Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25123
si l nt Innovation . Unless you frequently haunt Whistler, British Columbia or North Lake Tahoe, California, chances are high that skiing's latest revolution happened outside your line of sight. In fact, chances are high that this revolution took place outside the limits of your imagination. It began with a group of Canadian mogul demons who enjoyed the sick lines and huge drops that made "extreme" skiing the goal of every aspiring teenager with two skis strapped to their feet. They began thinking about the ver- tiginous air and awkward body manipulations that had traditionally been the ter- rain of snowboarders. Radical ski tricks off jumps and in halfpipes began to evolve. These skiers earned a moniker: The New Canadian Air Force. Next, all they needed was a ski. To understand a bit about this revolution you need to understand a bit about these new tricks. Early warning came when Johnny Mosley threw a "mute grab 360" to win Olympic gold. Things progressed into skiable variations of snowboard airs; rodeos, misty flips and Japan airs became commonplace. Then new ideas, unique to skiing, began to emerge: tricks like the Flair, a tip cross, mute grab, backflip done in a halfpipe; or the Switchback 180, where the skier skis backward (or in switch stance) into the jump, launches and executes a full backflip followed by a 180 spin; or the nearly unimaginable Switchback Full , a switchback 180 except that after the backflip, the skier spins forward and throws a frontflip. But backward landings and takeoffs were awkward on traditional sin- gle-tip ski designs. So The Canadian Air Force designed a ski for themselves that was shorter, softer and had twin tips (both ends curling upward). Then they went searching for a company to manufacture the innovation. When Salomon agreed, the X-Scream 1080 was born. The 1080 was a visionary ski, nearly a year ahead of the competition, that ripped in most terrain. Pretty soon competitors started playing catch-up, but K2 seemed to be the on ly one to get it right. K2 decided that since most skiers can't afford two pairs of new skis, they should design a twin-tip ski with an extra push toward all-mountain capabilities. They based their design on their old K2 Explorer- one of the best all-mountain skis ever-and created The Enemy, a stiffer version of the 1080 that is also available in longer sizes. If you want help imagining the unimaginable, watch The New Canadian Air Force and a host of other celebrity rippers in two recent ski movies: Sick Sense and Global Storming (Matchstick Productions, 970-349-0860, www.mspfilms.com). Then get out there and live it. X-Scream 1080, 161, 169,177 centimeters, $595 Salomon, 800-225-6850, www.salomonsports.com ___ • _____ -: The Enemy, 173 and 183 centimeters, $600 K2, 206-463-3631, www.k2ski.com