 Poster: A snowHead
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Charlie Pyott, a California-based product designer, has come up with a concept in ski design that doubles the number of skis and edges in use. From Yanko Design magazine:
http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/03/03/pro-skiers-will-really-like-this/
He explains the design principles as follows:
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| “The ski concept was purpose built for racing. Skis and snowboards share a lot of properties with boat hull design; in that longer and thinner proportions give more speed on hard-pack snow. The number of edges also helps maintain downhill speed in a turn. This can be seen when comparing standard skis vs a snowboard when turning at high speeds. The snowboard only has a single edge to turn on and therefore has fewer grips on the hill in a turn then a skier who can use two edges. This means that a snowboarder will have to check their speed to stay on a racecourse before a skier. The concept ski takes both of these ideas a step further, giving two longer and thinner surfaces under each foot and four turning edges. Offset bearings mean that all ski surfaces stay parallel under each foot.” |
The illustrations look to be conceptual, rather than based on prototypes. I suspect that the bearings and their mountains would be under a huge amount of stress in race conditions or bumps etc. Side-slipping could be a bit strange. Also, I wonder if the skis would be stable at high speed? That said, it would be interesting to see the idea worked up and tested.
Anyone like to finance this? [one assumes that's why he's floated the thinking]
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 4-03-09 12:37; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Interesting industrial design concept, but it just isn't going to work in real life. A classic case of over-complication IMV. You would have to be seriously brave to fund a project like this for commercial gain. One for the Dragon's den?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Is it April the 1st already? 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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pressure = force / area, hence why we sharpen edges to get better edge hold. By having 2 edges you double the area and so get half the pressure. I like my race skis to have good edge hold thanks.
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Could be like razor blades, why stop at two edges per ski?
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An over-engineered solution to a problem that doesn't exist. I'm out.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Excellent ! Now where are Masque and V8 when you need them, these could yet qualify for Snowheads Gold if not the next Olympics
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One problem would be hitting something minor, like a bit of exposed vegetation. An ordinary ski just gets deflected a bit and a competent skier will adjust and recover easily enough. A stiff-ish twig would get directed between the "hulls" until it smacked into the "bridge" - with face-plant to follow.
Edit: typo
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads  on Wed 4-03-09 15:12; edited 1 time in total
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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What a fantastic piece of Photo-shopping, might be an idea for most skiers to start using the two edges they already have before getting more.
This is total nonsense anything caught or even passing between the mini skis, twig, ice, etc. will stop them rotating with disastrous consequences.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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so should I have all my weight on one ski, two skis, three or four?
P1sh.
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I've emailed the designer regarding the above:
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You know it makes sense.
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It would be a nightmare to engineer, all the images so far seem to show the joined skis with their bases flat whilst the boot is canted over, that won't work, you turn by digging one edge in otherwise you will just skid, the linkage to make the skis cant when you lean to one side or the other would be interesting, then as I mentioned earlier there's the flex of the ski to take into account, the possibility of material being jammed between the two skis has been mentioned etc etc etc....
It's an interesting idea I suppose but I think it needs a lot more development work
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| under a new name wrote: |
so should I have all my weight on one ski, two skis, three or four?
P1sh. |
P1sh indeed.
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Poster: A snowHead
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It looks to me an over-engineered peice designed by non-skier.
If the "designer" really have more than half a brain, he/she should employ the design on snowboard first. At the very least, it would be only HALF as complicated. 
This reminds me of a design I once saw on a high school "Science Fair". The youngster, full of imagination, designed a future generation of space shuttle by simply pile many car/train/airline "features" onto the spacecraft and made it about 10 times larger. In his believe, it would be more useful if it would do more things and carry bigger loads. Being one of the "judges", I asked him "have you calculated the gross weight, and the corresponding extra fuel weight to lift such a load?". His answer was "Oh, I hadn't thought about that. But it'll just be a little bit bigger!" 
In short, I think the designer is somewhat amaturish and hadn't thought the design through. More importantly, the "judges" in yahoodesign.com hadn't a clue on how ski/snowboard works so the design passed the filter (if there IS a filter).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| David Goldsmith wrote: |
I've emailed the designer regarding the above:
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Well, clearly, what you could do is put another narrower ski between the other two thereby eliminating the rooted herb problem and giving the user an extra pair of edges. ie 6 edges for the price of 4. That should be grippy enough but might make quite a big scraping sound. As a parallel instance, Gillette "The best a man can get" first offered the twin blade for that closest ever shave feeling. Realising that that wasn't close enough, we got the triple blade and now, just as blokes are deciding not to shave very often, we have the quadruple version - I confess that as soon as I realised that the world's top sports stars were using it, I upped and threw out that BIC disposable once and for all.
The racing ski version could have pincers on the front to snare unsuspecting slalom poles. This design stuff is easy really.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Thank you, Swiller. Please give us your history of shaving foams.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Is this the time to mention my invaluable skiing device, on sale near a ski lift next season, it's a Norikson Skiman invented in 2007. It combines a 3MP camera, 27.5GB MP3 player, GPS tracker, altitude, and data logger, blackberry E-mail, with a hi bandwith communication device, and all packaged into a folding multi-purpose, red with a little white cross, tool holder that extends to include a probe and binding attachment crosshead checking device,...
but with a new attachment for 2010 to clear the stones and twigs out of twin skis...
Could also come in useful for all those snowheads stuffing their rucksacks full on the other thread
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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abc,
| Quote: |
| If the "designer" really have more than half a brain, he/she should employ the design on snowboard first. At the very least, it would be only HALF as complicated. |
Been done! Used to be called 'Swingbo', where you stood sideways on a platform with two skis under you. I used to see them on the pistes around here occasionally, but not for at least 15 years!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| WayneC wrote: |
| Is this the time to mention my invaluable skiing device, on sale near a ski lift next season, it's a Norikson Skiman invented in 2007. It combines a 3MP camera, 27.5GB MP3 player, GPS tracker, altitude, and data logger, blackberry E-mail, with a hi bandwith communication device, and all packaged into a folding multi-purpose, red with a little white cross, tool holder that extends to include a probe and binding attachment crosshead checking device,... |
When you perfect the attachments for expresso, Vin blanc, Ricard & Geneppy i will sell thousands for you to my fellow ESF instructors
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stewart woodward, why do you need all the other attachments? What can you not achieve with a decent bottle of Ricard (I really like the special edition yellow "Provence" bottles, I'm amazed they haven't produced an insulated one in red for the Pulls Rouges)
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| Steilhang wrote: |
abc,
| Quote: |
| If the "designer" really have more than half a brain, he/she should employ the design on snowboard first. At the very least, it would be only HALF as complicated. |
Been done! Used to be called 'Swingbo', where you stood sideways on a platform with two skis under you. I used to see them on the pistes around here occasionally, but not for at least 15 years! |
I see. So the doubling of edges did nothing on snowboards but the designer believe it would work on skis, with twice the complexity?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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