AY Honors/Skiing Downhill/Answer Key

1. Know the advantages and disadvantages of metal and fiberglass skis.

Actualy, no skies are made entirly of metal. the inside is made by wood with a coating of metal. Metal skies are good for duability making your turns alot easier even though it may seem heavier. Fiberglass skies are better than metal skies overall. It has a beautiful turn being so light it has a good sidecut which makes a better smoother turn.

2. How does the sidecut of the skis help the skier turn?

The side cut helps because the skier can dig into the snow with the sides when "Carving" along the trail.

3. What general rules would you use in selecting the proper length of skis and poles for yourself?

The skies you use have to be to your elbow or to your wrist with an up arm stretch depending on how big you are. If you are heavy weight you should use long skies that reach to your wrist and if you are lightweight then you should use short skies that reach to your elbow.

4. Know boot designs and how these features can affect your skiing.

The boot is the skiers vital link to the ski. The boots desighn helps it to clip onto the boot and keeping it from twisting and turning it gives the skier less stress knowing he doesent have to worry about his feet falling off.It must allow you to flex forward firmly and comfortably. They must make the skiers foot warm in all climates, and they must be able to last several seasons.

5. Why is proper binding adjustment so important? What determines proper adjustment?

A binding adjustment is a useful feature of the ski. Without it he would fall of the ski and slide around.

6. Know what a safety strap or ski break is and explain its purpose.

Safety straps and ski breaks have major purpose. The first purpose is to keep the ski near your person so as to keep you from losing the ski from it sliding down a slope and stranding you (or at least increasing the time it will take for you to reach your destination. The second purpose is to keep your ski from becoming a moving hazard to other skiers. If no ski straps or break was on a ski, it would continue moving until its velocity was 0. During its trip, it would move into the path of other skiers, causing them to make abrupt stops and turns, collide with objects or other people, or simply fall themselves. Any of these actions could cause injury to those other skiers.

Safety straps usually go around your leg or boot. Though safety straps are effective in keeping a ski close to you, most manufacturers no longer make skies or bindings with safety straps. Even when your boots are released from the ski binding, the ski is still attached to you. Sometimes this causes the ski to hit you.

Ski breaks use a different method of ensuring yours and other people's safety. Unlike safety straps, ski breaks aren't attached to you in any way once the ski comes off. The ski break consists of two levers; one on each side of the ski and binding. When your boot is properly attached to the ski binding, the levers are kept upright and don't obstruct your skiing whatsoever. But, as soon as your boot comes out of the ski binding, the levers snap down below the bottom surface of your skies to stop them from going very far from you.

7. What should you do if you come upon a injured skier who has not yet received any help?

If you see an injured skier, even from a distance, you should stop and help. If you are with a partner, have them go for ski patrol while you stay with the person. If they are in a ski well, help them off with their skis.

11. Know how to get on and off a chairlift, Tbar, or J bar correctly and demonstrate through experience, without endangering yourself or others, your ability to ride this equipment.

Remember to lift up your skies when getting on and off a chairlift. Your skis can catch in the snow and easily pull you off the chair. Besure to take your ski poles off your wrists but make sure you keep a good hold on them so you don't drop one on a person below the lift. When getting off, always look before you go down the little hill. a less experienced boarder or skier could have fallen and you do not want to run into them. (boarders are more likely to fall so watch out for them.)