SKI Racing Glove Questions Are IN!!!! (sleepless nights are coming)

pavelski wrote:

Bandit,

I was sure you knew about this issue! Did you know he just resigned from Team Canada?

 

Their Rule Book has robbed them of the most dynamic leadership they have had for years. He had pulled the team back into the spotlight, and onto the podium.

Bandit,
You really are up-to-date in all your skking events!

Impressive!

Final call for answers to quizz!

Will post final message in regards to quizz on July 31!

If no one gets answers gloves will go to young ski racer!

Well Pavel I cannot wait any longer or spend any more time lying awake at night trying to work out your fiendish clues so here is my submission ...

1. For some time I was fairly sure that this was one of a number of “flex control inserts” for Salomon boots. I was sure I remembered seeing this type of thing on the market – You bought the standard boot and then installed the appropriate insert whose “squishiness” met your personal requirement. But then I thought no. I then spent sometime thinking it was a binding hold drilling guide (again for Salomon) but however I looked at it I couldn’t work out why the top surface would need to be inclined if this was it’s purpose. I have now settled on an answer which I am convinced in wrong because I can’t make your clue work with my answer (never a good start!) So my answer is: A device to prevent ski tips from crossing. I am sure there was a trade name for them but advancing age prevents me from recalling it! I think the holes are both to allow fitment on a range of different ski tops and makes and also to reduce weight. I suspect that they are no longer needed because the introduction of shorter skis has reduced the tendency of skis to cross.

2. Ok, now we enter the realm of “The Sleep Deprivation” question … Again I don’t immediately know the answer but hopefully like my old maths master used to tell me, “Show your workings and then even if you get the answer wrong you will get some for method!”. Firstly, my observations:
• The device appears to be made from metal – Is this for strength of to dissipate heat or perhaps for both?
• There is an area between to two raised sides that looks to have less white powder deposit on it – Could this be because this is where a ski is located?
• The two raised areas have semicircular holes – Is this for attaching some other element of the process?
• The overall impression of the metal is that it has been exposed to some kind of heat process and we see the flux residue. Equally the white powder could be wax, although it looks too dense.
• The two ends are reduced in thickness – Why would this be important to the function of the device? At one point I thought that this was an old version of a “Ski service boot” that allows the person servicing the ski to insert this into the binding and then invert the ski and mount it on a bench to work on the base – This doesn’t really make sense because you would need a different plate for every different boot sole length and anyway the ends are the wrong shape to fit a binding properly. So why are the ends thinner?
• Reviewing your clue I am more and more convinced that those teeth are not intended to be used to remove any material from the ski. They certainly aren’t sharp enough to remove edge metal so that leaves them as some form of clamp / retainer, but the distance between them cannot be varied so they must be designed for a specific ski / binding configuration.
• So my final answer is that this is the worlds most over engineered device to support a ski whilst at the same time clamping the (Tyrolia) brakes out of the way to allow base servicing. For an extra point I suggest that there are additional elements required to make this item fully functional.

3. I think this must come down to shape (as mentioned by others) but more specifically their shape to out-do the opposition, respectively, Other cars, The Enemy and Other ski manufacturers. It is the adoption of this “new” shape before the “opposition” can find an answer that allows success.

4. I think that this answer boils down to one of the phrases “monocoque” or “composite” but my automotive history isn’t strong enough to explain my reasoning. What I do know is that Porsche is one of the very few sports car manufacturers that employ the monocoque construction technique (the tooling costs are prohibitively high I understand). As for ski manufacturers, presumably the concept of manufacturing skis from a range of different layers rather than a single strong core (like a chassis in a Model T Ford and later) was prompted by Ferdinand’s designs although this is conjecture.

5. Cervinia & Heavenly – Although if Ski Areas are allowed either “The Porte du Soleil” or “Espace San Bernardo” would both qualify.

6. Pass.

7. Now this might be a little controversial but I believe this is a question about weight distribution both in a fore-aft direction and a left-right direction. My only hesitation about this answer is that not all skiers are bipods, which would discount the left-right aspect but here is the thinking: Assuming that the total of all forces acting on the snow is X then dividing these forces equally between both feet gives Y, an optimal force distribution for efficient carving. Equally, if the total force applied to the ski is X then to achieve a neutral and optimal stance the forces should be applied equally to the front and rear of the ski or X/2 = Y where Y is the force applied to each half of the ski. Gaussian theory is intimately involved with distribution involving symmetry which would perhaps explain the clue.

8. These are all pieces of information required by ski hire / ski shops in order to provide you with the best match of equipment to your individual requirements.
a. 3 – Self Assessed Ability rating. Many systems exist where 1 = Total Novice, 6 = Expert or possibly I = Novice, II = Intermediate & III = Expert
b. 68 - Mass in Kg
c. 48 - Age in years
d. 255 - Boot Sole Length
e. 7 - DIN setting (although in many cases the shop should probably calculate this for you!)

9.
a. Probably not strictly classed as “equipment” but the introduction of the hinged slalom pole has probably had more influence on that particular discipline than any worn by the racer – It allowed the development of the “cross lead” where the racer can take the pole at ankle height using the outside hand to “clear” the pole and so with a fanfare of trumpets we unveil the need for your legendary “Racing Gloves”! Prior to this, heavily ribbed tops were worn to clear the gate by extending the inside arm forward thus allowing the pole to slide past, bearing in mind the pole was solid and did not flex on impact.
b. Cat-suit material has a huge effect on the performance of downhill racers, so much so that exacting limits are set for the porosity of the material – Who can forget Ken Read having to hand over 1st place to his team mate Steve Podborski in Morzine, France in 1979 when Ken’s suit failed the porosity test!
c. Finally it has to be that topic that is never far from our thoughts – Wax. Probably the subject of more conjecture, discussion, pseudo-science and confusion than any other topic in skiing. However, with continued development modern waxes play an extremely important role in Alpine racing, probably contributing at least as much to ultimate winning times as any other single piece of equipment.

10. I just don’t know enough about North American Ski history to be able to answer this with any real confidence but just to give an answer I’m going to say “The day Mount Saint Helen exploded” …

And now for a good nights sleep

Jan

What can I say?

You all amaze me at your; intelligence, your wit, your imagination, your divergent thinking and of course at your "problem solving" techniques!

Jan I just did the first read of your answers. You see like you I go to sleep at night thinking who will be the great winner! First thing in the morning and read posts on this site!

Your answers made my day!

Your sense of observation, coupled with your experience made the difference.

You are the top scorer so far!

Your answers were so close,,,I am going to have to read answers again.


You are "soaring" very close to success score!!!!!


I will send you pictures via your email of the two articles and I am sure you will emmediately get their use!

Bravo for great effort and "complete" answers!

Respectfully,

Jan, your answer was superb. Hats off to a great approach to the analysis.

I confess that this quiz scared me, I knew if you wanted to do well, there was a lot of time involved.

Was in Niederau last week, but couldn't meet up, every minute was filled. Will catch you in second half of January, maybe wait at the bottom for you?

Thanks Dave - What did you think of the new four-man chair whilst you were here?? If only it went right to the top of the Rosskopf

Oh and thanks for offering to wait for me - what a Gent

Jan

Jan, I cannot quite work out the logic of the 4 man chair. The only issue with the single chair was it's age, it was after all, the first chair lift in Tyrol, installed by Herr Hochmuth, in 1947.

But there was hardly an issue with lift queues, so I would have thought that a double chair would have been OK.

The other issue is that the chair is only feeding the Hochberg. What would be good is if another run was developed. The easiest for this would be the Gseng, and I discussed this with Michael Unger. He said the bottom section was too steep and narrow for the average skier, and this is true. So why not develop, the bottom section?

I see at the top, on the path to the Anton Graffe Hut, there is some log/earth widening.

There used to be other runs there, too, the Standard, and the Touchech, both of which got treed-over.

With regard to the Roscopf idea, I think the issue remains with the camber of the Lanerkopfl, together with it's preponderance to ice over where it is wind-exposed.

I can not wait any more!

Too many skiers "begging" me to give out the answers!

So if you all do not mind ,,,,,,,,,,

The winner is Jan!


As a smart wolf he waited till the very end,,sniffed out the competition,,checked out all the "angles" and spend hours analysing the "properties" of the two first items! I suspect he also used his wife and sons to get some of the answers,,,,but all that means is that he will have to share his gloves!


Now for the surprise!

Rossfra8, Gordieski, Tony-H, Rose R, Mike and Trencher took the plunge and posted some possible answers! They took the time to research possible answers! They checked out sources and I hope in the process learnt about skiing!

I will be sending via PM to all above in the next 30 minutes all the correct answers!

Those that just surf around and do not wet your feet,,,,well you are going to have to ask these skiers to share their knowledge!

Till next quizz,

May I suggest that you all ask Jan when you see him what that logo means on the left side of his gloves!

Also ask him how it feels to have ski gloves that are supple, soft,and that gives him lots of pleasure!

If ever you read a ski magazine called, "Snow country" edition October 1991 has on its cover the very gloves Jan will wear soon!

Congrats Jan, enjoy your gloves well done

Well done Jan


AJ Adele