I grew up in Vermont in the early to mid 60's trying to ski on skis that were too long and too heavy, until I saw a story about the "NEW SHORTY SKIS". I got a pair of them as soon as I was able, and immediately started to have way too much fun! I have now returned to snow country after living in Florida for over 25 years and picked up skiing again. I started out on some year-end bargains from the rental shops, and was doing OK. The shaped skis and improved boots do help in making the sport easier for the weekend novice. But after seeing a story about the blades, skiboards and miniskis, I knew I had come back "home".

I picked up a pair of the Solomon snowblades, and again started actually feeling like I knew what I was doing. There were a few problems to overcome with these, like their ability to deal with cruddy conditions, their ability to handle the ice, and their tracking ability. But then I saw some articles about the skiboards and was told about Skiboards. com, that I ought to check them out.

What a revelation! The designs of the new products out there do so much to overcome the problems associated with the smaller skis and boards. I tried out a pair of the miniski designs from Fischer. The "Spyder" model is 98cm long and with the asymmetrical shape incorporating a fairly agressive cut, these little skis have the same power and holding ability as the regular skis I was skiing on earlier. And they track like a train. The regular skis, and the blades tended to want to go in their own direction and required constant attention to keep them under me and going where I wanted them to go. The fat tips of the "Spyder" model also help them to float over the crud that builds up after the morning powder gets beat down. What little bit of real powder conditions I did get to experience did point to the ability of these miniskis to float in those conditions even with my weight (240+ lbs) and novice capabilities.

Where these little skis excel though is on the groomers, carving those long, or sharp, whatever your fancy, turns. I'm still trying to unlearn the way I skied in the 60's with those old straight edged skis and taking advantage of the current shapes. And these do make it so easy! I still tend to put pressure on my heels to skid out the back of the skis, but as soon as I feel the slip, I know I've messed up. Just a good lean in the direction you want to go, and a bit of pressure on the big toe of the outside foot, and man, you feel like you're on the high bank turns at Daytona! Yeah, I bought the Fischer "Spyder".