SKI

The present invention relates to a snow ski, particularly to a snow ski which is adapted to connect to a snowboard boot worn by a skier.

Snow skiing is a popular pursuit in which people use skis connected to their feet to slide on snow. Skis are generally elongate, flat bodies each having an upper surface to which a boot worn by the skier is attached and a lower surface arranged to slide on the snow. There are two main types of snow skiing, namely Nordic skiing and alpine skiing which differ in terms of the terrain on which they are used, the technique for their use and the equipment, including the bindings, by which the skis connect to the skier's feet. Nordic skiing is commonly also known as cross country skiing and uses a binding which connects the ski to the toe of the skier's boot thereby enabling the skier effectively to walk or run (albeit with a different gait) with the ski attached. Alpine or downhill skiing uses a binding that secures the ski to the toe and heel of a skier's boot and it is this type of skiing with which the present invention is concerned. All references hereafter to skiing or skiers relate to downhill or alpine skiing.

The boots worn by a skier are rigid plastic boots which closely encase the skier's feet, ankles and lower legs so that movement of the feet and lower legs is transmitted to the boot. Since the heel and toe of the boot is rigidly connected to a binding secured to a ski, movement of the foot and lower leg controls the movement of the ski. Thus, because only the heel and toe are connected it is necessary that the boot is very rigid, but of course not so rigid that small unintentional movement of the foot and lower leg is transmitted to the ski.

The boot usually comprises a plastic shell having a foam inner lining to provide comfort and warmth. Of course, the comfort of the ski can be increased by increasing the thickness of the inner lining, which provides more cushioning, but this cushioning absorbs movement of the foot, ankle and lower leg which reduces the energy transmission between the skier and the ski which adversely affects the control of the ski. For this reason advanced and some intermediate skiers forego the comfort to maximise the control of the ski. Most bindings for securing a ski boot to a ski are releasable insofar as the boot should for safety be released from the binding automatically on impact or fall. In

view of the considerable length of most skis and the leverage created during a fall, the automatic release of the boot from the binding is particularly advantageous to avoid injury being sustained by the skier.

In one form of down hill skiing both feet of a skier are fixed to the same wide board. If the feet are fixed pointing forwards the ski is called a mono-ski and conventional boots and binding are used. If the skier's feet are directed at right angles to the length of the board, this is snow boarding. When connecting a skier to a snow board, different types of binding and boots are used from those of skis. The boots are generally softer, more flexible and more comfortable and the binding are adapted to accommodate such boots. Such binding are generally referred to as snowboard binding and the boots as snowboard boots.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new form of ski and boot combination to provide an alternative type of downhill skiing and to overcome at least some of the problems outlined above. The present invention aims to achieve that by providing a ski specially adapted to connect to a binding for securing a comfortable boot to the ski and which binding and boot together adequately transmit movement of the foot and lower leg to the ski.

According to the invention there is provided a downhill ski comprising a generally planar body having an upper surface, front and rear ends between which is defined a ski length, opposed sides between which is defined a ski width and binding attachment means by which a snowboard binding adapted to secure the ski to a single leg of a skier can be secured to the upper surface; the attachment means being positioned such that the centre of gravity of a skier attached to the ski through the binding is rearward of a midpoint along the ski length and wherein the ratio of the ski length to the ski width is in the range of 4:1 to 8:1 .

The ratio of the ski length to ski width may vary according to personal preference and the terrain on which the ski is being used, but the preferred ratio of the ski length to ski width is approximately 5:1 . If, as may be the case, the sides of the ski taper toward the middle, for the purpose of calculating the ratio the width will be the maximum length or the average width over the length of the ski. If the ends of the ski are also not rectilinear, the length will also be calculated as the average or maximum length.

The ratios defined above are believed to be the most advantageous, given that the ski width is preferably minimised to reduce drag. Thus, the surface area of a ski having a ratio less than 4:1 is likely to be too small to distribute the skier's weight over the snow effectively. Conversely, a ski having a ratio greater than 8:1 is likely to be more difficult to manoeuvre and so the increased length is unlikely to be advantageous. Preferably the binding attachment means occupies an area of the ski proximate the midpoint and extending rearward therefrom. This enables the binding to be secured to the ski at location which causes the skier's centre of gravity to locate rearward of the ski's midpoint. A spacer may be mounted between the binding and the ski to raise the binding above the snow. The spacer may be a body having an upper surface adapted to interface the underside of the binding and a lower surface arranged to bear against the upper surface of the ski. The lower surface of the spacer may be adapted to connect to the binding attachment means and the upper face may have attachment means which connect to the binding. Alternatively, the spacer may be shaped so that the snowboard binding attachment means co-operate directly with the snow board binding.

Preferably the snowboard binding, which may be of any type available, is secured to the elongate body by bolts, screws or like fasteners. Most preferably the binding attachment means comprise a plurality of threaded holes and the snowboard binding is secured to the body by a plurality of screws arranged to engage the threaded holes. The holes are formed in an array on the elongate body and they correspond to a multiplicity of holes formed in the binding. The screws may pass through the holes in the binding and threadingly engage the holes formed in the body. Alternatively, the binding attachment means may comprise at least one stud upstanding from the upper surface of the body and sized to extend through at least one bore formed in the snowboard binding. The end of the at least one stud may be adapted threadingly to receive a nut or the like to secure the snowboard binding to the body. Preferably the binding has a base which mounts on the body and which base has a width no larger than the ski width at the location of the binding attachment means and most preferably the width of the base is substantially equal to the ski width at the location of the binding attachment means.

-A-

In one arrangement the ski width may be uniform along the ski length so that the ski has substantially parallel long sides, but in an alternative arrangement the ski width may vary along the ski length. Most preferably the elongate body tapers inwardly from each end to define a waist partway along the ski length. In a preferred embodiment the waist may be positioned midway along the ski length and in an alternative embodiment the waist may be positioned one third of the way along the ski length from the rear of the ski. Yet, in a further arrangement the elongate body may taper inwardly from its front end so that the rear end of the ski is the narrowest portion. Advantageously, the front end of the ski is rounded to define a tip which is preferably semi-circular and which may curve upwardly so as not to thrust into the snow under the weight of a person as it moves forward. Furthermore, the rear end may be rounded to define a tail, which may also be semi-circular. The tail may also curve upwardly, but preferably not as high as the tip because the tail is unlikely to be thrust into the snow since the ski would usually be moving along the snow in a forward direction.

The body may have a peripheral side face defined by the sides and ends of the ski which interfaces the upper and lower surfaces. The peripheral face may be provided with a metal edge lying adjacent the lower surface and at least part of which serves to grip the snow or ice when the ski turns, therefore providing more stability. The edge is preferably made from metal so that it is more resilient to stones and debris and may be sharpened.

The ski body may have a camber so that when the ski is unladen its mid point curves upwardly and points longitudinally spaced either side of that midpoint (toward the front and rear ends) engage the snow. When the ski is laden the camber is flattened so as to create a large surface area which contacts the snow. Alternatively, the camber may be such that the midpoint curves downwardly and points longitudinally spaced either side of the midpoint are raised. Similarly, the width of the board may also or alternatively have a camber so as to create a concave or convex lateral profile. Generally, the specific camber of the ski may vary according to the skier's preference and the terrain on which the ski will be used. Indeed, the ski may have no camber at all.

In a further aspect of the invention there may be provided a combination of a downhill ski as described above and a snowboard binding connected to the ski by the binding attachment means. Preferably the snowboard binding comprises a base having an underside that mounts the upper surface of the planar body and a plurality of holes formed in the base that correspond to those formed in the planar body. Screws extend through the holes in the base and engage the holes formed in the planar body so as to secure the binding to the ski. The soft boot binding may include a rear support upstanding from the rear of the base and against which a soft boot binding worn by a skier may bear. Straps, or other retaining elements provided on the base and rear support, extend over the boot to secure it to the ski and these may include buckles or similar fastenings.

The soft boot to be secured in the binding has a toe and a heel between which is defined a soft boot length and the binding is arranged to hold the boot so that the soft boot length and ski length extend substantially parallel to each other. Most preferably the bindings are arranged so that the skier always faces forward so that the toe of the boot is positioned toward the tip of the ski and the heel of the boot is positioned toward the tail of the ski.

By way of example only, one specific embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows an isometric view of a ski according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the ski shown in Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a side view of the ski shown in Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is a front view of the ski shown in Figures 1 to 3;

Figure 5 is a rear view of the ski shown in figures 1 to 4; Figure 6 is an isometric view of the ski shown in Figures 1 to 5 but including a binding for receiving a snowboarding boot;

Figure 7 is a plan view of the arrangement shown in Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a side view of the arrangement shown in Figures 6 and 7;

Figure 9 is a front view of the arrangement shown in Figures 6 to 8; Figure 10 is a rear view of the arrangement shown in Figures 6 to 9; and

Figure 11 is a plan view of the invention of a ski shaped differently from that shown in Figures 1 to 10.

Referring initially to Figures 1 to 5, there is shown a ski generally indicated 10 comprising a generally planar body 1 1 having a front end 12 defining a semi circular tip 13 and a rear end 14 defining a semi circular tail 15. The tip 13 and tail 15 of the ski 10 curve upwardly, the curvature of the tail being substantially equivalent to that of the tip but the height of the tail 15 being approximately half the height of the tip 13. The width of the ski 10 near the tip 13 is larger than the width of the ski near the tail 15.

The ski has an upper face 16 adapted to carry a snowboard binding 40 (see Figures 6 to 10) for connecting the ski to a snowboard boot (not shown) worn by a skier (not shown). The ski also has a lower face 17 arranged to slide along the snow. Eight pairs of threaded holes 20 are formed in the upper surface 16 of the body 1 1 and are adapted to receive screws 18 (see Figures 6 and 7) suitable for fastening the binding 40 to the ski 10. The pairs of holes 20 are uniformly spaced partway along the length of the body 1 1 and each pair is spaced a uniform distance apart. The body 1 1 has a pair of opposed sides 21 which in combination with the front and rear ends 12, 14 form a peripheral face 25 extending around the body 1 1 . The sides 21 taper inwardly from the front and rear ends 12, 14 to define a waist 26 positioned approximately one third of the way along the body 1 1 from the rear end 14. The peripheral face 25 of the body 1 1 is furnished with a metal flange 28 having a lower edge 29 disposed substantially in the same plane as the lower face 17 of the body 1 1 for gripping the snow when the ski turns, thereby providing more control to the skier.

Figures 6 to 10 show the ski 10 with a binding 40 secured to its upper surface 16. The binding 40 comprises a base plate 40 having an upper surface furnished with opposed sidewalls 43 extending along its length and a rear support 44 connected to rear ends of the side walls 43. The length of the base plate 41 and the distance between the sidewalls 43 correspond to the length and width of the boot to be held in the binding 40.

Front and rear straps 50, 51 are provided on the side walls 43 for securing the boot within the binding 40. The straps extend laterally over the base plate 41 and are provided on the side walls 43 for holding the boot within the binding 40 when it has been placed there. The straps 50, 51 are provided with connection means (not shown) to enable the front straps 50 to connect to each other and the rear straps 51

to connect to each other. Many different styles of bindings are known, most of which have a base plate and rear support, but a wide variety of straps and connection means are available to hold the boot within the binding. Many bindings have straps connected to the rear support 44 rigidly to secure the lower leg of a skier to the binding. More straps are preferable since the movement of the skier's foot and lower leg is more precisely transmitted to the ski 10 to provide better control.

Several pairs of holes (not shown) are provided in the base plate 41 and the size and spacing of which correspond to that of the threaded holes 20 provided in the ski 10. This allows the binding 40 to be secured to the ski at a range of locations along its length by positioning the binding 40 approximately in the required position and then adjusting the position slightly so that holes in the binding align with the threaded holes 20 in the ski 10. The binding 40 can then be fastened to the ski 10 with screws 18 or the like. The configuration of holes in the base 41 of the binding 40 and the threaded holes 20 in the ski 10 should correspond otherwise it will not be possible to secure the binding 40 to the ski 10.

The ski 10 is substantially wider than a conventional ski so that it might carry the snowboard binding 40 without the binding protruding over the sides 21 of the ski 10. In view of this, the ski 10 need not be as long as a conventional ski since the width provides sufficient surface area adequately to distribute the weight of the skier. This smaller ski length also provides reduced leverage at the binding 40 which limits the likelihood of the skier sustaining serious injuries in the event of a fall. Usually a conventional ski is equipped with a releasable binding to enable disengagement of the boot in the event of the fall, but since the risk of injury is somewhat less with the present ski, this is unnecessary, although still desirable. The ski is also significantly narrower than conventional snowboards.

The ratio of the ski length to ski width is important as it ensures that correct novel skiing experience is provided with the advantages of the present invention. The ratio of approximately 5:1 has been found to be advantageous, but this may be adjusted according to personal preference. Figure 1 1 shows a plan view of a slightly different embodiment of ski. In all regards except the external peripheral profile it is the same as the ski described above in respect of Figures 1 to 10. In particular the tip and tail of the ski have a different curvature; the tip is elongate and the tail is compressed compared to the tip

and tail of the ski discussed above. Moreover, the waist is defined further towards the middle of the ski rather than one third of the way along the ski length from the tail.