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DecathaLAW Series 2026: Article 7
Ski racing has always been a moving target for designers: faster
turns and higher speeds demand constant advances in materials,
geometry, and protection, while governing bodies try to preserve
safety and competitive balance. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation
(FIS) publishes detailed specifications governing skis, bindings,
boots, suits, protectors, and helmets, thereby illustrating how
performance innovation and safety regulation evolve together.
Skis
Ski design has changed more in the last few decades than in the
prior century. For a long time, alpine skis were relatively
“straight,” meaning the edges ran almost
parallel from tip to tail. This design made it more difficult to
bend the ski into a clean, arcing (“carved”) turn and
often led skiers to steer by skidding the ski sideways. However,
that began to change when manufacturers adopted deep sidecut
designs where the skis were shaped more like an hourglass, with a
noticeably narrower middle section under the boot and a wider tip
and tail. This more pronounced inward curve along the ski edges
helps the ski to naturally follow a tighter arc when tipped on its
edge, making carving turns easier. The deep sidecut design changed
technique and speed across the sport. A widely credited milestone
is Elan’s SCX (SideCut eXtreme) introduced in
the early 1990s. It is frequently described as one of the most
important advances in ski history because it quickly influenced the
broader market. In the early 1990s, Elan® also pursued patent
protection (SI Application No. 9200121A, filed June 19,
1992) around these deep sidecut concepts.
Sidecut geometry remains an active area of patenting. For
example, Rossignol® has an issued patent (U.S. Patent No. 12,502,594, issued December
23, 2025) directed to an “alpine ski with improved
sidecut,” which reflects ongoing R&D on sidecut design and
how a ski’s edges engage and track on snow. Rossignol’s
designs are also expected to be represented at the 2026 Milan
Cortina Games by three-time Olympic medalist for Italy, Federica Brignone, who lists Rossignol skis
(as well as Rossignol helmet and goggles) among her personal
equipment.
Beyond shape, modern race skis increasingly emphasize stability
systems designed to reduce vibration (“chatter”) and help
keep the ski in consistent contact with the snow at high speed. The
Austrian brand, Atomic®, is a leading example, with its
marketed stability system, Revoshock®, that is centrally integrated
into its Redster® line of skis. Atomic’s Revoshock
technology utilizes spring-steel modules encased in elastomer that
are designed to absorb impacts and then rebound energy. Mikaela Shiffrin, two-time Olympic gold
medalist for the U.S., uses Atomic gear and touts that the “Redster G9 Revoshock
provides the perfect combination of control, stability, and
acceleration. These are the main things I need from a ski to
perform on the biggest stage.”
Bindings
Bindings and boots are another critical component of ski gear.
Bindings are the mechanical connection that fastens a skier’s
boot to the ski and must accomplish two objectives simultaneously:
(1) transmit the skier’s movements into the ski for control and
power, and (2) release in certain falls to reduce injury risk.
Historically, many downhill skiers relied on cable-style systems
that did not release in crashes, which contributed to serious
lower-leg injuries. A major turning point for modern alpine
bindings was the Look Nevada bindings introduced in 1950, widely
described as the first recognizably modern alpine toe binding and a
foundational pattern that influenced binding designs that
followed.
As ski racing speeds have increased, bindings have evolved to
actively manage risk by releasing the boot when forces become
dangerous. Modern alpine bindings generally aim to release in a
controlled way under lateral and/or vertical loads that commonly
occur in falls, while still keeping the boot securely connected
during aggressive turns. One example of this evolution is a design
related to a mechanically linked safety toe piece that Marker
Deutschland GmbH previously had patent protection for (U.S. Patent No. 5,071,155, issued December 10,
1991) but has since expired. This design used linked moving
components and boot-holding clamps intended to stay locked during
normal skiing, but to unlock and release when the boot applied
forces that exceeded a predetermined threshold.
More recently, innovation has moved toward sensor-driven safety
mechanisms. For example, U.S. Patent No. 11,696,615 (issued July 11,
2023) covers a sensor‑activated release system in which
onboard sensors detect sudden, high‑risk forces and send a
signal to a small control module that triggers a rapid,
charge‑assisted release, thereby allowing the boot to
separate from the ski faster than traditional force‑threshold
designs. This kind of engineering, whether through mechanical
linkages or electronically assisted release systems, continues to
advance the safety of alpine ski bindings in high‑speed
events.
Race Suits
Lastly, racing suits play a role in an Olympian’s success as
well. Ski racing suits are typically made from tight-knit polyester
or nylon blended with elastane to enhance aerodynamics and reduce
drag. Brands such as Spyder®, Arctica®, and POC® are known for their high-performance
ski racing suits, which are designed to provide a smooth fit and
minimize drag for better speed on the slopes. For example, Arctica
released its NexGen race suit fabric in 2022, which includes a
3-layer design with an outer layer for durability, a center layer
to control air porosity and improve speed, and an inner layer for
sweat wicking and comfort. However, the sport’s regulators
limit how far designers can push aerodynamic design gains.
Specifically, the alpine events at the 2026 Olympic Games are expected to be
conducted in accordance with the FIS International Competition Rules (ICR). As
part of that framework, FIS’s equipment specifications include
detailed rules for competition race suits. In accordance with these
specifications, FIS-certified race suits must carry certification
labels showing they passed FIS air‑permeability testing. This
requirement is intended to limit unfair aerodynamic
manipulation.
In addition to the suits, skiers often wear underlayers made
from cut-resistant materials like Kevlar® or Dyneema® to protect against impacts and
lacerations from their skis when crashes occur. Kevlar, an aramid
fiber, was invented in 1965 by chemist Stephanie Kwolek during her time at DuPont,
while Dyneema, an ultra-high-molecular-weight
polyethylene fiber, was invented in the late 1960s at DSM, a Dutch company. One of the principal patents covering Dyneema (U.S. Patent No. 8,302,374, issued November 6,
2012) is directed to a yarn including filaments and staple fibers
to improve the yarn’s cut resistance.
Alpine ski racing illustrates how performance and safety
innovations evolve together over time to allow athletes to perform
at their best. Equipment advances — whether in ski geometry,
vibration control, binding release mechanisms, or race-suit
construction — often arrive in parallel intellectual property
activity, thereby allowing each new generation of gear to build on
the last.
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guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
about your specific circumstances.