are designed with more "ramp angle", placing your heel is slightly higher than your toes.
Problem: The cuff and/or tongue of your ski boot pinches, or worse, you have trouble closing the top buckle.
Here's why: Compared to a man, your calf muscles connect to your leg bones at a lower point, and they're probably wider.
Solve it with women's ski boots! Women's boots have adjustable cuffs that expand or tighten to fit your calf area. In some models, the top buckle has a wider adjustment range. In other models, the plastic cuff has different settings. And some manufacturers use wider tongues that wrap around the calf area a little more to prevent pinching or pressure points.
Problem: Your heel and ankle aren't held firmly in the heel cup, making it hard to control your skis.
Here's why: Your heel and ankle are narrower than the average man's.
Solve it with women's ski boots! As with other women's athletic footwear, women's ski boots are made on a woman's last. In addition, many models come with self-molding padding in the liner for a custom fit. For a super-precise fit, some liners can be injected with foam or silicone.
Problem: Your feet get cold.
Here's why: Don't blame the problem entirely on poor circulation. Your foot has less volume than a man's foot of similar length, so you have to buckle the area over your instep more tightly in a unisex boot. This can flatten the top of the boot, which pushes down on your foot, inhibiting blood flow.
Solve it with women's ski boots! A women's last helps with this fit problem, too. In addition, liners on women's ski boots are usually made with a thermal or micro-fleece material that provides extra insulation and helps wick moisture away from the skin.
Problem: Your knees get sore and your muscles get tired quickly even though you're in decent physical condition.
Here's why: The angle formed by your hips and your knees is wider than a man's. As a result, your legs are aligned differently and your feet are probably pronated from 1 to 3 degrees. Poor alignment not only makes your muscles fatigue quicker, but also gives you less control over your skis. You can't roll them on and off the edge as precisely.
Solve it with women's ski boots! Some women's boots, usually higher-end models, come with alignment systems that position your feet correctly under your knees, relieving minor joint stress and making your equipment feel more responsive as you turn.
This article is by Lisa Feinberg Densmore and is from Snowsports Industries of America’s web site Winter Feels Good
Lisa Feinberg Densmore has written about snow sports for Women's Sports & Fitness, Ski Racing and many other publications. She also is a TV producer, director, writer and announcer who has done work for ESPN and other sports networks.
