How To Ski and How Not To

by Vivian Caulfeild

Fig. 1.

Cross-grain; in a it does not much matter, as it only occurs at some distance from the binding and points backwards; b is very bad.

If the lines of grain on the sole of the ski run across at all instead of parallel to the sides, the ski, when it gets rather worn, will not run straight. If, of a pair of skis, one runs to the right and one to the left, it does not much matter, for in that case the former can be put on the left foot and the latter on the right; they will then merely keep together and hold each other straight.

But if both skis run off to the same side there is nothing to be done, so look carefully at the grain of the sole when choosing them, to see that there is no chance of this ([Fig. 2]).

Fig. 2.

Cross-grain on running surface: a converging, not very serious; b parallel, very bad.

There is one more point to be noticed about the arrangement of the grain in the ski.