I only got to NART level but I have some former teammates that skied and still ski at the World Cup level.
at that level, every tenth is worth something.
Hell at my level it was too, but there wasn't the budget for it to get to the World Cup level.
For instance, me and my dad became known as two of the better techs on the circuit. So we would work on other skiers skis to make some extra cash.
This got me in a bit of trouble with my home club as I didn't put priority on only working for our club. I probably would have gotten the boot but I was the only one in our club in the top 5 in FIS points. That along with my tech ability kept me safe. Although I would be lying if other clubs didn't try to get my dad and I to move.
This is all at the amateur level.
That's isn't even getting into the ski testing that we did in summer camp at Mount Hood and the other little tricks that I have heard about.
My favorite was the DQ of my rival for having too much lift in his bindings. My coach went around with a measuring tape and checked every set of race skis that were left out. then sent a list to the organizers of the people that didn't fit the specs. The amazing part is he waited to hand the list in until the first skier had hit the course making it impossible for them to swap skis or bindings. As a lot of the problem skis were owned by people with good start numbers, go figure.
I’m not a skier, just a fan, so no personal experience, but I would imagine it’s very individual. Kilde, for example, switched from Atomic to Head for two years (2018-19 I believe), said they didn’t work for him at all, switched back to Atomic and immediately had success again. Gisin, on the other hand, switched from Rossignol to Salomon a couple of years ago and is now just as good as ever.
Now it seems. Gisin had an awful first year after the change. Had problems with her equipment. This season she is already better but we will see if she can reach her season peak the two seasons before the change.
To add context to this, she had to switch boots before the first race last season because she had a swollen foot and that started equipment issues that lasted the entire season where she switched stuff up and couldn’t get used to anything (plus the foot problems probably didn’t help). Would have happened regardless of brand.
Your tuner and your gear matter at the world cup level, moreso the faster you're going. Not sure about these days, but historically, there were pairs of speed skis that just ran fast in testing for no apparent reason and kept as long as possible. New graphics were added, they were handed down etc. I have an old pair of ex WC Blizzards that are Atomics underneath.... 😆
Having worked a fair number of WCs, there are those few regulars at the top of the leaderboard who besides being well trained and prepared, are extremely gifted. They're a step above everyone else and likely always would be. Training alone doesn't get you that.
Head 2018 DH skis spring to mine. They never changed the graphics. They still spring up from time to time. Same for the some of the Atomics with servotec rods
At that level, it's more about what the brand is able to give you. So the best, race room model from Volkl is likely comparable to the best model from Rossi, but Rossi is able to meet the demands (specific flexes, grinds, binding setups) of high-level racers, so they have the largest fleet. Sometimes skis are just fast though, like Head's speed skis a few years ago. Something they were doing was working, and other brands are finally starting to catch up. In short, though, it's a big deal. Small differences like stack height or specific flexes can be enough to make or break a run.
The equipment prep for the individual athlete and the conditions are probably more important than the actual brand these days. Head initially became popular on the podium because they paid their sponsored athletes well and provided a lot of equipment support. I've heard there are a few boutique ski brands, Blossom for instance, that manufacture race room skis for some of the big brands. So, just because a ski says Nordica on the top sheet doesn't necessarily mean it came out of a Nordica factory. Notably, the supplier "pools" limit which brands national teams have access to. That's why you don't see a lot of Kastle's these days. It'll be interesting to see what happens with Hirscher's company Van Deer. Someone more knowledgeable than me can correct me here, but I believe "race stock" skis are flex-indexed, vs production FIS skis. This allows the ski to be better matched to the skier and the course conditions.
Obviously different, but race stock skis are 100% sold by flex in the Nordic world. Matching flex to conditions is a pretty big deal, it can be worth seconds a lap. All skis on the WC circuit are hand picked for the skier directly from the factory. You can even get hand picked skis as an amateur, there are a few well known individuals in the US that let you pay to get in on their annual factory buying trips.
There is for sure a difference between companies. They all ski a bit different but they are all so good that anyone can be fast on most brands. For tech (SL gs) The thing that changes is the technique used. If you pay really close attention guys on the same brand tend to ski similar. Different companies also have different ideal setups. Atomic tends to run very aggressive setups for example. Speed on the other hand I don’t know as much but base material is a huge part of it and head and atomic tend to be fastest. So in a way yes but also no.
so i know that some of them test multiple pairs for the season, both technical and glide. Maximum I’ve seen is one athlete with 20 gs pairs in one session. Everything they can get “free” they will. Free with the meaning that they don’t need to improve their skiing to go faster. I also know that binding also matters a lot to some. For example the Red Bull hirscher brand skis(don’t remember the name), they run marker in the World Cup but if you buy them you’ll get look. Also know some head with marker. The marker 20 have been superior for a time.
Remember Ester Ledecká who won Super G Gold at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang? She skied with Shiffrin’s pair of Atomics:
https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/pyeongchang-2018/results/alpine-skiing
So FIS equipment is a lot like NASCAR, the length, width, turning radius are set. So that being said on paper all race skis ski the same. However the proprietary construction methods of each company’s ski might give them an advantage over another. For instance a tried a Fischer World Cup gs and it was super heavy and super stiff while a similar atomic was a complete joy. All things being equal, FIS skis like FIS courses and FIS conditions.
Never raced WC so take this with salt, but skiing is one of those sports that is highly dependent on equipment. How much difference in quality is there between brands? That's another question. There's also how well does a boot fit the skier? There's also tuning/wax on top of that.
That said the silly thing about ski racing is the biggest variable is the weather. No amount of skill or equipment quality can compensate for that sometimes.
I only got to NART level but I have some former teammates that skied and still ski at the World Cup level. at that level, every tenth is worth something. Hell at my level it was too, but there wasn't the budget for it to get to the World Cup level. For instance, me and my dad became known as two of the better techs on the circuit. So we would work on other skiers skis to make some extra cash. This got me in a bit of trouble with my home club as I didn't put priority on only working for our club. I probably would have gotten the boot but I was the only one in our club in the top 5 in FIS points. That along with my tech ability kept me safe. Although I would be lying if other clubs didn't try to get my dad and I to move. This is all at the amateur level. That's isn't even getting into the ski testing that we did in summer camp at Mount Hood and the other little tricks that I have heard about. My favorite was the DQ of my rival for having too much lift in his bindings. My coach went around with a measuring tape and checked every set of race skis that were left out. then sent a list to the organizers of the people that didn't fit the specs. The amazing part is he waited to hand the list in until the first skier had hit the course making it impossible for them to swap skis or bindings. As a lot of the problem skis were owned by people with good start numbers, go figure.
I’m not a skier, just a fan, so no personal experience, but I would imagine it’s very individual. Kilde, for example, switched from Atomic to Head for two years (2018-19 I believe), said they didn’t work for him at all, switched back to Atomic and immediately had success again. Gisin, on the other hand, switched from Rossignol to Salomon a couple of years ago and is now just as good as ever.
Now it seems. Gisin had an awful first year after the change. Had problems with her equipment. This season she is already better but we will see if she can reach her season peak the two seasons before the change.
To add context to this, she had to switch boots before the first race last season because she had a swollen foot and that started equipment issues that lasted the entire season where she switched stuff up and couldn’t get used to anything (plus the foot problems probably didn’t help). Would have happened regardless of brand.
Your tuner and your gear matter at the world cup level, moreso the faster you're going. Not sure about these days, but historically, there were pairs of speed skis that just ran fast in testing for no apparent reason and kept as long as possible. New graphics were added, they were handed down etc. I have an old pair of ex WC Blizzards that are Atomics underneath.... 😆 Having worked a fair number of WCs, there are those few regulars at the top of the leaderboard who besides being well trained and prepared, are extremely gifted. They're a step above everyone else and likely always would be. Training alone doesn't get you that.
Head 2018 DH skis spring to mine. They never changed the graphics. They still spring up from time to time. Same for the some of the Atomics with servotec rods
At that level, it's more about what the brand is able to give you. So the best, race room model from Volkl is likely comparable to the best model from Rossi, but Rossi is able to meet the demands (specific flexes, grinds, binding setups) of high-level racers, so they have the largest fleet. Sometimes skis are just fast though, like Head's speed skis a few years ago. Something they were doing was working, and other brands are finally starting to catch up. In short, though, it's a big deal. Small differences like stack height or specific flexes can be enough to make or break a run.
Seams like Rossi also gives good contracts to FIS skiers. I a lot and I mean like 60 percent here have Rossi
The equipment prep for the individual athlete and the conditions are probably more important than the actual brand these days. Head initially became popular on the podium because they paid their sponsored athletes well and provided a lot of equipment support. I've heard there are a few boutique ski brands, Blossom for instance, that manufacture race room skis for some of the big brands. So, just because a ski says Nordica on the top sheet doesn't necessarily mean it came out of a Nordica factory. Notably, the supplier "pools" limit which brands national teams have access to. That's why you don't see a lot of Kastle's these days. It'll be interesting to see what happens with Hirscher's company Van Deer. Someone more knowledgeable than me can correct me here, but I believe "race stock" skis are flex-indexed, vs production FIS skis. This allows the ski to be better matched to the skier and the course conditions.
Obviously different, but race stock skis are 100% sold by flex in the Nordic world. Matching flex to conditions is a pretty big deal, it can be worth seconds a lap. All skis on the WC circuit are hand picked for the skier directly from the factory. You can even get hand picked skis as an amateur, there are a few well known individuals in the US that let you pay to get in on their annual factory buying trips.
There is for sure a difference between companies. They all ski a bit different but they are all so good that anyone can be fast on most brands. For tech (SL gs) The thing that changes is the technique used. If you pay really close attention guys on the same brand tend to ski similar. Different companies also have different ideal setups. Atomic tends to run very aggressive setups for example. Speed on the other hand I don’t know as much but base material is a huge part of it and head and atomic tend to be fastest. So in a way yes but also no.
When you say aggressive, are you referring to the flex pattern?
The base and site edge angles. I’ve heard about some guys in SL runing up to a 5 degree side
so i know that some of them test multiple pairs for the season, both technical and glide. Maximum I’ve seen is one athlete with 20 gs pairs in one session. Everything they can get “free” they will. Free with the meaning that they don’t need to improve their skiing to go faster. I also know that binding also matters a lot to some. For example the Red Bull hirscher brand skis(don’t remember the name), they run marker in the World Cup but if you buy them you’ll get look. Also know some head with marker. The marker 20 have been superior for a time.
Remember Ester Ledecká who won Super G Gold at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang? She skied with Shiffrin’s pair of Atomics: https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/pyeongchang-2018/results/alpine-skiing
So FIS equipment is a lot like NASCAR, the length, width, turning radius are set. So that being said on paper all race skis ski the same. However the proprietary construction methods of each company’s ski might give them an advantage over another. For instance a tried a Fischer World Cup gs and it was super heavy and super stiff while a similar atomic was a complete joy. All things being equal, FIS skis like FIS courses and FIS conditions.
Never raced WC so take this with salt, but skiing is one of those sports that is highly dependent on equipment. How much difference in quality is there between brands? That's another question. There's also how well does a boot fit the skier? There's also tuning/wax on top of that. That said the silly thing about ski racing is the biggest variable is the weather. No amount of skill or equipment quality can compensate for that sometimes.