Skis Get Intelligent

Using the same material found in high-performance auto design and state-of-the-art aircraft applications, HEAD has created the world's first electronic ski management system. The result is a group of skis that are easier to carve, have a better edge grip and offer more precise turns in all types of snow conditions.

The technology was created to respond to the greater torsional forces that are placed on today's wider skis. Rather than changing the ski design, HEAD found a way to torsionally control the ski and keep it stable on ice or powder without over-stiffening or over-dampening.

HEAD's Intelligence technology is activated through a breakthrough material called Intellifibers, which is designed to generate electricity when it receives vibrations. Upon the ski's contact with the snow, the Intellifibers (which are embedded in the ski just in front of the binding) act as a counter force to the energy that is generated from motion and vibrations. In a millisecond, the fibers expand or contract to create an electrical response that zeros out the vibration and allows the ski edge to remain in contact with the snow. Because it responds to the flow of energy coming into the ski, the ski can dynamically change its behavior based on speed, terrain and snow conditions. To the skier this means the ski has the ability to float through powder and soft snow, but adapt itself to hold a carve on ice.

HEAD has taken the technology one step further with the Intelligence Chip System. The technology works the same, but has an additional power boost through a microchip that is embedded in the ski underneath the boot area. The Chip System actually multiplies the energy seven times before returning it back to the Intellifibers, creating a counter force that cancels out the torsional movement in the ski. The Chip System is perfect for aggressive skiers who want equipment that ski the whole mountain.

HEAD's Intelligence Technology is approved for use in FIS races. The Intelligence skis are available in the All Mountain, Freeride and Racing segments of the 2002-2003 HEAD line (11 models total). The All-Mountain iC300 will incorporate the Chip System.

Stephanie Oakes is a fitness correspondent for Discovery Health Channel, a contributing editor for USA Weekend Magazine and the LA Times, and appears on NBC's 'Today in New York'. She can be reached at soakes@beststuff.com.