Caution Skis

I had the opportunity to ski with Chris Fels today form Caution Skis at Sunshine Village.  I have know Chris for a long time and in the 90's was really impressed with his then Fels ski.  It is great to see Chris back in the ski design business with this new venture and his unique understanding of ski design.

There are a lot of small ski manufacturers around these days, and I think it is great for skiers to have many options.  What I find interesting about Caution Skis is that Chris is doing something different form the other small manufacturers.  There are a couple of design criteria that make Caution unique, particularily the waist of the ski and the camber of the ski.  The waist of the Caution ski is further forward than usual.  As far as I can tell it is right around the binding toe piece while the highest point of the skis camber is under the binding heel piece, further back than usual.  This creates a unique skiing experience!  One of the observations I made is that in long carving turns the front of the ski engaged sooner than I expected and had the effect of pulling me into and through the turn.  The other thing I noticed is that with the camber being back of what I am used to, I felt a strong lifting sensation at the end of the turn.  I really think Chris is on to something with this design.  Interesting.

In other news:  no new snow in the Bow Valley, it was not possible for me to ski yesterday since I was in indoor CSIA training, and not at a ski area.  I will not reach my 29 day target but still am going for as many days as I can.  The skiing at Sunshine Village today was fantastic, or at least it turned out that way in the afternoon.  Fog and heavy snowfall in the morning gave way to clear sky complimented with new snow in the afternoon.  Chris and I took advantage of the conditions, catching last ride on Divide chair, just sneaking in ahead of patrol.  Great day!