Fischer Sports The Curv: When three ex-ski stars develop a ski

by Rolf Fleckenstein

After the International Ski Federation (FIS) increased the radius of giant slalom World Cup skis to 35 m for men and 30 m for women in 2013/14, many athletes were visibly upset because this meant they had to meet higher requirements. There was no consensus as to whether the measures taken by the FIS were really suitable for reducing injuries to racers. Skis with a larger radius are of course more difficult to ski with the same gate bar distance. What applies to the top athlete must of course apply twice to the normal skier on the slopes. A World Cup ski with the masses of the World Cup cannot be used on the mass skiers' slope. How could it now be possible to pack the high-quality technology of a World Cup ski into a ski suitable for the piste? With this question in mind, Fischer Sports and the three former ski stars Hans Knauss, Kristian Ghedina and Mike von Grünigen set about developing a race ski suitable for the piste. The result is the new RC4 "The Curv", an absolute racing machine with unrivaled cornering dynamics.

Triple radius
One of the highlights of the new ski is the new Triple Radius. The ski is shaped so that the rider has better control and power transfer at every point of the turn or swing, i.e. at the turn initiation, the glide phase and the end of the turn, where the rider accelerates back to the grade.

Diagotex
If it's up to the pro, there's only one thing, the ski should be torsionally stiff. The ski must not be able to twist easily especially under load, so strong edge grip and precise ski control is possible. To ensure this in the new RC4 The Curv, one has Diagotex installed. This is a diagonally inserted carbon grid, which noticeably increases the desired Torsisonsstabilität.

These two technologies are joined by other technical highlights such as the high-quality titanal inserts above and below the ski core - also known as "strapping" - which provide more edge grip and smoothness, the ski core made of beech and poplar wood to optimize stability, lightness and flex, the Concave Sidewalls, sidewalls for easier edging or the Original World Cup base for ultraspeed on the slopes.

Three model versions
The new ski is available in three different versions "The Curv", "The Curv DTX" and "The Curv TI". The first named "The Curv" is the highest quality and most expensive and differs from the others mainly by the use of the racing plate "Curv Booster". "The Curv DTX" is the middle ski, which is equipped with the Racetrack binding instead of the racing plate. The most affordable model, "The Curv TI", has to do without Diagotex for cost reasons, has thinner titanal inserts and is also equipped with a rocker to simplify turn initiation. All three models are available in different lengths and correspondingly shorter radii, so that all ski models can be skied either as giant slalom skis or slalom skis. But they certainly have one thing in common, they promise ultra-fast speed on the slopes and strong cornering dynamics. The Curv is a ski for riders who want to heat up on the slopes. I can only wish them one thing: Have fun!

If you would like to read and see all the articles in this issue, order the Sportguide Winter 5/2016 issue using the form below or send us an email at [email protected].

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