AY Honors/Skiing Downhill/Answer Key
Template:Honor header Template:AY Master
1. Know the advantages and disadvantages of metal and fiberglass skis.
2. How does the sidecut of the skis help the skier turn?
3. What general rules would you use in selecting the proper length of skis and poles for yourself?
4. Know boot designs and how these features can affect your skiing.
5. Why is proper binding adjustment so important? What determines proper adjustment?
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.
